8.8 Bat boxes

For many years, bats, with their fictional links with Dracula and vampires, have suffered from a poor public image. Yet far from being dangerous, blood-sucking predators, these friendly creatures do us all good service by controlling the number of insects, including midges, which damage food crops and make country walks a nightmare. Bats are endangered in many places because their roosting sites, such as old trees, walls, and old buildings, are being demolished. So by installing bat boxes at your wildlife site you can provide them with safe places to breed, to roost, and to hibernate.

Bat boxes are similar in appearance to bird boxes. They can be placed in small clusters around tree trunks. This enables the bats to move from place to place as temperatures rise and fall on daily and seasonal patterns. Bat boxes should be placed high on trees and walls, to be as near flying height as possible. Avoid placing them too near overhanging tree branches, telephone wires, or power cables, as these obstacles can impede flight paths. English Nature will put you in touch with your local bat group ( See section 8.7.1 for address).

Bats and the law

Because bats have become so endangererd they are now fully protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is illegal to kill, injure, or even handle a bat if you do not have a licence. And without a licence it is also illegal to interfere with a bat roost or hibernation site, even if you think the bats are inconveniencing or annoying you. The law applies to bat roosts or hibernation places even within your own home or work place. So if you find an ill or injured bat you should notify the Sheffield Wildlife Trust, the Sorby Natural History Society, the Sheffield Biological Records Centre and English Nature who will put you in touch with your local licensed bat worker. For further information about bats and the law, local bat groups, licensing and licences to handle bats, you should get in touch with:

Web site: http://www.bats.org.uk