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LarryH
Member
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Posted: Sun Jul 24th, 2005 07:01 pm |
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We were gone for a couple weeks on a camping trip, and our neighbor watched our place while we were gone. When we returned home, my wife called them to let them know we were back home. While my wife was to talking to her, the neighbor lady told her how happy she was that we had put up the bat houses. She said they are now able to sit on their patio at night and never see a mosquito -- and, they haven't been able to do that ever since they built their house. They have become so fascinated by the bats, they developed a habit of going out every evening to watch them emerge from their houses.
While we were gone, they had a cookout with some of their frends, and some of them mentioned how there weren't any mosquitos that night. Then the topic turned to the bats and how they hac cleaned up the bugs. One of them is a Boy Scout leader, and he wants me to do a talk to his troop about maybe getting an Eagle project to put up bat houses in the state park near us. That would be neat, if that could happen.
So, last evening I was mowing the pasture where the bat houses are mounted, and the neighbor came out to talk with me. He said he's thinking of putting up some houses in his back yard next year, and wanted to know if I'd help him get them up. Of course I said, "Yes, I'd love to help with that!" Ha!
It was really nice to hear some praises for the bats, instead of criticism!
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Joe Spencer
Administrator
| Joined: | Mon Feb 11th, 2002 |
| Location: | Massachusetts USA |
| Posts: | 539 |
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Posted: Mon Jul 25th, 2005 04:56 am |
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Nice Larry! If there was indeed a mosquito reduction due to bats it was unlikely the Big Brown Bat and one of the others like the little brown bat or another below which does eat mosquitos when abundant. Big Brown bats unfortunately don't eat them to our knowledge. Big Brown's are consumers of agricultural pests tho and are obviously extremely valuable in their own right! 
Ohio Bats
hoary bat
red bat
silver-haired bat
Northern long-eared bat
big brown bat
evening bat
big-eared bat
little brown bat
Indiana bat
Eastern pipistrelle
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LarryH
Member
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Posted: Mon Jul 25th, 2005 07:12 pm |
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Joe, we do have more little brown bats than big brown bats. I see the big brown bats every night around 10:30 or 11:00 catching the bugs around the mercury vapor light, but I've never seen the little brown bats there. The big brown bats really like the June Bugs that collect there every night. I have seen the little brown bats emerging from their houses at dusk, but I never see them after that.
Some of our worst pests have been the Deer Fly or Horse Fly, which has a really nasty bite. They have totally disappeared, which I'm sure the cows appreciate. Now, if we could only find something that would eat the Japanese Beetles!
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Joe Spencer
Administrator
| Joined: | Mon Feb 11th, 2002 |
| Location: | Massachusetts USA |
| Posts: | 539 |
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Posted: Wed Jul 27th, 2005 04:10 pm |
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You probably could use more evening bats for the Japanese beetles. It is amazing how each species has its own diversity among their diet and that when even one bat species is lost in an area it puts the predator prey issue out of whack. Realize that these beetles are non-native invaders but the evening bat has put them on their diet showing how valuable this bat is: http://www.batcon.org/avscripts/script10.html
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LarryH
Member
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Posted: Thu Jul 28th, 2005 06:49 pm |
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| Thanks for the info on the evening bats, Joe! I hadn't seen those when I was resarching bat houses and local bats. Apparently there isn't a lot of info on their habits, but it sounds like they would be very nice to have around.
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