Build a bat house

A flat box on a sunny wall, and the mosquitoes have a problem. Arkansas bats will find it.

This fits in a car

About 36 lb of materials. Comfortably inside what a car carries (200 lb), so any shopper can take it.

Before you start

Sand the edges, keep pressure-treated wood out of it, and let kids paint rather than climb. Mounting it means a tall ladder: set it on firm ground, have a helper hold it, and screw the house down so it cannot tip or fall. Never handle a bat with bare hands.

What to buy — untick anything you have

Lumber

2 Exterior plywood, 1/2 in, 2×4 ft panelExterior grade, not pressure-treated. The cut station can cut a full sheet down if panels are out.
2 Furring strip 1×2, 8 ft

Hardware

1 box of exterior screws, 1-1/4 in
1 tube of exterior latex caulk
1 pack of exterior lag screws, 3 in

Paint

1 quart of exterior paint and primerA medium to dark brown or gray. Not black: Arkansas summers get too hot inside a black box.

Tools — already ticked off, since most people have them

Tools

1 Circular saw· most people have this
1 Cordless drill· most people have this
1 Caulk gun· most people have this
1 Extension ladder· most people have this

It lands in the shopping form, where you can edit anything and say what you think each thing costs. Nothing is ordered until you send it.

How it goes · about a weekend · some experience

Cut a back panel about 24 in wide and 26 in tall, a front in two pieces, and a roof, following a single-chamber bat house plan.
Score shallow grooves across the inside of the back panel every half inch with the saw, so the bats have something to grip. Never use metal mesh.
Screw the furring strips around three sides of the back to make a chamber about 3/4 in deep, open at the bottom.
Caulk every joint, screw on the front and roof, and give the outside two coats of paint.
Mount it at least 12 ft up on the sunny south or east side of the house or a shed, with a helper holding the ladder.