Nature’s Bug-Zappers
Bats are very beneficial mammals, generally quite harmless to people. In the past, old wives’ tales about bats being rabid and getting tangled in one’s hair instilled unnecessary fear in many people. Today, bats are recognized as valuable to mankind in the ecosystem.
Bats pollinate some night blooming plants and are responsible for more than 80% of tropical rainforest reforestation through seed dispersal. In North America, our interest is in their huge, nightly insect consuming capacity–up to 600 gnat-sized insects an hour. Bats are the major predator of night-flying insects. One lone Little Brown Bat, the most abundant species in our area, can eat 3,000-7,000 mosquitoes each night. That’s a lot more environmentally friendly than an electric bug-zapper or insecticide; both will kill more than just harmful insects!
Most bats cannot survive subfreezing temperatures; in the fall they migrate south to hibernate in caves. You can attract bats to your yard during the spring and summer months by hanging bat houses 10-15’ above the ground, sheltered from the wind on the side of a building or tree that receives maximum sun. Be patient though; it may take a couple years for bats to occupy the box.
Adding a pond to your backyard habitat will attract many species of wildlife including insects. After bats emerge from their roosts in the evening, they will hunt for insects above the surface of the water all night.
Bat populations are declining all over the world due to human misunderstanding and habitat loss. Do your part; invite nature’s bug-zapper into your yard.