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ilex
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| Joined: | Wed Jan 18th, 2006 |
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| Posts: | 7 |
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Posted: Wed Jan 18th, 2006 12:10 pm |
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I want to place a few bat houses on a (I think) very good place for them, but I'm worried about ligthning hitting the bat houses. Lightning is quite common here and having a metal pole 5 or 6 meters long in the middle of a flat with no nearby trees looks dangerous.
I would probably try to put them farder from water but near some woods.
Anybody has experience with lightning hitting bat houses?
The place is in Spain, 1200 m high, in pretty well conserved landscape, with pastures, forest and some agriculture. I've got a very big pond, one of 2 in a couple miles radius. Also mix of various ecosistems as it is in a very strategic ecologic point, due to its distance to the sea and its altitude range. I know there are some very rare bats around and not too many old trees.
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Terry Lobdell
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Posted: Wed Jan 18th, 2006 03:50 pm |
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| I think as long as the interior of your bat houses are dark there shouldn't be a problem. I have a security light mounted on a pole at the end of my driveway and have 2 bat houses mounted on my house facing the light. I had bats all summer long in both houses. Probably the most important thing is not having the light shine or reflect up into the bat house.
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Wetbug
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Posted: Wed Jan 18th, 2006 05:04 pm |
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Terry, I think ilex was asking about the bat pole being a lightNing
rod. ilex, why do you need a metal pole? My SIL and I are talking about
using 12' connected 2x4's. Two pressurized pieces as a base (in
concrete) with a standard 2x4x12 sandwiched and bolted in between as
the top. The bat house will be up in the air about 20' with this
arrangement and trees in the area (close, but not near the bat house)
are taller than this. In this way, I think lightning will hit the
nearby trees before it hits the bat house.
Another point, however... even though lightning is common, actual
strikes to a specific point are rare... statisticians say the chances
of winning the lottery are approximately that of getting struck by
lightning.
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ilex
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Posted: Thu Jan 19th, 2006 09:21 am |
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Here in Spain, a metal post is much, much cheaper than a wood one (wood is expensive). I can even get a metal pole very cheaply at a salvage garden (not sure that's the proper name, I mean that place where they have old cars and various metalic junk). Near the pond (the best place) there are absolutely no trees in 200 meters, so the pole would really stand out.
Would having water 200 to 500 meters away be considered as good as having it 20 meters away?
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Terry Lobdell
Member
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Posted: Thu Jan 19th, 2006 11:51 pm |
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| Yes, I didn't see the "n" in there.........I would definitely worry about a metal pole attracting lightning...........I wonder if you put pvc or wood extension on the top of a metal pole to mount the bat house to if that would provide enough protection?
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Wetbug
Member
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Posted: Fri Jan 20th, 2006 01:39 am |
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Terry, I would think it would be just the opposite, the metal pole
would act as a lightning rod carrying the charge down to the earth. I
don't think you'd want a structure in its way.
If the bat house was mounted to the pole with wooden supports, I think
the pole would guide the charge past the house. I'd connect the wood to
the pole with bolts, but would use wood (2x4's) to hold the bat house
out away from the pole. Then too, recall the incidence numbers.
Lightning strikes are a rarity.
ilex, I'm new at this and will probably have more info for you after we
get my SIL's bat house installed. His location will be about 100 meters
from a fairly large pond. I can say this however, he has bats flying
over his lawn right now in decent numbers with the nearest water at
that 100 meter distance. The bats are going after bugs hatching from
the surrounding trees, bushes and the lawn itself. His lawn is about
1/2 acre - big open area in the middle of surrounding woods, so the
water must be close enough for them to venture a ways.
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