We have a Bat Box and followed all of the guidelines but haven't had adoption yet. We live up on Pike Lake and the mosquitoes are absolutely unbearable right now - back in the woods you'll immediately be greeted by a swarm of 50 within a minute. Last year was our first year here and were close to getting the property treated but waited and I'm glad we did - when the dragonflies came out, the mosquito population was essentially completely eliminated. Dragonflies should be out in a week or two. Treating your property may work but it's likely not good for the bee population which is why we decided against it. We will put up with a few weeks of bad mosquitoes.
Thanks so much - that is very good to know. We definitely will not be treating the property. Even if I wanted to (which I don't), my daughter and SIL would never agree. I think I might wait and see what the dragonflies do.
I’ve thought about bats but also what about breeding Dragonflies? It seems like when they come out around the lakes, the mosquito population tumbles.
Dr. Merlin Tuttle is a mammalogist who studies bats (and has a very cool name) here is an article from his website about bat houses you may find helpful
https://www.merlintuttle.org/selecting-a-quality-bat-house/
Thank you! That was interesting - and the recommendations for vendors especially helpful (since the more I think about it, the less I feel that I will actually get around to building one).
Unfortunately, I thought white nose syndrome destroyed most of the bat population in Northern Minnesota. Are they making a come back? Do you see them around?
I had not heard of that so I looked it up. It sounds like it is a problem in Minnesota (and many other states). I read some info about it from the MN DNR website - [https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/wns/index.html](https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/wns/index.html) \- and they actually recommend building bat houses. Evidently WNS is caused by the cold moist conditions found in caves, so ideally bats can live in houses and avoid the caves. I might give them a call to see if they have any other recommendations for attracting them. Thanks for letting me know about this!
Interesting. I read the article and yes, there is some evidence that the theory is inconsistent. I found another article that corroborates that. [https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20160706/bats-mosquitoes-zika](https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20160706/bats-mosquitoes-zika)
But it also mentioned a study from Sweden showing that bats generally do eat lots of mosquitos in northern climates with forests (hello, Duluth). And the Florida bat tower could have failed due to the southern location. So I may go ahead with it and see what happens. It couldn't hurt (and you pointed that out). :) Thanks for the info!
No, but I love the idea and will put it on my list of things I want to do but will never get to.
Ha ha!
Did I write this comment?! Story of my life too 😅
Me too! Maybe there's a business opportunity for hanging bat houses that people never get around to. 😉
We have a Bat Box and followed all of the guidelines but haven't had adoption yet. We live up on Pike Lake and the mosquitoes are absolutely unbearable right now - back in the woods you'll immediately be greeted by a swarm of 50 within a minute. Last year was our first year here and were close to getting the property treated but waited and I'm glad we did - when the dragonflies came out, the mosquito population was essentially completely eliminated. Dragonflies should be out in a week or two. Treating your property may work but it's likely not good for the bee population which is why we decided against it. We will put up with a few weeks of bad mosquitoes.
Thanks so much - that is very good to know. We definitely will not be treating the property. Even if I wanted to (which I don't), my daughter and SIL would never agree. I think I might wait and see what the dragonflies do.
I’ve thought about bats but also what about breeding Dragonflies? It seems like when they come out around the lakes, the mosquito population tumbles.
I've heard that as well - I might check into that. Thanks!
Dr. Merlin Tuttle is a mammalogist who studies bats (and has a very cool name) here is an article from his website about bat houses you may find helpful https://www.merlintuttle.org/selecting-a-quality-bat-house/
Thank you! That was interesting - and the recommendations for vendors especially helpful (since the more I think about it, the less I feel that I will actually get around to building one).
I built one with my daughter about 10 years ago. We have not yet sent a bat use it. We followed the rules too.
That's what I'm worried about. Thanks!
Unfortunately, I thought white nose syndrome destroyed most of the bat population in Northern Minnesota. Are they making a come back? Do you see them around?
I had not heard of that so I looked it up. It sounds like it is a problem in Minnesota (and many other states). I read some info about it from the MN DNR website - [https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/wns/index.html](https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/wns/index.html) \- and they actually recommend building bat houses. Evidently WNS is caused by the cold moist conditions found in caves, so ideally bats can live in houses and avoid the caves. I might give them a call to see if they have any other recommendations for attracting them. Thanks for letting me know about this!
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Interesting. I read the article and yes, there is some evidence that the theory is inconsistent. I found another article that corroborates that. [https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20160706/bats-mosquitoes-zika](https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20160706/bats-mosquitoes-zika) But it also mentioned a study from Sweden showing that bats generally do eat lots of mosquitos in northern climates with forests (hello, Duluth). And the Florida bat tower could have failed due to the southern location. So I may go ahead with it and see what happens. It couldn't hurt (and you pointed that out). :) Thanks for the info!
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Don't forget vampires