There's still no evidence that bats are using the bat boxes located at the Drake Landing off-leash dog park.

But Town of Okotoks Parks Manager Christa Michailuck says it could take from three to five years before they take up residence there. This is the third summer that the boxes, which are painted black and perched on top of 12-foot posts, have been located at the park. Volunteers regularly check the bases of the poles for evidence of guano, or bat droppings, but so far have spotted no sign of any bats.

Currently, there are three posts located at the park with two bat boxes per post.

"They're kind of like a bird box but a little bit shallower and taller and they have an opening at the bottom instead of a hole in the centre," Michailuck explains. "They should be mounted at least 12 feet above the ground because the bats like to have a clear flight path to come and go from the boxes."

The bat boxes were installed as part of the town's biological control program for flying insects, such as mosquitoes. The program also includes the 20 bird boxes at the park which are currently being well-used by nesting tree swallows.

Michailuck says once they arrive, the bats will be a welcome addition to the battle against mosquitoes.

"Bats are the largest of the mosquito eaters, so that in itself is a huge benefit," Michailuck says. "They will eat huge quanitities of mosquitoes at dawn and at dusk which can really make a dent in the mosquito population. They're more effective than birds for that purpose."

Users of the Drake Landing off-leash dog park had been reporting significant numbers of mosquitoes at the park, which is primarily a non-manicured space with longer grasses. That's why, in 2015, the town installed the boxes in an effort to introduce bats to the area.

In addition to having a voracious appetite for insects, bats are also beneficial because they are pollinators of a variety of plant species, Michailuck points out.

She says that residents interested in helping with the biological control effort could consider putting up bat boxes on their own property, but she says there's some guidelines to follow to increase chances of successfully attracting bats. In addition to being placed 12 feet up, bat boxes should be on the south side of a house, painted a dark colour for warmth and placed near water if possible.

Michailuck adds that whether or not bats take up residence in the boxes, she feels the project presents an opportunity to educate people on the benefits of bats in the environment, "to be accepting of them and tolerant of them and even encouraging them in their backyards."

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