Rick Patrick
ECB Publishing, Inc.
They are a common sight, especially in the dusk hours just after sunset. Bats can often be seen circling around as they begin their nocturnal feeding on insects. Many of the insects on a bat's buffet are harmful to farmers. Consequently, the sight of bats flitting around a farmer's field should be a welcomed one.
In an April 2011 article in the publication Science, the writers estimate that the “loss of bats in North America could lead to agricultural losses estimated at more than $3.7 billion per year.” According to some estimates, the economic value of bats could be as high as $53 billion every year.
Of the species of bats usually found on the mainland of Florida, all six are insectivores.
The common Evening Bat, found throughout Florida, except for the Keys, feeds on insects such as beetles, moths, planthoppers and more; including mosquitoes and termites, which could be beneficial to homeowners as well as farmers. Many of these insects damage crops by eating vegetation. In fact, a single bat can eat as many as 3,000 insects in a single evening. Some bats even eat their own weight in insects every night. Even those bats that aren't insectivores and solely eat fruits or feed on nectar can be very beneficial pollinators. There is a species of fruit bat that has been sighted in the Florida Keys.
As beneficial as bats can be, they are in danger. Some of that danger stems from the public notion that bats are dangerous or harmful. This could not be further from the truth. Another myth is that bats are blind. Bats actually have the same five senses that humans have. Some bats have very finely tuned hearing and sonar capabilities, which they put to good use in finding insects with “echolocation.” Bats are very unlikely to get tangled in your hair. Bats are generally very timid and avoid humans as much as possible.
To dispel another myth, not all bats are rabid. Studies have shown that less than one percent of bats ever contract rabies and of those that do, most die within a couple of days.
As with any wild animal, a bat should be left alone. If threatened, a bat might attempt to bite as a form of defense; just as any wild animal would do.
There are several ways to help Florida's native bat populations:
• Provide a water source
• Establish hedgerows of native vegetation to provide habitat
• Consider installing bat houses to provide shelter. Locally, bat houses can be found at Tractor Supply for $29.99
• Maintain potential roost trees (snags)
• Help protect local roosts
• Maintain/enhance habitat at local bridges
• Allow some old, dead trees to remain standing
Some native bats roost in hanging Spanish moss, so leaving some Spanish moss in trees can help provide habitat, too.
More information about bats and how to help them can be found at floridabats.org.
Specific questions can be directed to info@floridabats.com.
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