The DelVal Bat Condo

Over the winter of 2000, the Animal Science Society, in conjunction with several other campus groups, raised the funds necessary for the construction of a large bat house or "bat condo." This structure assists with the local conservation of bats by providing roosting sites for several thousand animals. Bats are particularly vulnerable to extinction due to their low reproductive rates.

Most of our local species reproduce only once per year and may have only a single offspring. More than half of all American bat species are now in severe decline or endangered. Humans may be largely responsible for this decline. Bats may be indiscriminately killed out of ignorance or exaggerated fears, while hibernating bats may be aroused by cave explorers, leaving them with too few calories to survive the winter. The widespread use of pesticides may harm bat populations. Finally, their roosting areas may be destroyed by development or by the loss of caves that are vandalized, dynamited, flooded or otherwise made uninhabitable. Bats are the only mammals that can fly; in fact, their taxonomic group, Chiroptera, literally means "hand-winged." Their wings consist of membrane stretched between their forelimbs and their hind legs and tail.

There are currently 11 species of bats in Pennsylvania, all of them are small species belonging to the family Vespertilionidae, or common bats. All of these are nocturnal, insect-eating bats. While our bat condo may ultimately be inhabited by several species of bats, we hope to attract a substantial maternity colony of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus). The house is approximately 8’ x 8’ x 8’ and is elevated 8’ above the ground. The plans for this structure were provided by the Bureau of Wildlife Management at the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Another “bat condo” of this design is already in use at Canoe Creek State Park in Blair County, Pennsylvania, and has a proven track record of attracting local bats.

The benefits of this community project are three-fold:

1) To conserve local bat populations.
2) To suppress local insect pest populations.
3) To reduce nuisance problems associated with the eviction or exclusion of bats from houses.

The house was constructed with hours of back-breaking labor by Dr. Michael Bodri and the students at DelVal who care about conservation and want to make a difference.