Bats Roosting in my porch: 2. Looking for a solution

I had enjoyed the presence of small family of Common Fruit Bats (Cynopterus brachyotis) that roosted under the roof of my porch LINK (above left). As the novelty wore off, their presence became a nuisance. They dirtied the floor below with their excrements and discarded food. The excrements needed to be scrubbed off within the same day, least they become permanent stains (above right).

So the next step was to get the bats to roost elsewhere – in the many trees around, perhaps. A few actually did just that. They roosted in the Song of India tree (Dracaena reflexa) (above). But the rest continued to return to the porch regularly, despite being chased away. I suppose the porch is a safer place, away from predators and the rain.

A small group of bats continued to roost under the roof of the porch despite being constantly harassed. Many houses in the neighbourhood experience the same problems. The bats roost along the eves of houses and between the outer roof covering and the wooden lining.

By early 2014 I was looking for a permanent solution. One resident solved the problem somewhat by using mist nets to trap the bats (above left). This, of course, is to be discouraged. Suggestions in the internet include hanging aluminium strips, helium balloons to displaying a fake owl. I tried spotlights and computer disks (CDs) (above right)

Bats are nocturnal creatures, resting during the day and actively foraging during the night. Currently, they arrive between 1930-2030 hours and 0530-0630 hours to roost in my porch.

I had a pair of powerful spotlights fixed, directed at the spot where the bats roosted (above) These failed to discourage roosting. I also tried placing CDs on the ground with the shiny surface facing up and the spotlights on.

The next posting will discuss tweaking the use of spotlights and CDs to obtain partial success.

YC Wee
Singapore
July 2014