The UF Bat Houses are home to one of the largest-known bat colonies in the United States to live in a human-made structure. The buildings have been on campus since 1991 and have undergone many transitions and expansions. The most recent bat house was built in 2017.
The bat house structures were built specifically for this site and for a large number of bats to inhabit. The project to build and maintain the bat houses is a cross-campus partnership with a lot of expert help from supporters.
The houses combined are designed to house about 750,000 bats. Occupancy varies from house to house, and depends on the time of year, but there are an estimated 450,000-500,000 bats in the colony living in these houses. Many of the bats disperse in fall and winter, which may lead to lower seasonal occupancy.
Inside the Houses
Although we think of these nocturnal mammals as being asleep all day, they can be quite active, interacting with each other and moving about their roosts.
For several years we were able to offer live views inside and out of the bat houses, but we currently do not have these webcams available. We do have some great recorded footage of a typical bat experience:
Bats flying inside UF Bat House
View bats flying during the day inside the University of Florida Bat House.
Preparing to leave the Bat Barn in the evening
This recorded webcam video taken inside the University of Florida Bat Barn shows a high level of activity after sunset as the bats prepare for their evening egress, after which they consume millions of insects before returning at dawn. This 5-minute segment was recording continuously in real-time.
UF Bat House and Bat Barn
University of Florida pest management coordinator Ken Glover presents an insightful history of the UF Bat House and Bat Barn. Take a look inside the structures, and discover why they were built, how many bats call them home and more.
What’s Inside?
This miniature model reveals what’s inside the bat houses.
1. Roosting baffles: Vertical 32-inch plywood sheets are spaced ¾ inches apart with metal mesh attached to help bats grip the walls. Bats roost between these grooved sections.
2. Trusses: Wooden beams support the roof and roosting baffles.
3. Galvanized mesh: ¼-inch mesh helps bats grip and hang from the walls.
4. Louvers: Angled slats spaced 1 inch apart provide ventilation.
5. Main entrance: An open bottom where most bats enter and exit.
6. Bottom screen: 6-inch mesh over the bottom entrance prevents large predators (like birds of prey) from entering.
7. Legs: Utility poles hold the bat house off the ground.
8. Guano: Bat poop that collects on the ground below.
History of the UF Bat House and Bat Barn
The original bat house was built in March 1991 with support from the University Athletic Association. Bats took up permanent residence in the house in January 1995 and have raised nursery colonies in late spring each year. The bat barn was built in March 2010 and became permanently occupied in August 2011.
When fire destroyed UF’s Johnson Hall in 1987, a colony of bats occupying the attic of the historic building was left homeless and soon began roosting in the concrete bleachers of James G. Pressly Stadium at the track and Scott Linder Tennis Stadium on the north side of campus. The odor and stains from urine and guano and the bats’ close proximity to spectators were a nuisance, so the UAA decided to exclude the bats from those facilities and build a structure for them to live undisturbed and at a safe distance from humans. In September 1991, several thousand bats were captured from the stadiums, transported and released in the bat house. The following evening, the bats emerged and found other places to live, while the bat house sat vacant for more than three years, leaving UF officials and many citizens in doubt about the success of the relocation project.
But in 1995 the bats moved in permanently, and the colony continued to grow. In 2009, the internal structure of the house collapsed from the weight of the bats and additional roosting modules that were added to the original design. The internal structure of the house was rebuilt and the first bat barn added in 2010. The second bat barn was completed in February 2017 to replace the original house, which has deteriorated beyond repair.
In September of 2022, the bats were relocated from the oldest bat house to the other buildings ahead of Hurricane Ian and the original house was demolished.
Read about this major project from UF News:
Bat House Plans
If you’re interested in building a similar structure, the blueprints for these houses are available through a standard public records request through the University of Florida.
If you’re interested in smaller bat houses for your neighborhood, we do not offer insight or consultation on the planning and construction of bat houses. The Florida Bat Conservancy website is a good starting point for information on backyard bat houses.
Field & Fork Farm and Gardens
The bat houses are a part of the Field & Fork Farm and Gardens. This hands-on learning space is focused on sustainable agriculture and food systems. Each year, it hosts more than 30 classes from across all UF colleges, and helps teach everything from plant nutrition to eco-poetry. The farm provides real-world experience through internships, and grows over 10,000 lbs of fresh, local food each year for the UF Alan and Cathy Hitchcock Field & Fork Pantry as well as supporting local community groups that serve youth and people experiencing food insecurity.
Bats: A farmers friend!
Not only do the bats eat a lot of pest insects, but their guano is nutrient rich and the farm uses it, along with wood chips and other plant material, to make compost that is added to the soil. This helps feed and hold water in the soil for the plants.
Want to get involved?
The farm is always in need of volunteers and financial support to keep it growing. Tours, events and field trips are offered throughout the year. Visit www.fieldandfork.ufl.edu to learn more.