INSECT CONTROL
From page 24
of helping to keep insect
dangerous, so will not hesitate populations under control as
opposed to the continual use
to kill one if they find it in
of poisonous chemicals that,
their homes. This, combined
with human encroachment on apart from being illegal, do
not provide an effective longtheir natural habitats, is
term solution,“ says Jonathan
placing pressure on bat
Haw of EcoSolutions. “If bats
populations.
living in the roof of a house
Smallholders can help by
providing accommodation for are poisoned and die, new
bats will simply take their
bats on their plots. There are
place, and therefore it is
ready-made bat boxes
available from EcoSolutions in preferable rather to bat-proof
the roof and provide alternaStrydom Park.
tive housing for the bats.”
“It is a cheaper and more
environmentally friendly way The alternative is to make a
box. This is fairly simple for a
reasonably handy DIY
maplotter.
The box must be made from
untreated wood, ie, wood
that hasn't been pressuretreated with chemicals. Bats
are sensitive to smells, and
preservative chemicals may
be harmful to them.
You will need to use roughsawn wood, rather than
smooth, planed wood. If the
wood feels too smooth,
roughen it by dragging the
teeth of a saw across the
surface – this helps bats
get a good grip as they
clamber around their new
home.
An effective bat house must
have good, tight joints, as it
has to be completely dark
inside and because bats hate
a draught. “Glue and screw
the wood together,” advises
Haw.
It must also have a narrow
slit at the back of the box,
with a rough piece of wood
leading up to it that they can
clamber up.
You'll need a sheet of timber
15cm wide by at least 1,1 m
long. A long box is necessary
to regulate the temperature
inside.
Mark the wood with a
pencil, according to the
diagram, and then cut it in to
the sections.
The dimensions shown in the
diagram are for 20mm thick
wood. If your wood is
different to that, the dimensions of the base should be
150mm by 130mm minus
twice the thickness of the
wood, eg, if the wood is
18mm thick, the base should
be 150mm x 94mm.
Nail all the pieces together as
shown in the diagram,
making the joints as airtight
as possible.
Correct positioning of the bat
box is crucial.
There must be easy access to
water. “And not just any
water,” says Haw. “Lactating
mothers need hard water, as
this is a better source of
calcium than soft water.
Insects are not high in
calcium.” Also, the mother
doesn't want to leave the
babies alone for long.
Houses should be placed
high enough to allow bats to
“drop” down when they exit
the house. Bats need a drop
before they actually begin
flying. Any height above 2m
would probably be satisfactory.
The temperature inside the
bat house plays a huge role.
Continued on page 30
26
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