Oklahoma Bats

. . . Coming Out of the Dark

If wasps become a problem, blast them with a high- pressure hose. Scrape mud dauber nests early in the season for better control. DO NOT USE PESTICIDES!
Check bat houses for bats once or twice a month in summer and then once each fall and winter. After bats are established, check only a few times per season.
To check bat houses, briefly shine a flashlight into the house. Be careful not to touch the house and be as quiet as possible.
If the wood of your bat houses begins to warp, especially near the top, seal any gaps with silicon caulking. If the warping is significant, build a new house. Drafts keep bats from efficiently trapping body heat and from maintaining optimum conditions for rearing young.
Besides mounting bat houses, you might consider wrapping corrugated metal around tree trunks to provide summer roosts for tree-dwelling bats.

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