Painting your Bat House: A Complete Guide
February 17 2022 – Emily Stanford
Should I paint my bat house? What color should I pick?
Painting your bat house not only can make it more attractive to us, but it also makes it more attractive for the bats! Research tells us that painting your Bat house the right color for your area can help increase your bat house’s success by up to 50%!
So what color should you choose and what type of paint should you use? Read on to find out, or watch the video below!
CHO0SING THE RIGHT COLOR FOR YOUR BAT BOX:
Colors can help objects absorb and retain heat. The darker the color, the more heat it retains. (It’s the same reason why parking lots are so hot during the summer. The black asphalt absorbs a lot of heat).
The shade you should choose depends on your location. This map was designed with the help of bat experts to help you choose the right shade for your area:
(Note: Just because you live in a cooler area doesn’t mean you necessarily have to paint it black or grey; You can use other colors as long as they’re dark shades).
WHAT TYPE OF PAINT SHOULD I USE?
Any kind of outdoor paint works well. We recommend using a water-based paint as they're usually less odiferous and are slightly easier to clean up.
WHAT PARTS OF THE BAT HOUSE SHOULD I PAINT?
You should paint the bat houses’ exterior only. The interior should be left as is.
SHOULD I PAINT THE LANDING PAD?
Painting the landing pad of the bat house does not significantly affect the bat houses’ thermal properties, but if you want to paint the landing pad for aesthetic reasons, you can as long as you use only one very thin layer of paint. It’s very important to make sure that the paint does not fill the groves that the bats need to grip onto.
PAINTS OR STAINS?
You can use either paints or stains! However paint does generally help retain more heat than stains do. (You can always offset this by hanging your stained bat house in a location that receives more sun).
BatBnBs come with a pre-applied exterior stain and sealer, so you may not need to restain it unless you want it a darker color.
If you decide to use a stain, we recommend using one that is water-based as they're usually less odiferous. Here's a guide that might be able to help you choose one. We also recommend checking to see if it's "food safe" as those sealants are typically less odorous. The less scented the better as strong scents can deter bats until it wears off.
OTHER PAINTING TIPS?
Additionally, if you decide to paint, we recommend using some 120-220 grit sandpaper on your BatBnB to remove most of the applied sealer to help the paint adhere effectively.
TO SUMMARIZE, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PAINT YOUR BAT HOUSE FOR IT TO BE SUCCESSFUL, BUT PAINTING IT CAN HELP GIVE IT MUCH BETTER ODDS OF BECOMING OCCUPIED.
Additionally, painting your BatBnB is a fun family project! You can get creative and add your own personal designs.
1 comment
This was very helpful , thank you so much .