If I build a bat house, will the bats that live in my ceiling/roof/chimney move out of my house and into it?

Question

there are bats living somewhere in my ceiling. Every once in a while, one of them will emerge out of some hole next to my chimney or some heating pipes. I really like bats, but I just prefer them when they aren't in my house. Ive been planning on building a bat house as a fun woodworking project, and I was wondering if this would attract completely new bats or if the bats living in my house might move out of my ceiling and into the bat house. Also, I live in an area of Northern Pennsylvania that is surrounded by forests. There seem to be a lot of bats around here as it is, and I was wondering if a bat house would really even attract more bats since there are so many natural places that bats could live around me?

Answer 1

I have aot of bathouses. Most ofthe bats inside won't move out to the bathouses. You will have to get them removed firs and get all the holes sealed, but after they are removed, they will move in to the bathouse. It takes a few years before they start to move in. They don't like new.

Answer 2

It may be worth your while waiting until you can be sure that there are no bats present and getting any spaces sealed up. my colleague is a batworker and said that it is difficult to determine exactly when the area would be empty, so why not get in touch with a local batworker (like a protection society or something) who may be able to advise you. They may be able to give you pointers on where to seal up etc.

As for your box, it can take several years for a box to be colonised, so its unlikely that the bats would hop straight from your house into the box, but you never know! But its great to put them up, its becoming the case that there are less and less habitats for these little guys!