Bat box coloring - Ask Extension
I bought my wife a bat box for Christmas, though we haven't put it up yet. She thinks the box should be painted a dark color to help keep it warm. B...
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Bat box coloring #874022
Asked June 21, 2024, 12:56 AM EDT
I bought my wife a bat box for Christmas, though we haven't put it up yet. She thinks the box should be painted a dark color to help keep it warm. But the shop I bought it from said most of the bats in our area (Damascus, Clackamas Co.) are migratory. So the bat would only be using it in the summer, and a lighter color is better. Should we mount the bat box as is or paint it a darker color?
Clackamas County Oregon
Expert Response
As with many things, the answer is "it depends." Bat Conservational International offers this helpful guidance, however: What color should I paint my bat house?
The color you should paint your bat house doesn’t matter as much as the shade of that color. This varies based on your area and its climate, as the different colors absorb different amounts of heat. Average high temperatures in July should be used when determining the color needed on your bat box:85 or less: Black. 85-95: Dark or medium colors like brown, gray, and green. 95-100: Medium/light colors. 100 and higher: Light colors or white
BCI has numerous tips about bat house siting, so I recommend this page as you do your planning: https://www.batcon.org/about-bats/bat-gardens-houses/
The color you should paint your bat house doesn’t matter as much as the shade of that color. This varies based on your area and its climate, as the different colors absorb different amounts of heat. Average high temperatures in July should be used when determining the color needed on your bat box:85 or less: Black. 85-95: Dark or medium colors like brown, gray, and green. 95-100: Medium/light colors. 100 and higher: Light colors or white
BCI has numerous tips about bat house siting, so I recommend this page as you do your planning: https://www.batcon.org/about-bats/bat-gardens-houses/
