I suspected that they don’t, so I asked ChatGPT and this is what it said:
Bats generally avoid cedar houses because of the natural oils in cedar wood, which have a strong scent that many insects (including those bats feed on) and animals find unpleasant. The aromatic oils in cedar can act as a deterrent, so while cedar is commonly used to keep moths away, it often has the unintended effect of discouraging bats from roosting as well.
If you’re considering a bat house, pine or plywood are usually better choices since these are more neutral in scent and bats find them more inviting for roosting.
I’ll keep that in mind. I live at a high enough altitude that I’m literally in the clouds pretty often (e.g., when it’s overcast everywhere else, I’m in pea-soup fog), so cedar is one of the prime choices for anything that’s going to be outside, just to keep it from rotting.
Sadly: no attic. I need try making an attractive bat roost for them. I wonder how bats feel about cedar, since cedar is rot resistant?
I suspected that they don’t, so I asked ChatGPT and this is what it said:
Bats generally avoid cedar houses because of the natural oils in cedar wood, which have a strong scent that many insects (including those bats feed on) and animals find unpleasant. The aromatic oils in cedar can act as a deterrent, so while cedar is commonly used to keep moths away, it often has the unintended effect of discouraging bats from roosting as well.
If you’re considering a bat house, pine or plywood are usually better choices since these are more neutral in scent and bats find them more inviting for roosting.
I’ll keep that in mind. I live at a high enough altitude that I’m literally in the clouds pretty often (e.g., when it’s overcast everywhere else, I’m in pea-soup fog), so cedar is one of the prime choices for anything that’s going to be outside, just to keep it from rotting.