The District is now offering a cost-share on bat boxes for District Members!
Surveys
- Bat Box Owner Survey: Bat Box Owner Reporting Form – if you purchased a bat box from us, use this form.
- Local Area Bat Survey: General Bat Reporting Form – if you have observed bats on your property, use this form.
Cost-Share Application
- Printable PDF: Bat House Cost Share Application
- Fillable PDF: Fillable Bat House Cost Share Application
Bat Boxes
This Publication from Wyoming Game and Fish has information about placement and maintenance for your bat house.
Program Details
Do you have bats roosting in unwanted places on your property? Are you looking to attract bats to help control insects such as mosquitos and other pests? Despite the bad wrap that bats often get, they can be very beneficial to have in our community. To help District members keep bats where they belong or, to help in attracting bats to your property, the Weston County Natural Resource District is offering a cost share on bat boxes. District members can purchase bat boxes from the District at a discounted rate for placement in Weston County.
Bats can help in controlling many common garden pests including June beetles, stink bugs, leaf hoppers, cutworms, corn earworms, and moths. Bats are also very helpful in controlling mosquitos. A single bat can catch up to a thousand or more insects an hour!
Placing bat boxes on your property is also a great way to help conserve our native bat populations. Bats nationwide are declining, and this is due in large part to a loss of habitat, especially safe roosting sites. Providing a safe roosting site keeps them safe from predators and helps provide an ideal environment where they can shelter during the day.
Benefits of Bat Houses
- Helps keep bats from roosting in unwanted places such as buildings and the eves of homes
- Provides a safe environment away from predators
- They eat bugs! Including mosquitos
- Provides a warm place to sleep
Proper placement of your Bat Box
- Avoid hills because the wind can injure the bats and disrupt their ability and navigate safe entry and exit the bat box
- Place the bat box facing the South or Southeast direction so they get at least six hours of sunlight
- To keep the bats safe from predators, the best placement is on a pole in a grassy area or on the side of a building, but not attached to the building
Annual Maintenance
- Should be checked annually for any problems or unwanted animals
- The best time to check the bat houses will be between November and March
- It is important to check for any wasps, cracks, leaks, peeling paint, or any other minor repairs
- If there are any unwanted guests, you can use a stick or a pole to scrape the nest or infestation out of the houses
- And finally check for any buildup of guano (the excrement of seabirds and bats, used as fertilizer) and scrape it out with a stick or a pole to get it out