The Little Brown Bat.
The most common bat in North America.
3-4 inches long and less than 12 inch wingspan.
3-4 inches long and less than 12 inch wingspan.
In the last few weeks, there has been a huge increase in mosquitos where I live. Last year at about this time, I could watch the bats hunting at night. This year, I haven't seen any bats. I am hoping that this is just temporary. I have had to treat cellulitis from infected mosquito bites about five times in the last week alone. I have never before had this many infected bites clustered in a short time like this. There are real consequences to not having bats in your local area, and this is just one of them.
The beautiful Hoary Bat.
A common North American bat, and the only bat in Hawaii.
Quick Bat Facts:
- Bats are the number one predator of insects.
- One bat can eat 2,000 - 6,000 insects... per night! Reread that last sentence. Wow!
- In one summer (let's say 90 days), that is over half a million insects... for one bat!
- Bats are the primary pollinator of the agave plant. Tequila comes from agave. No bats... no tequila!
- Vampire Bats do exist... not in North America, and they are quite rare.
- About half of all bats are endangered or threatened... primarily due to loss of habitat, pollution, and human persecution.
- Bats rarely contract rabies... less than 40 people have gotten rabies from a bat in the last 50 years. Worldwide, over 50,000 people die each year from rabies, and the most common vector is dogs.
- Bats are not blind.
- Bats are not attracted to humans, and will avoid humans at all costs.
- Bat guano (manure) is a great fertilizer with a very high concentration of nitrogen.
Townsend's Big-Eared Bat.
Endangered in Eastern North America
Installing a bat house!
How do you attract bats to your property? Build bat houses! This will keep insect populations down in your local area and will provide you with a source for great compost.
The Organization for Bat Conservation is a great resource for information on bats. They also have free plans for building bat houses as well - click here for a link to their PDF download page.
Here is a great interview with the Rob Mies, the co-founder and director of The Organization for Bat Conservation. Aired on The Survival Podcast.
Not all bat houses will be used. If you live in a cool climate, they may stay in the bat house for the spring-fall, but will hibernate somewhere else. Where you place the bat house is determined by where you live. Again, The Organization for Bat Conservation has a great page explaining where to place your bat house.
The Spotted Bat
An elusive and little known bat of North America.
So, I am a huge fan of bats. They are a huge asset and, to me, an integral component of a well-designed Permaculture System. Consider attracting bats to your property today!
