Bats are probably one of the most misunderstood creatures on the planet. I would just like to dispell some of the harmful myths about bats and give people some good websites to become more educated about bats. Bats are actually very important to the ecosystem, they pollinate many of the foods we eat: avocados, mangoes, figs, etc., and are basically the only pollinator of the agave plant (used in the production of tequila). Who would have known that without bats there would be no tequila.
Bats are also important as pest control..they save farmers millions of dollars each year by not having to spray their fields with harmful pesticides. They also eliminate mosquitoes around peoples back yards and in wildlife areas, eliminating the chance of people and animals contracting diseases such as encephalitis, malaria, and west Nile virus. Bats are also important in health care. Scientists have discovered that the saliva from vampire bats has a useful anticoagulant that is being used to make a drug to help people with heart problems and blood clots.
I urge people that have bats in their yards to let them be, and to enjoy the fact that they are there. Try and preserve wildlife habitat on your property as well as in your local communities. If you have bats in your house..please make sure you resolve the problem so as not to harm the bats. There are humane extraction methods that will be included in the websites I post below. Almost every bat species in existence is in decline due to habitat loss, loss of roosts, or to eradication by humans. Bats are very slow reproducers and only give birth to one or two pups a year also contributing to their decline.
I have always been fascinated by bats and recently became involved in being in charge of the bat program where I work. I have attended bat workshops and am working with other bat biologists and experts in my area. I do bat surveys on a regular basis using equipment that records bat calls, and bat frequencies. I use night vision goggles to try and see flight patterns, size, color, and any of clues as to their identification. I survey at roost sites as well and doing open air surveys. I also have a good population of bats where I live, so can often be found testing out my bat equipment literally in my own backyard.
I am now learning to access bridges and freeway overpasses for the possibility of bats using it as a roost. I am also educating myself about bat boxes and their placement as we now have people interested in our organization installing bat boxes for them. I am constantly researching and learning new things about bats and would love if people here would also share their knowledge of bats with me as well. If you come across any articles, news stories, good websites, etc..please feel free to email me.
Helpful bat websites below:
http://www.batcon.org/home/index.asp?idPage=122
http://www.batworld.org/main/main.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~cmsquare/batfacts.html
http://dnr.state.il.us/conservation/naturalheritage/bats/bats.htm
http://www.wbwg.org/
Bats are also important as pest control..they save farmers millions of dollars each year by not having to spray their fields with harmful pesticides. They also eliminate mosquitoes around peoples back yards and in wildlife areas, eliminating the chance of people and animals contracting diseases such as encephalitis, malaria, and west Nile virus. Bats are also important in health care. Scientists have discovered that the saliva from vampire bats has a useful anticoagulant that is being used to make a drug to help people with heart problems and blood clots.
I urge people that have bats in their yards to let them be, and to enjoy the fact that they are there. Try and preserve wildlife habitat on your property as well as in your local communities. If you have bats in your house..please make sure you resolve the problem so as not to harm the bats. There are humane extraction methods that will be included in the websites I post below. Almost every bat species in existence is in decline due to habitat loss, loss of roosts, or to eradication by humans. Bats are very slow reproducers and only give birth to one or two pups a year also contributing to their decline.
I have always been fascinated by bats and recently became involved in being in charge of the bat program where I work. I have attended bat workshops and am working with other bat biologists and experts in my area. I do bat surveys on a regular basis using equipment that records bat calls, and bat frequencies. I use night vision goggles to try and see flight patterns, size, color, and any of clues as to their identification. I survey at roost sites as well and doing open air surveys. I also have a good population of bats where I live, so can often be found testing out my bat equipment literally in my own backyard.
I am now learning to access bridges and freeway overpasses for the possibility of bats using it as a roost. I am also educating myself about bat boxes and their placement as we now have people interested in our organization installing bat boxes for them. I am constantly researching and learning new things about bats and would love if people here would also share their knowledge of bats with me as well. If you come across any articles, news stories, good websites, etc..please feel free to email me.
Helpful bat websites below:
http://www.batcon.org/home/index.asp?idPage=122
http://www.batworld.org/main/main.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~cmsquare/batfacts.html
http://dnr.state.il.us/conservation/naturalheritage/bats/bats.htm
http://www.wbwg.org/
