Bats in the garden? You may not think of it right away, but bats are a must for a biodiverse garden! Not only do they catch over 3,000 mosquitoes and insects in a single night, they are also good for pollination and natural fertilization of the garden! Now, close to the breeding season in spring, is the ideal time to make the garden a welcoming place for bats! Read on to find out how to do that.

A home for the bat

Most modern homes are well isolated these days. Good news for the energy bill, but bad news for the bat. They are all too happy to crawl into dark holes, cracks and cavity walls and therefore suffer quite a bit from our new building policies. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to help the bats.

Fact: The bat is a protected species in Europe.

Thus, our bat boxes create a veritable 5-star residence for the nocturnal animals. Thanks to the grooves in the wood on the inside, a bat has enough grip to easily climb inside and stay in the box. Our bat boxes come in different sizes and types by the way, so there is a box to fit every household. It's also good to hang several bat boxes of different sizes in different places, this way bats will choose the best place themselves .

Photo: @charlottewessels

One time a bat will choose a cosier and sunnier spot (for example during the breeding season), while another will choose a cool and spacious spot (during a hot summer day for example). In addition, research has shown that with a cluster of 3 bat boxes, there quickly was an occupancy of over 80%, where with a single box it was only 49%. So let those bats (boxes) come!

Fact: Despite popular belief, bats do not cause damage. Rather, they crawl into existing holes.

The natural mosquito repellent

Give the bat an even warmer welcome with a total bat-friendly garden! By adding various elements to the garden, these winged friends will find their way to your garden even faster. This can be done by sowing a bat-attracting flower mixture. This flower mixture includes evening primrose, night violet, floweral tobacco and nightshade. These flowers are known to bloom at night and therefore only attract insects in the late hours. Something that is extremely convenient for the bat! The flower mixture is ideally sown from April/May onwards; by buying it now, you are still in time!

While hunting for insects, the bat also touches the flowers in the garden, which conveniently helps with pollination. By the way, a bat is not picky and will easily eat a whole mosquito infestation in the garden. With bats irritating buzzing animals in the house are past tense, the bat gets enough food and give nature a helping hand. A win-win-win situation. Will you help create a better balance in nature?

Location is key

It is important to hang a bat box in the right way. Therefore, look for a suitable spot in the garden or at home. Ideally, the box should be in a relatively sunny and quiet place, not near a window or a bicycle path. By preference hang the box at a minimum height of 3 meters and with enough approach space around the bat box.

Photo: @charlottewessels

Most bats wake up from hibernation in March or April and first replenish their body fats. Just one month after the breeding season begins, the first little bats emerge! By hanging up the bat box in the spring, you can already enjoy the benefits of bats this summer!

Fact: Bats will never attack on their own and only bite when cornered.

In short, the ideal step-by-step plan for the bat-friendly garden:

• Hang a bat box in a high, quiet and relatively sunny spot;
• Provide enough approach space;
• Hanging the box now will allow bats to take advantage of it in the summer;
• Provide enough food by sowing the bat attracting flower mixture.