Purple Boxes Along the Pennsylvania Turnpike: Bat Houses for Pest Control & Conservation

Those purple boxes mounted on poles along the PA Turnpike are bat houses — part of a wildlife conservation and integrated pest management program.

Why Bats?

• One bat eats 500–1,000 mosquito-sized insects/hour.
• Colonies consume millions of night-flying pests (mosquitoes, crop pests, moths).
• Reduces need for chemical spraying near roadways and farms.

Why Purple?

• Research suggests bats prefer darker, warmer roosts — purple absorbs solar heat, maintaining stable internal temperatures (critical for maternity colonies).
• Color also reduces human vandalism (less "birdhouse" appearance).

Program Details

• Run by PA Turnpike Commission + PA Game Commission + Bat Conservation International.
• 100+ boxes installed since 2010s (focus: service plazas, interchanges, wooded medians).
• Monitored via guano traps, acoustic detectors, emergence counts.
• Data feeds state bat health database (white-nose syndrome tracking).

Species Targeted

• Little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) — endangered in PA.
• Big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) — common, adaptable.
• Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) — federally endangered.

Win-Win

Drivers get fewer bugs on windshields. Bats get habitat. Turnpike gets green credibility. Taxpayers get less pesticide cost.

Next time you see a purple box at 70 mph — that's a maternity ward for mosquito assassins.