Eastlancsbats.org

Hi,

I have a pipistrelle maternity roost in my roof space. They are getting through via a hole in the plaster at the base of the ridge tile on the gable end of the roof.

We have a cavity wall and the bats are getting into the entire house through here, we are also going to be moving some of the internal walls so we need to keep them out.

We are also getting the roof replaced so have taken advice from a Natural England bat inspector, who tells us the best thing to do is install a bat box inside the cavity wall so we retain the existing entrance but the bats are restricted from entering the cavity walls of the house.

Simple enough, but the entrance is at the top of the roof, and of course all bat boxes seem to have entrances at the bottom of the box. I can see two solutions here, either install a bat box upside down or create a second "containing" box which restricts their access to the cavity walls and install a bat box the right way up inside this containing box (so the bats come in at the top and can travel down to the entrance to the bat box).

Any advice as to how to do this, and where best to source a solution would be appreciated. Also as we're replacing the ridge tiles I guess we'll have to recreate the entrance hole artificially, so any advice as to the best shape/dimensions for this would be useful.

Thanks

Rich

Hi Rich,

Glad to hear you are happy to accommodate your Pipistrelle maternity roost in the work you intend to carry out.

I wouldn't worry too much about the logistics and details though as this is something that you really need the involvement of a licensed consultant bat worker to advise you on. To carry out the work you have planned you're going to need permission from Natural England, what is sometimes called a "derogation licence" and the best way forward will be to contact and appoint a consultant.

"The forms to apply for these licences require detailed bat knowledge, so it is usual to employ an environmental consultant to carry out a survey of the structure containing the roost, and write the method statement for the licence on behalf of the person proposing the work. " From http://www.bats.org.uk/pages/building_r ... _work.html (This is a useful link for information)

So I'm afraid our best advice in your situation would be to contact a professional to design the necessary replacement roost and who can apply for a Natural England Licence to carry out the works, before you begin any work. That way you will be able to ensure you are not committing an offence. (http://www.bats.org.uk/pages/bats_and_the_law.html)

The following link should help you find a consultant who is able to help you, choose keyword "bats" and your regional location.

http://www.ieem.net/ieemdirectory.asp

We'd be interested in your roost record for our database if you'd be willing to enter the information here

http://www.eastlancsbats.org/index.php/ ... at_Records

Dave

We've already got all the correct permissions from Natural England, we had a visit and this is what they told us to do, and I have no doubt our roost was registered at this time. Whilst I am perfectly happy to accommodate the bats in every way I can I'm not prepared to start forking out on "bat consultants" to do a bit of basic carpentry, I can follow the Natural England recommendations to the letter, not a problem, but if there's any best practice advice anyone has in terms of entrance size etc. that would obviously be in the best interests of the bats.