Do artificial roosts help bats? Illinois experts say more research needed

URBANA, Ill.  — Artificial roosts for bats come in many forms — bat boxes, condos, bark mimics, clay roosts, and cinder block structures, to name a...

September 1, 2023
4:15 PM

URBANA, Ill.  — Artificial roosts for bats come in many forms — bat boxes, condos, bark mimics, clay roosts, and cinder block structures, to name a few — but a new conservation practice and policy article from researchers at the  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign  suggests the structures haven't been studied rigorously enough and may harm bats in some scenarios. The article, published in  Conservation Biology , lays out potential dangers and encourages more research on the popular conservation practice.