Connecting YOU with Pennsylvania Wildlife
As Halloween approaches, images of bats becomes more prevalent. Bats have a bad reputation for carrying diseases and getting tangled in hair. However, these tiny flying mammals provide great benefits to humans.
BENEFITS OF BATS
Bats are the only major predators of night flying insects.
Healthy bat populations decrease the demand for chemical pesticides.
Bats are great pollinators.
Bats help to maintain forest health.
Bat droppings in caves support ecosystems of unique organisms
HOW CAN I SUPPORT BATS?
Once people learn the beneficial role that bats play in controlling insects, they often want to attract bats to their yards and garden.
Bat boxes provide shelter opportunities for bats. Plans for bat boxes can be found on the Game Commission website. A bat box may remain vacant because of other roosts in the area. However if roosts are scarce, bats may move in quickly.
-Excerpts from:
A Homeowner’s Guide to Northeastern Bats and Bat Problems, Penn State Extension
and Year of the Bat 2011-12, Bat Facts, Bat Conservation International
You must be logged in to post a comment.