So how big is yours then? !! Come on and joine the ivy league

[bats-n-trees]

i am interested in bats, in my quest to become a prospersous arb, iw ant to arm myself with all the knowledge i can gain, it will only help me in the future.

 

bats are as mysterious as they are fascinating, there seems to be little knowledge circulating about them, only that blah blah bats mean no work blah.

 

ive got a bit of a query, what happens if you sever ivy at the base of a tree and just leave it to die off, also if you strip it all, can that be classed as destroying a potential bat roost even if there were none in the area? this is a hypothetical situation btw!

Hi Rob,

I knew there was a danger that if I continued to spout off someone would pop up with a loaded question !! It is getting late for an old git like me and the wine has nearly run out so I will give a partial answer for now and come back in more depth tomorrow.

Suggestions.Track down your local bat group and join them.Don't be put off, persevere.

You will find within any bat club there is a wealth of knowledge and experience.You arb skills may well be of interest and use to them-They are all potential clients.Some might be commercial like me and need climbers to do tree surveys. Just google bats. That will keep you busy for years !! And now for the difficult one . The ivy question.

Bats do use ivy to give them shelter so it can be a roost. But all bats have more than one roost site and move between them on a regular basis.Bats can abandon a roost for no apparent reason and suddenly years later re-occupy.As you rightly say they are baffling creatures.I habitually stare up into trees and see potential bat roost sites in about 80% of the trees I look at.On that basis we could easily be terrified to fell or substantially reduce anything. The conclusion will have to be in part two I'm afraid !!

Tomorrow night -if time allows. Cheers.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

in my quest to become a prospersous arb

 

LOL, good luck with that, when you find that secret let me know!