Bats Need a Warm Home

DNR’s Heritage sites are an overlooked treasure these days when being outdoors is a safe way to get a break from our restricted lifestyles. Recently, we visited Calhoun County’s Congaree Bluffs Heritage Preserve –saw three other people. There was a bat box there that was on pole maybe fourteen feet or so up in the air as bats need space to drop after leaving their roost before they can take flight. We were puzzled at the dark green color the box was painted – it seemed like it would be way too hot in the summer. But it turns out bats, even crowded together, need a great deal of warmth. Sometimes bat boxes do get too hot, however, rocket boxes which are more expensive than other styles, let the bats move around to take advantage of the differences in temperature that occur.