Build a Bat Box

Building for Conservation
Written By Kim Manunui

In Aotearoa our native bats live in a variety of places including hollows of old trees, under loose bark, in holes on rock walls, in epiphytes (plants growing off other trees), and in caves. These bat homes are called ‘roosts’. Often many female bats and their young will live together in these roosts.

Unfortunately, a lot of bat habitat is old, dying trees and they are often felled (cut down) as they can become unsafe to humans. This leads to habitat loss for Aotearoa’s pekapeka species.

In areas where there is where there has been habitat loss or where few roosts remain, native plants can be planted to regenerate local green spaces. Another option is to provide wooden bat boxes (but this isn’t a long-term fix). Learn how to make a bat box HERE.

Check out this of long tailed bats leaving a wooden bat box in Hamilton. How many bats can you count coming out of the box?

Native bats are present in some of our local forests, but little is known about their presence around residential/urban areas.

If bats are present it is important that our local green spaces are bat friendly. Trapping is extremely important to protect the native bats that we do have around, along with having suitable habitat and plenty of food. Learn more about the importance of bat friendly gardens HERE.

To learn lots more about our special pekapeka, to find other bat activities, a read aloud book, resources and videos, go to our Bat/Pekapeka Online Nature Classroom .

Kim Manunui

Hi, I’m Kim and I work with a great team to help individuals, as well as small and not so small businesses get their message, product and services to the world using digital media and creating wonderful websites that don’t cost the earth.

I was born in Canada, and grew up around Vancouver and the mountains of British Columbia. My love of pristine environments led me to New Zealand and eventually to the mountains, lakes and rivers of the central North Island which is home. My family’s heritage is here, and it’s from here that Korio traverses the planet.

The digital world is never static and neither are we.

And I say ‘we’ because I work with an awesome group of talented people who I gather together as required to complete a project.  Whatever your business, not-for-profit or individual needs are we gather the best team to get the job done.

Collaboratively we are creative, share sustainable values and work hard for great outcomes because that’s the buzz of satisfaction that drives us.

If you have an audience and market to reach, we can make that happen. Creative design, words that work and smart behind the scenes stuff that cuts through the online noise. We’ll design your website and then build it. We’ll manage the content as well as all your hosting needs. We can handle your online advertising so you get noticed,
and we’ll manage your social media presence so you get the clicks, likes and engagement to grow your business. All within the budget you set, because none of this needs to cost the earth.  And the job doesn’t stop when your website goes live. We are your virtual business partner.

https://www.korio.co.nz
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