Bat Box Plan B!

As you can see from the title, we abandoned the idea of struggling alone to get the bat box up, and called in reinforcements! We have a local builder/painter/odd-job man who will tackle any DIY job, big or small, that we cannot manage at our age with our creaky joints and limited strength! So, Samuel arrived early last week and set his 'manne' to work digging a hole deep enough to plant the pole a metre down. That sounds easy, but, we have boulders and stones just under the surface and it took them a while, believe me.

Looking like a 'sputnik' ready to launch!

Once the hole was deep enough, the actual box was placed on the top of the pole and Rob tied ropes round the pole near to the box. Then, the heaving began! By that time there were 6 men pulling, pushing, steadying and manoeuvring to get the bottom of the pole into the deepest part of the hole! Remember, the box weighs 45 kilos, so it was mightily topheavy! Once it was up, the ropes were tied to the manatoka trees to prevent the whole lot crashing down on someone! (I was out at the time, so it wouldn't have been me!)

Up and tied to the manatoka trees.

They then did layering of rocks and cement in the hole, by packing rocks against the pole (which also had reinforced rods through to help grip the cement), and then pouring cement over and bodging it into the gaps. Six wheelbarrow loads of cement were used, so I don't think the bat box is going anywhere in a hurry!

Cement, stones and threaded rod to help the grip.

We left the ropes attached for a few days, and then Rob bravely climbed the ladder to untie them while I braced myself against the pole. Then, we filled in the remains of the hole, and covered it with small 'klippies' or stones to match the rest of the garden. Finally, I strategically placed a kruiwa under the box to catch the guano once the little darlings move in.

Looking good! Where are the bats?

Now, I have to admit that I am not at all sure what bats we have here, but going by the information I found on bats in this area, it seems that the most common is the insect eating Cape serotine bat. This is a very tiny bat, only weighing in at between 4 and 10 grams, and they are so small that even if you have them living under the roof, you may never notice them, you don't know that they are around! They live in colonies of about 20 and will happily occupy a bat box. I hope that they know all that and our efforts are not in vain!

Cape serotine bat (thanks to EcoSolutions)

They give birth once a year, during October and November, and singles, twins, triplets and even quadruplets are known.

Let them all have quadruplets, we still have a major mozzie problem.........*sigh*