Europeans have been putting up bat houses for decades with much success. People in the United States have recently become aware of the benefits of attracting bats to their yards and the urgent need to help with the conservation of bats and this is primarily due to the efforts of Bat Conservation International. Bats are some of the most beneficial animals to the ecosystems where they live as well as directly beneficial to people. Of the nearly 1000 species of bats in the world, most are insect feeders and consume large amounts of insects every night. An estimated 1.5 million Mexican Free-tail bats that make their summer home in the crevices under the Congress Ave. bridge in downtown Austin, Texas consume about 40,000 lbs (18,140kg) nightly and that's just one bat colony. A single little brown bat can eat 600 mosquitoes in an hour. A colony of just150 big brown bats can save local farmers from 18 million rootworms each year. Just having a few bats in a bat house in your yard can help keep your garden from being devoured by insect pests and fewer mosquitoes from buzzing around your head.

Providing these artificial roosts for bats can benefit the bats by providing them with suitable places to spend the day in safety and raising their young. Keeping track of your bat house's activity and watching the bats exit at dusk is very rewarding. More and more people are learning about bats and their benefits and the need for their conservation and are putting up bat houses. Many Nature Centers now have bat houses up and occupied.

Already built bat houses and kits are available through a number of gardening and gift catalogues, but unfortunately these are of generally poor design and often come with little or no information on where and how to install them. They probably will not attract any bats. One of the best places to purchase or obtain bat house plans and information is from Bat Conservation International. Through their North American Bat House Research Program the latest in bat house designs and methods for success of attracting bats to a bat house can be found.

With the proper design and placement you might be able to attract bats to your bat house in a couple of months or a season or two.

Arizona bat species known to use bat houses:

-Pallid bat

-Big brown bat

-Cave myotis

-Yuma myotis

-Mexican free-tailed bat

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