Helping Bats

But aren't they icky pests of the night sky?

Why should people help out these squeaky creatures of the night?

So so many reasons! Some actually are kinda cute too, despite the odd nose making that scrunched echolocation-face. Only a tiny portion of bats are any kind of harmful to people or livestock, and those are mostly in the tropics. In the temperate North America, we have only benefits to gain from helping bats.

Why Help Bats?

Bats are not “rats with wings”. They aren’t rabies-riddled pests, and both people and plants need them.

As someone who is candy for mosquitoes and loves plants and fruit, I consider bats little nature friends. I used to delight catching quick glimpses of them darting past the street lights while waiting for the bus at night on the college campus that had a big bat population around. Sure, we’d get occasional warning bulletins about any bats seen during the daytime (don't touch!), as those could be infected with rabies. They carry it, sure. So do feral dogs, raccoons, squirrels, etc. But a normal behaving bat (aka- not crawling around in bright daylight) is most likely healthy and more your friend than a raccoon. But still- don’t try to pet either. Just tip your hat and maybe build a bat box on your property. The mosquito population will be much improved (aka REDUCED) and your skin and neighbors will be thankful.

Let’s back up- why are bats good for plants? I was, after all, studying to become a botanist at that college, working long lab hours before watching the bats as I waited to take the bus home after dark. Some farmers, like big fruit farmers (mangoes, papayas, etc) have the mislead impression that bats are lurking in the dark and viciously ravaging their fruit crops, costing them money. But research has demonstrated that bats don’t damage fruit crops because they are smart enough to forage for ripe fruits, not the ‘almost-ripe’ ones that farmers pick so they ripen on the way to the stores. Anyway, in North America nearly all bats (of the 40 or so species) are primarily insectivorous - eating flying insects, not fruits. Unless you LOVE moths, bats are a boon.

Bats devour pests, and will decimate many crop or human pests like cucumber and June beetles, stinkbugs, and of course aforementioned mosquitoes. Can you tell I hate mosquitoes? A single small brown bat can fly-down and feast on over a thousand flying night-time insects and a moderate population can act as a whole farm’s natural organic pest control preventing any but minor damage from what would otherwise be a costly pest. And they work for free!

Bats- “Will work pest-control for food”, literally!

Their echolocation sounds alone will even scare away some pests. Better than those useless electric rodent devices, which mice have been recorded just sitting on, listening to them like a radio, not an annoyance they flee from.

The insect-eating bats of North America also help many plants with pollination. They sip the sweet nectar of flowers to wash down the bugs. Bats are important components of a healthy ecosystem, all over the world. And they are sadly in major decline, due to loss of suitable habitat and human eradication. We must stop thinking of them as scary or pests. They even poop in a helpful way! "Seeds dropped by bats can account for up to 95% of forest regrowth on cleared land."- National Wildlife Federation. Bats are essential in the pollination or dispersal of the seeds of some of our favorite fruits: dates, mangoes, avocado, peaches, cashews, and even agave (you know, for tequila).

YOU can help keep our wonderful bats from disappearing.

Turn off unnecessary bright lights at night
Refrain from broad insecticide use, which will remove their food source
Build a bat box aka bat house to add safe sheltering spots for your local population (see guides below)
Leave natural roosts be and clean equipment and shoes before traveling into a known bat cave
Spread the word that bats are wondrous not wicked