- Author: Denise Godbout-Avant
Fascinating Bat Bits
Bats are the only true flying mammal, making up a quarter of the world's mammals. There are 1,100 species of bats, with forty species in the USA. California has twenty-five species, most of which are insectivores.
Bats are one of only three mammals that generally sleep upside down, with sloths and manatees being the other two.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, fruit-eating bats are responsible for dispersing seeds that grow into bananas, avocados and 300 other plant species around the world. Agave plants (which are the source of tequila and mezcal) evolved to supply most of their nectar after dark to attract the nocturnal bats to cross-pollinate their flowers.
Insect eating bats often consume their own weight in insects each night, eating up to a thousand mosquito-size insects in an hour! It is estimated that bats' value to agriculture could exceed $23 million per year.
Bats are excellent fliers with some species flying up to 60-100 mph. They can locate and catch insects in midflight in total darkness, using echolocation, which is the ability to locate objects by reflected sound waves.
Where Do Bats Live?
Usually, males and females with young will roost separately, but in late summer or early autumn, males may join the colony. In the winter when insects become scarce, some bats hibernate, while others may migrate to warmer areas, returning in the spring months.
Bat Myths and Facts
Because of their nocturnal habits, bats are rarely seen, so seem mysterious and are often misunderstood.
Myth - Bats suck people's blood.
Myth - Bats are blind.
Fact - Bats do have small eyes, but they are functional. Megabats, which are larger bats such as fruit bats (found in forests of Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe), search for their food using both sight and smell.
Myth - Bats fly towards and get tangled in people's hair.
Fact - Bats hang upside down from their roosts and tend to drop down and flap their wings before they start to lift off in flight. So, though it may appear the animals are swooping down on you and want to nest in your hair, they're not. In fact, bats don't make nests.
Bats as Pests
Like many mammals, bats can contract rabies. It is rare for a rabid bat to bite a human. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 59,000 humans die from rabies each year, with 99% of these deaths being due to contact with rabid, unvaccinated dogs.
Most bat parasites such as fleas and mites are host specific and cannot survive on other animals. No evidence exists of disease transmission to humans or domestic pets from bat parasites.
Bat droppings, known as guano, can harbor a widespread fungus found in soil, Histoplasma capsulatum, which causes Histoplasmosis in humans. However, most human infections come from birds.
If You Find a Bat. . .
If you find a bat laying on the ground, please leave it alone, especially in the spring or fall, when they may be migrating and are just resting during their long journey. If after an hour or two, the bat has not moved, it is likely sick and should be avoided. If it is in an area where children or pets can access it, you may want to trap it. While wearing leather gloves, carefully put a box over it and slide a piece of cardboard underneath it to trap it. Then contact your local wildlife rescue organization (in Stanislaus County that is the Stanislaus Wildlife Care Center at 1220 Geer Rd., Hughson, 209-883-9414).
Bats in Trouble
One of their most dire threats comes from white-nose syndrome (WNS), a disease that has decimated bats in the USA and Canada. Bats that hibernate during the winter do so to ration their energy and survive during a time of year when insects are scarce. The WNS fungus grows on bats' skin which disturbs their hibernation, thus increasing the amount of energy they are using, resulting in dehydration, starvation and often, death. However, a 2015 breakthrough appears promising. A team of researchers treated infected bats infected with a common bacterium on bananas which seems to stop the growth of the fungus. The treated bats were successfully released back to the wild.
How Can You Help Bats
- Learn more about bats, educating friends and family.
- With an iNaturalist app on your smartphone, you can take part in citizen science by observing bats in a park or your own backyard.
- Build a bat house. Bats need places to roost, rest, raise young. UC IPM gives information how to build a backyard bat house: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74150.html. Other bat house links are provided in Resources. Choose a pesticide-free open location with five to seven hours of sunlight. Bats prefer interior temperatures of 80-100ºF during the summer.
- Stay out of caves when directed. Bats need to be undisturbed in caves, particularly in the winter months. If you do visit caves where bats live, clean your shoes before and after to avoid tracking white nose syndrome to another cave.
Where to Go See Bats
- Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area: Not far from Sacramento, this colony resides under the Yolo Causeways, a 3-mile-viaduct on Interstate 80. These are Mexican Free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) who take up residence in the crevices in the concrete bridge. The colony numbers up to a quarter-million bats in size. If you want to see the bats yourself, you can find a place with a good view, but you can also book tours that are specifically designed to get you close enough to see the colony. https://www.yolobasin.org/bats2022/
- Consumnes River Preserve: Near Lodi, several species of bats are found in both the riparian forest and in a bat-friendly bridge built over the Cosumnes River. https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/cosumnes-river/
All About Bats Webinar
Webinar: “All About Bats”
Where: On Zoom
When: Wednesday, October 12, 2022, from 1:00-2:30 p.m
Instructor: Rachael Long, UC ANR Integrated Pest Management for Yolo, Solano and Sacramento Counties
Cost: Free
Register: https://ucanr.edu/all/about/bats
Resources
What Insects Do Bats Eat? https://ucanr.edu/blogs/bugsquad/index.cfm?tagname=bats
Bats, Allies to Farmers: https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=23708&postnum=23708
Bats in the Belfry: https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=17395
Fear of Bats and Its Consequences by Merlin Tuttle: https://secemu.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Tuttle_et_al_2017.pdf
Bat Myths: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/nature/article/bat-myths-busted
Myth Busters: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/bats/myth-busters.htm
Nature Conservancy – Bats: https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/animals-we-protect/bats/
Bat Conservation and Management – Bats in Buildings:https://batmanagement.com/blogs/bat-exclusion-control/bats-in-buildings
White nose syndrome: https://blog.nature.org/science/2015/05/27/bananas-to-bats-the-science-behind-the-first-bats-successfully-treated-for-white-nose-syndrome/
All About Bat Houses: https://batmanagement.com/pages/lc-bh-overview
Selecting a Quality Bat House: https://www.merlintuttle.org/selecting-a-quality-bat-house/
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- Author: Belinda J. Messenger-Sikes
Are bats good for the environment or are they pests? How about both? Almost all of the 25 species of bats in California eat lots of flying insects during their night flights, making them an important part of the ecosystem. But when they roost in buildings such as your home, they can become pests.
Bats roosting in outbuildings away from dwellings aren't much of a problem. Some people even place bat houses on their property to attract bats for assistance with pest control. But a colony of bats in your attic is cause for concern. Bats can spread human diseases like rabies and their droppings (called guano) can make a smelly mess.
If bats are a problem in your home, UC IPM has useful information to help exclude these unwelcome visitors. UC IPM's free publication Pest Notes: Bats was updated in March 2021 by A. Michael. Glassey, Medical Entomologist at the U.S. Army National Training Center in Fort Irwin, CA, and John F. Karlik, UC Cooperative Extension Advisor in Kern County. The publication describes public health concerns associated with bats living near humans and detailed management techniques for dealing with bats roosting in structures.
Bats in the Landscape
California is home to over 25 bat species, but most people never see them because they are nocturnal. Bats can be helpful predators in the landscape. For example, did you know that some bats will eat stink bugs, cucumber beetles, mosquitoes, and flies? Or that some bats can eat their body weight in insects every night?
Bats as Pests
Unfortunately, sometimes bats can concern people, especially when migrating bats roost in buildings during warmer months. Bats can also transmit diseases such as rabies, although not all bats carry this disease.
To minimize your risk of disease transmission, never handle bats, avoid breathing dust from their droppings, and vaccinate your dogs and cats against rabies. It's very important to educate children to never touch a bat, dead or alive.
Bats can create unsanitary conditions when their droppings and urine accumulate beneath roosts. This creates odors and attracts insects. More information regarding bats and disease prevention is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Exclusion is the best management practice for an infestation of unwanted bats. Learn more about bat pest management and about using bat houses to encourage bats by reading the UC IPM Pest Note: Bats.
/h2>/h2>But did you know that bats are actually beneficial and eat insects? Here are a few myths about bats that you likely have heard:
Myth #1: Bats are blind
You've heard the term “blind as a bat.” Bats actually have excellent vision, but also use echolocation to help them pinpoint the exact location of an insect so they can more easily find it while flying at night.
Myth #2: Bats are vampires that suck blood
Most of the bats that live in California eat night-flying insects, and none of the bats are vampires.
Like all mammals, bats too can contract rabies, but even rabid bats rarely bite except in self-defense. Worldwide, more than 30,000 humans die from rabies each year, and 99% of these cases are due to contact with rabid dogs. However, if you do come across a bat, they can carry disease so it is a good idea, for adults and children alike, to avoid handling it.
Bats Around the Home
In most cases, bats don't cause problems for homeowners or gardeners and because of their nocturnal habits, people rarely see them. Because they eat insects, bats may provide control of insect pests in the landscape and can be considered beneficial.
Sometimes migrating bats will roost in buildings, which may make people feel uneasy. Since bats can transmit disease, it may be necessary to manage them.
Bats can be beneficial but they can also be pests depending on the situation. To learn more about bats and how to encourage or manage them in your garden or landscape, read UC IPM's Pest Note: Bats.
Most people in California have had some experience with skunks, whether getting a whiff of their distinctive skunk scent in the air or having the unfortunate experience of a pet that's been sprayed.
Two skunk species call California home: the spotted skunk and the striped skunk. About half the size of a house cat, the striped skunk is mostly active at dawn, dusk and at night, but can be active during the daytime, especially in human-use areas; the spotted skunk rarely ventures outside during the daytime.
Skunks are attracted to residential areas due to the availability of food, water, and shelter and often den under decks, porches, or buildings. Most people never see the skunks that travel through their neighborhoods and yards. Barking dogs may be the first apparent sign of their presence, and the odor resulting from a skunk/dog confrontation provides positive evidence.
Skunks pose health risk problems because they are the most common carrier of rabies, a viral disease transmitted by the bite of an infected animal. In addition to rabies, skunks can also be carriers of other diseases such as leptospirosis, listeriosis, canine distemper, canine hepatitis, Q-fever, and tularemia.
Read more detailed information about skunk management and recommendations for how to get rid of skunk odor on your pet, in UC IPM's newly revised Skunks Pest Note by Dr. Roger Baldwin, a Cooperative Extension Specialist with the UC Davis Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology.