TY - JOUR AB - Bats require specific shelters where to establish their breeding colonies. They generally use natural roosts, although bats often also occupy human constructions as long as they maintain certain environmental conditions and are free from disturbance. In Acedo (Navarre, Northern Spain) three disused fish farm buildings were used by about 300 adult bats of four species (Rhinolophus hipposideros, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, Myotis emarginatus and Pipistrellus pipistrellus). The buildings were removed in October 2013 to restore the place. In 2014 two man-made bat-houses specifically designed for bat colonies were settled with three wooden bat-boxes on the walls. Both huts were quickly occupied by bats in June 2015, although all M. emarginatus left the shelter in July after a heat stroke, and five young bats of this species and another of R. ferrumequinum were found dead. By the end of 2015, the huts were thermally insulated by a raised roof and insulating paint. In 2016 both bat-houses were again occupied and the colonies then normally reared. In addition, this year the number of adults approximately doubled the bats observed in previous years. Maximum temperatures recorded inside one bat-house in 2016 were significantly lower than those of 2015 and the period with temperatures above 30oC was reduced by 69 %. This experiment shows an effective and affordable alternative to keep bat colonies by man-made shelters, which can be applied when current shelters are in danger. However, it is necessary to take into account the possible overheating of the roosts in Mediterranean areas, so it is recommended to insulate them and place them in shaded areas. AU - Alcalde, Juan Tomás AU - Martínez, Iñaki AU - Zaldua, Aritz AU - Antón, Inmaculada DO - 10.14709/BarbJ.10.1.2017.02 KW - Casa-refugio de murciélagos colonia reproductora Rhinolophus hipposideros Rhinolophus ferrumequinum Myotis emarginatus Bat-house breeding colony L1 - internal-pdf://2617989146/Alcalde_et_al_2017.pdf LA - Spanish M1 - 1 M3 - Original article PY - 2017 SN - 15769720 ST - Conservación de colonias reproductoras de murciélagos cavernícolas mediante refugios artificiales T2 - Journal of Bat Research & Conservation TI - Conservación de colonias reproductoras de murciélagos cavernícolas mediante refugios artificiales VL - 10 ID - 15197 ER -