If you're ready to level up your outdoor game, consider adding a bat box to your space.

Why it matters: Texas is home to 32 bat species, and bat boxes can help provide safe roosting habitat as natural spaces shrink.

• As many as 100,000 bats are present year-round beneath the Ann Richards Bridge over Lady Bird Lake, but that number ramps up to more than a million in summer months.

The big picture: Bats are key pollinators that spread seeds and devour pesky insects like mosquitoes, wasps and flies.

Yes, but: "Bat houses are complicated to get right," warn experts at Bat Conservation International. "They can go unused for years, attract pests, and even harm bats when installed incorrectly."

• Bats are "high risk for spreading rabies," per the Texas Department of Health and Human Services.
• Avoid handling them and contact wildlife experts if one appears sick or injured.

What to do: Follow these instructions for building a bat house.

The bottom line: You'll know your box is working if bat guano starts piling up below.

Dig deeper: Why bat conservationist Merlin Tuttle recommends a bat box