Installing your bat house on a wooden pole: A Step-by-Step Guide

Have you decided to hang your bat house on a wooden pole? Excellent! Putting up a bat house is one of the best ways you can help save bats and also sustainably reduce pest insects from your yard. Additionally, mounting a bat house on a wooden pole is a great option for a number of reasons.

Pros:

• Flexibility: You’re able to put poles almost anywhere. You have more control of positioning your bat house further from tree branches or footpaths, closer to water, or in a select spot that receives ample sunlight.
• No Branches: Poles work better than tree trunks because poles don’t have branches. Tree branches can be used by predators as perches, and can also block the sunlight bat houses need to stay at a preferred temperature 
• Simplicity: Mounting on a wooden pole requires only a few steps

Cons:

• Temperature Regulation: Because there’s no wall behind them, bat houses mounted on poles tend to lose more heat in the evening. So you’ll want to compensate for it by either painting your bat house a darker shade, or placing the pole somewhere that gets even more direct sunlight. 

If you want to mount your bat house on a wall instead, watch the installation here!

For more information on choosing the best location for your bat house, see our “Bat house placement tips” and our “choosing a location for your bat house” video (soon to be released!) which will help guide you through the process of identifying and selecting an ideal location for your BatBnB. If you have decided on a location already, we recommend checking it out anyway in order to confirm that the location you’ve selected offers you the right features that bats will love. Choosing a good location is crucial for bat house success.

In this article, we will guide you through a step-by-step process on how to hang your new BatBnB on a wooden pole, using the included quick mounting system. 

If you’re a visual learner (like myself) and you prefer to watch the installation step-by-step process rather than reading it, see our “Wooden Pole hanging guide” video guide!

But for the readers, let’s dive in!

INCLUDED PARTS

With your BatBnB, you will receive: 

1 MOUNTING CLEAT

These come pre-attached to the back of your BatBnB unit and function by gripping the mount piece.

1 MOUNT

Attach this piece to the surface you want to hang your BatBnB from. The side with the smaller surface area should connect with the hanging surface.

1 SAFETY BRACKET

Small metal bracket is attached on the lower back side of your BatBnB that will act as a safety mechanism against any lifting forces such as strong winds.

6 SCREWS

Screws that will attach the mount to your hanging surface.

TOOLS NEEDED

• DRILL

  • Phillips-head bit or Phillips-head screwdriver

• LEVEL

• POLE

  • 4x4 or 4x6 pressure-treated post  
  • Minimum 20 ft tall

• SHOVEL OR POST HOLE DIGGER

• 1 BAG OF CONCRETE

• 1 POST PROTECTOR  (OPTIONAL)

HANGING PROCESS:

Note: You have the option to either insert the pole in the ground, and then hang the bat house, or secure the bat house on the pole and then raise the pole (with the attached bat house) and insert it in the ground. Both approaches work well, but be aware that it may change the order of your steps.

Attaching the BatBnB:

STEP 1: SECURE THE MOUNTING PIECE 

Lay your post flat on the ground. 

Place the included mounting piece about 4 inches below the top of the pole. When placing the mounting piece, make sure the side with the smaller surface area is against the wall. The wide pre-drilled holes should be facing you.

Pre-drill the holes and then screw in the mounting piece.

STEP 2: PLACE THE BATBNB

Slide the cleats on the back of the unit onto the now secured mounting piece. 

STEP 3: SECURE THE SAFETY BRACKET

Adjust the bottom metal bracket so that it points straight down, and secure it with a screw.

Now your bat house is fully mounted on the pole and the pole is ready to be inserted! 

In the photo above you'll notice a D-ring that was added for securing the wood to a metal pole, but this is not required for a successful installation when mounting directly on a wooden pole.

SETTING UP THE POLE:

STEP 1: CHOOSE THE LOCATION:

Choosing a good location greatly affects the success of your bat house, so see our tips on choosing a good location for your bat house here.

Before digging your hole, make sure there are no wires or utility lines underneath that you could accidentally cut in the process! Depending on where you live, you can contact 811 (https://call811.com/) to find out what areas are safe to dig into. 

STEP 2: DIG THE HOLE

Once you have a good location in mind, dig the hole roughly 3-4 feet deep using either a shovel or a post-hole digger. Ensure the hole is wide enough to accommodate the pole’s width. Using a post-hole digger helps simplify the digging process.

STEP 3: INSERT A LAYER OF GRAVEL (OPTIONAL)

For better results, once the hole is dug, pour roughly 4 inches of all-purpose gravel into the bottom of the hole. Make sure it is level as this is what the pole will be resting directly on top of.  This step is not essential, however doing it will increase the longevity of the pole as it helps the water drain away and thus deters the wood from rotting.

STEP 4: ATTACH THE POST PROTECTOR (OPTIONAL):

You can also use a Post Protector to help deter post decay. Obtain one that fits the poles’ dimensions, and insert it by sliding it as far as it will go up the base of the pole. Fasten it according to its instructions.  

Now use your drill to make a few holes near the base. This will allow for any water that might accumulate inside to drain out. 

STEP 5: INSERT THE POLE

Make sure you have at least 2-4 people to help with this step. (The pole can be heavy and we don’t want anyone getting hurt!) Make sure the side with the post protector is down, and slowly lower the pole into the pre-dug hole. 

Once inserted, hold the pole steady (either with several hands or with a built wooden brace) until the pole has been secured in place.

STEP 6: LEVEL THE POLE

Orient the pole so that it’s facing the desired direction. (See our orientation tips here!) 

Once in position, make sure the pole is standing upright using a level (or even a level on a smartphone). Be sure to check all sides of the pole to correct any leaning. 

STEP 7: SECURE THE POLE

You can stabilize your pole using either approximately 1 bag of traditional concrete, or roughly 1 bag of the quick-setting Quikrete. If you use traditional concrete, you will want to nail in a few wooden support beams so that the pole remains in position while the concrete sets. 

Rather than purchasing a concrete mixer, you can simply mix the concrete in the hole by alternating pouring concrete and water. Use a metal rod to thoroughly mix the two together. 

If your pole-hole is quite wide, you may need additional bags of concrete. 

Be sure to double check the level of the pole after this step is completed. 

STEP 8: FINISHING TOUCHES!

Wait for the concrete to set, then scatter excess dirt so that the post is level with the ground.

That’s it! Your BatBnB is fully functional. Thank you for providing these important mammals with a safe place to live!

If you would like to inspire others to help save the bats, share a photo of your newly installed bat house on social media using #BatBnB or send it to us in an email at support@batbnb.com. We may just feature you! You can also leave us a review at https://www.facebook.com/batbnb/reviews.

We hope you found this guide helpful! Check out our other videos and articles for more bat house guides and FAQs!

Interested in getting a bat house? BatBnBs are excellent quality, expert-approved bat houses. Check them out here! Just look at what our clients are saying:

“I recently bought two bat boxes from BatBnB and love them! They are well-made and attractive and come with a book that has a lot of great information about bats and about the best place and way to hang the boxes. We put ours up at our house and within a week had one bat already living in it! We hope he invites all of his friends!”

— SHARON G. N