Study

The development of new bat boxes made from Styrofoam for use in winter roosts

  • Published source details Horn J. (2006) Die Entwicklung neuer Kästen aus Styropor für den Einsatz in Fledermaus-Winterquartieren. Nyctalus: Internationale Fledermaus-Fachzeitschrift, 11, 11-18.

Actions

This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

Action Category

Provide bat boxes for roosting bats

Action Link
Bat Conservation
  1. Provide bat boxes for roosting bats

    A replicated, before-and-after study in 2002–2005 in a railway underpass and two barn cellars in Brandenburg, Germany (Horn 2006) found that styrofoam bat boxes and strips were used by at least one bat species after being installed. A styrofoam bat box installed in a railway underpass was used by five brown long-eared bats Plecotus auritus within two weeks of installation. A week after the box was removed, the author reports that no bats were observed in the underpass. A second styrofoam bat box and strip installed in a cellar previously uninhabited by bats was used by two brown long-eared bats the following winter. Styrofoam strips and two hollow concrete blocks installed in a second cellar already inhabited by bats were used by brown long-eared, Daubenton’s Myotis daubentonii and Natterer’s Myotis nattereri bats (see original paper for details). In October 2002, a styrofoam bat box (40 x 40 cm with 2–5 cm wide interior columns) was installed in a railway drainage underpass (23 m long, 1.9 m wide and 1.8 m high). In autumn/winter 2003–2004, a styrofoam bat box and strip (1 m long, with gaps and cavities cut into it) were attached to the ceiling of a barn cellar. In September 2003, styrofoam strips (0.2 x 1 m) and two hollow concrete blocks were added to the walls of a second barn cellar. Bats were monitored after bat boxes and strips were installed (details were not provided).

    (Summarised by: Katie Sainsbury)

Output references
What Works 2021 cover

What Works in Conservation

What Works in Conservation provides expert assessments of the effectiveness of actions, based on summarised evidence, in synopses. Subjects covered so far include amphibians, birds, mammals, forests, peatland and control of freshwater invasive species. More are in progress.

More about What Works in Conservation

Download free PDF or purchase
The Conservation Evidence Journal

The Conservation Evidence Journal

An online, free to publish in, open-access journal publishing results from research and projects that test the effectiveness of conservation actions.

Read the latest volume: Volume 21

Go to the CE Journal

Discover more on our blog

Our blog contains the latest news and updates from the Conservation Evidence team, the Conservation Evidence Journal, and our global partners in evidence-based conservation.


Who uses Conservation Evidence?

Meet some of the evidence champions

Endangered Landscape ProgrammeRed List Champion - Arc Kent Wildlife Trust The Rufford Foundation Save the Frogs - Ghana Mauritian Wildlife Supporting Conservation Leaders
Sustainability Dashboard National Biodiversity Network Frog Life The international journey of Conservation - Oryx Cool Farm Alliance UNEP AWFA Bat Conservation InternationalPeople trust for endangered species Vincet Wildlife Trust