Insulated walls, sealed roofs, and the loss of mature trees have removed the crevices and cavities where bats used to roost. Our range supports native species year-round, including safe hibernation spaces for colder months.
Which bat nest box is right for you?
The UK has 18 bat species, 17 of which are known to breed here. Only a handful will realistically use a garden box. We recommend choosing the bat box based on the bats living in the area surrounding your house:
- Common and soprano pipistrelle. The UK's smallest and most widespread bats, and by far the most likely to use a garden box. They squeeze into tight crevices, so a crevice-style box on a wall or tree is what you want. In towns and cities, this is almost certainly your species.
- Brown long-eared. Needs headroom rather than a narrow slot, so a deeper, larger-cavity box. Found in gardens with mature trees and in rural lofts.
- Noctule. One of our largest, emerging early at dusk and flying high. Favours boxes mounted high on mature trees, six metres and up.
- Daubenton's. The water bat, hunting low over still water. Site a box within about 10 metres of a pond, lake, or slow river.
- Natterer's. A woodland specialist, so worth trying in rural, well-planted gardens near hedgerows or woodland edge.
The quickest way to find out what you have is to watch the sky just after sunset on a warm evening, ideally over water or near a street light. For anything more precise, your county bat group or the Bat Conservation Trust holds local records. If you are unsure, a crevice box on the house wall plus a cavity box on a tree covers both possibilities.
Should you choose wood or WoodStone?
Bat boxes are available in two common materials: FSC® wood and FSC® WoodStone. WoodStone is a unique material developed by CJ Wildlife, which insulates better and has a longer lifespan. The most significant differences are:
| |
FSC® timber |
WoodStone |
| Weight |
Light, easy to mount |
Considerably heavier |
| Temperature stability |
Varies with the weather |
Holds a steadier internal temperature |
| Lifespan |
Good; check for rot and splits |
Does not rot, warp or need treating |
| Warranty |
Standard |
10 years on the Beaumaris Maxi |
| Price |
From £12.99 |
From £34.99 |
detail. Bats select roosts by internal climate, and a thin timber panel on a south-facing wall can get too hot in a July heatwave while a pup is inside. WoodStone, a wood fibre and concrete blend, evens those swings out.
The honest trade-off: WoodStone boxes are heavy. The Beaumaris Maxi in particular needs a proper fixing into solid masonry, not a couple of screws into render. Plan the mounting before you order.
Our wooden boxes, including the DIY Bat Box Igor, use FSC® 100% certified timber, verified end to end through the chain-of-custody standard. The National Trust Glamis is part of a co-branded range that supports the Trust's conservation work.
The law, before you install
All UK bat species and their roosts are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. This is among the strongest protection given to any wild animal here.
- It is an offence to disturb, injure, capture, or kill a bat, or to damage, block, or destroy a roost. A structure counts as a roost if bats use it at any point in the year, whether they are inside it now.
- Once your box is in use, leave it alone. Do not open, move, or inspect an occupied box, particularly during the maternity season (roughly May to August) or hibernation (roughly November to March), when disturbance costs a hibernating bat fat reserves it cannot spare.
- Installing an empty box needs no licence. Protection applies once bats are using it.
- Moving or disturbing an occupied roost needs a licence from Natural England or the equivalent body in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland. Contact the Bat Conservation Trust's National Bat Helpline before doing anything yourself.
If you find a grounded or injured bat, call the National Bat Helpline rather than handling it with bare hands.
Installing a bat box
Install your box in autumn or winter so it's already weathered in and scent-neutral by the time bats become active again in spring. That said, a box can be put up at any time of year. It's simply less likely to be found in its first season if installed mid-summer, when bats have already settled into established roosts. Take these tips into account when installing one:
- Height: 4 metres or more, and six metres or higher for noctules.
- Facing south to south-east, so the box warms in the morning sun.
- Clear flight path. No branches or obstructions should be in front of or below the entrance. Bats drop from the entrance to gain flight and struggle to take off from the ground.
- Away from artificial light. Street lamps and garden spotlights deter most species.
- Two or three boxes with different aspects meaningfully improve your odds, because bats move between warmer and cooler roosts as conditions change.
Be patient after installing a bat box: it commonly takes one to three years for a box to be found and adopted, sometimes longer. You will know it is occupied from the outside: droppings below the entrance look like mouse droppings but crumble to a glittering dust when pressed because they are made of insect fragments. Watch from a few metres away at dusk to see them emerge.
Frequently asked questions about bat boxes
What is important when installing a bat box?
The location matters as much as having a bat box. Proximity to water, mature trees, hedgerows, and existing bat activity is what decides if it’ll be used by bats. A box in a garden with no bats nearby may never be found. One on a known foraging route has a good chance.
Which box suits a small garden?
A compact crevice box such as the National Trust Glamis or the DIY Bat Box Igor. Both suit common and soprano pipistrelles, which are the species most likely to use a garden box anyway.
Can I look inside to see if it is occupied?
Don’t open a bat box to see if it is occupied. Disturbing an occupied roost is an offence, and during the maternity season or hibernation it can be fatal. Check for droppings beneath the box instead, or watch for bats emerging at dusk.
Do bat boxes need cleaning?
Bats keep their roosts clean themselves, and opening a box is not permitted once it is in use. Check the fixing and the condition of the box from the outside every few years.
Will a bat box cause noise or smell problems?
Bats won't cause noise or smell problems. They are largely inaudible to the human ear and keep the roost clean, so a well-sited box is not noticeable from the house.
How many boxes can I install?
Most gardens take two or three with different aspects, even on a single tree or wall, as long as each has clear flight access. Different orientations give the bats a choice of temperatures, which is the point.
