This Gardman bat box is simple in design, but is all the bats reqiure to roost.

Locating your bat box:- (is far more important than what it looks like)

It is important to locate your bat box in a position to attract the bats to your garden. Some simple rules apply to achieve this.

Bats need water so if you have a pond, that’s ideal. If you don’t however, the bat box needs to be within half a mile of a water supply, such as a stream or irrigation / fishing pool. Although bats avoid light, warmth is vital to them and young colonies of bats require a temperature of over 80F during the day. So the box should be located in a south facing direction away from the prevailing wind. and should be placed around 15 feet or more off the ground. Trees are not suitable locations for bat boxes as they can often also be home to other predators like owls or hawks. The best place is in the apex / eaves of a building.