All About Bat Boxes
Where development or building works will result in a bat roost being destroyed (under licence - it’s illegal to disturb or destroy a bat roost without a licence) we can create artificial bat roosts as an alternative for the bats. By creating these compensatory roosting opportunities, we ensure your development complies with the law and local bat populations are able to carry on living as they would normally.
One of the ways we create a compensatory roost is by using bat boxes, but not all bat boxes are the same.
Bats and Scottish Architecture
Just as you can tell the difference between an Aberdonian street and one from the Scottish Borders, so do Scottish bats! The differences in materials, building techniques and structural features across Scotland have a considerable influence on the roosting opportunities for bats. While your house may break the regional mould, here are some trends we’ve spotted across Scotland and how they impact if bats will roost in your property…
How do bats choose roosts in urban areas?
Understanding how bats choose where to roost is where we start with your bat surveys. This blog is a basic overview, so if you think you might have bats roosting and they’ll be impacted by a renovation or development, get in touch with us today.
Getting Help with a Problem Bat Roost
If you are currently having problems with a bat roost, please get in touch with us on our website. If you have a bat in your home or have found a grounded bat, please reach out to the National Bat Helpline through the Bat Conservation Trust.
What is a Bat Survey?
Bat surveys in Scotland happen in two stages. A Daytime Bat Walkover and a Presence/Absence survey.
How do bats choose their roosts?
Understanding how and where bats choose to roost is crucial for both development and renovation projects and for conservation efforts. The 10 bat species recorded in Scotland all have their own preferences for roosting sites, shaped by their ecological niche, physical adaptations and the balance of conditions needed for their survival and reproduction.
Bats in Buildings
Scotland is home to ten species of bat, and many of these choose to roost in buildings at least part of the time. Each species has its own preferences, from the habitats they frequent to the insects they hunt and the types of buildings and structures they like to use for roosting.
Bat Survey FAQs - Part 2
Here’s the next instalment of our Bat Survey FAQs! If you’ve got a question we haven’t answered you can contact us anytime and we will be happy to help you out!
Bat Survey FAQs: Part 1
No matter what kind of property you are developing or renovating, there are several questions we get time and time again. To help your proposed works go smoothly, here’s the answer to five of our most asked questions…
What will your bat survey find?
To help you prepare for your survey findings we’ve looked at our previous surveys at 133 sites, split into rural and urban/suburban locations. Let’s start by looking at the surveys you might need…
10 Ways to avoid bat survey problems in your development
We are often asked to help people who have found themselves in difficulties with planning or licensing their development, but the best way we can support you is making sure you don’t have problems from the beginning!
Why can’t you just clear out the bats?
If you’ve searched “get rid of a bat roost” or a similar phrase, you may have come across resources from North America about the logistics of removing bats from your home - in the UK it’s a little bit different.
4 Bat Survey Questions Asked and Answered
The last thing you want when you’re planning a renovation or development project is an unexpected delay or cost. To make sure you’re not caught out, here are your top 5 bat survey questions asked and answered!