Bats: Backyard Protectors

It’s a warm summer evening and you go outside to lie in the hammock while reading a good book or maybe you have friends over for an evening cookout. You aren’t outside long before you start slapping and scratching and scratching and slapping. You quickly retreat inside to consider your next move against the mosquito. So how can you combat mosquitoes?

1. You can always rub mosquito repellant on your body. Mosquito repellant is frequently sticky feeling, oddly scented and short lasting.

2. You can spray your yard with chemicals and hope that they don’t harm any beneficial animals or insects.

3. You can buy special lights that will kill mosquitoes when they fly too close. You spend your evening listening to zap, zap, zap.

4. You can attract bats to your backyard.

Yes, I said attract bats to your backyard. Bats are one of nature’s great insectivores. Some species of bats can eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes or other insects per hour.

Bats Bad PR

If bats are such great insect eaters, why don’t people put up bat houses like they do bird houses? Bats have never gotten really good PR. They fly at night and are difficult to see. Many people believe that bats carry rabies. However, only 1% or less of bats has rabies and even then they are not likely to attack humans. Bats suck blood is another false belief. Bats don’t suck blood. There are vampire bats in South America that make a small slit in the hide of cattle and lap up the blood that flows from the cut. They only lap up about 2 teaspoons a night, not enough to harm the animal. For a long time bats have been associated with vampires, death, decay and evil in Western culture. However, in Chinese culture the bat symbolized longevity and happiness.

The Amazing Bat:

Let’s look at the bat for the amazing creature it is. Bats are mammals and the only mammal that can fly. Bats can see but depend on a much more interesting sense to guide them – echolocation. Bats emit a high-pitched sound and with the resulting echoes they can avoid obstacles and find prey. This sense is so refined in bats that they can avoid items no larger than a hair. The wings of bats are made of a thin membrane which allows bats to maneuver more quickly and accurately than birds. If this membrane gets torn, it can quickly heal. At the edge of this membrane bats have their hands – very adaptive hands. Bat culture varies from species of bats that live solitary lives to those who cluster in very large communities. Some of these communities may have over 1,000,000 bats in them. Bats generally hibernate during the winter months unless they live in tropical areas. Some species will hibernate as much as 8 months of the year.

Bat Houses:

How can you attract bats to your yard? You need to put up a bat house. What makes a good bat house?

1. In general the taller and wider a bat house is the better.

2. Multi-chambered bat houses are generally better than single chamber houses.

3. The internal surfaces need to be scratched or roughened or covered with mesh so that the bats will have something to cling to.

4. Bat houses do need vents to allow for air circulation.

5. Since bats are warm blooded animals they must stay warm during the day. You must place your bat house where it will receive full, all day sun except in the hottest climates. The internal temperature of a bat house should stay between 80