Bat defenses

[Ollie]

I have recently purchased a house in Melbourne and have a bit of a problem with bat poop!

My neighbor has a fig tree planted in their garden near to the fence, and the bats seem to love eating the fruit and then pooping on my deck...which considering the diseases it can carry its a bit annoying.

I was thinking maybe I could plant some trees along my side of the fence to shield my garden from the tree / defecating bats...do you think this would work?

If you think it will what tree variety would you recommend, I looked up one of the popular hedging trees Lilly Pilly however apparently its berries/fruit can attract bats which would kind of defeat the purpose of the exercise.

Any help/suggestions are most appreciated

[imafan26]

Bats are actually beneficial as they eat a lot of insects. However, I can understand that you wouldn't want them using your yard as a toilet.

I would first talk to the neighbor and see if you can both come up with a way to fix it. The neighbor might not like the bats eating all the fruit either. If the neighbor can trim the tree and keep the fruit picked or net the tree then the bats will need to look for another food source. You can also work on extending the fence with a net if possible so they don't fly over your property. I don't think trees will work.

As an option you can give the bats an alternative by providing a roosting bat house for them. That way they will fly toward the roost and not toward the house.

https://www.greenhousemegastore.com/prod ... den-tray/s

[ButterflyLady29]

Is there something over your deck which the bats use for roosting? A tree nearby might encourage them to roost there instead but it will take several years for the tree to grow large enough to provide any benefits to the bats.

I didn't realize Australian bats carried so many diseases. Here bat guano is highly prized as a garden fertilizer.

The only thing I can recommend without knowing what is above your deck is to put some sort of cover over it so the poop rolls off onto the ground.