Real Bats Eat Bugs

Vampire bats latch on to people and suck their blood. Fact or fiction? Definitely not true. Unlike our friend above, Count Dracula, vampire bats do not latch on and suck blood, nor do they turn animals –

or people – into vampires. Nor, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, do most bats have rabies. Bats are, in fact quite timid and usually ignore humans.

There are 900-1,000 species of bats classified in about 200 genera and 17 families. They range in size from a wingspread of over 5 ft. to less than 2 in. Bats are the only mammals that can fly. The wing is actually a double membrane of skin stretched between the elongated bones of four fingers and extending along the body from the forelimbs to the hind limbs and from there to the tail.

A bat’s body is mouse like and usually covered with fine fur. The face varies from one species to another. Some bats are solitary, living in caves, crevices, hollow trees, or attics while others are communal, living together in a cave or on tree branches.

Blind as a Bat

In fact, bats “see” much better than any person. They rely primarily on their highly developed sense of hearing and use echolocation, a kind of radar, to find their way around. The bat emits high-pitched sounds that echo off of objects it encounters. The echo provides the bat with information about the size, shape and distance of the object.

Florida’s Bats

Florida is home to 13 species of bats that are either year round or seasonal residents. The Brazilian free-tailed bat is the state’s most abundant species while Seminole and Evening bats are common as well.

Brazilian Free-Tail Bat

Free-tail bats are a cosmopolitan group of communal bats characterized by a a long that extends well beyond the end of the tail membrane. The Brazilian free-tailed bat has a wingspan of 11-13 in. and a body length of 2.2-2.9 in. It weighs around 0.5-0.5 ounces. These bats roost in manmade structures, including buildings and bridges. It especially likes to roost under barrel tile roofs. They feed on months, flies and beetles. They also emit a distinctive musky odor.

Seminole Bat

Although it has the same wingspan as the Brazilian free-tail bat, the Seminole bat is slightly shorter at 1.8-2.7 in. and weighs 0.3-0.5 ounces. It leads a solitary existence, usually settling in pine trees and Spanish moss. It is also insectivorous and feeds on moths, beetles, true bugs, flies and other insects.

Evening Bat

Evening bats live in colonies that range from just a few to around 70 or more bats. They roost behind loose

bark and the crevices and cavities or dead trees, but are also found in buildings, bridges and the brackets on utility pools. Their wingspan is 10-11 in. and their body length is 1.9-2.6 in. They weigh in at 0.2-0.4 ounces. The feed on beetles, planthoppers, true bugs, flies, mosquitoes, moths, flying termites, flying ants and other insects.

Bats Are Beneficial

One bat can eat up to 3,000 insects in a night. Most insectivorous bats eat their body weight in insects each night. They are also vital pollinators of countless plants and essential seed dispersers.

A Bat in the House

Bats may be beneficial and they may be threatened by disturbance or destruction of their roosting sites, but they’re definitely not welcome houseguests. Bats that are found in your home are usually younger bats that have lost their way. They may also be adult bats that have accidentally come in through an open window or door. The first step in removing a bat from your home is to stay calm. More than likely, the bat will just fly out the open door or window within a few minutes.

Protected By Law

Bats are protected under Florida wildlife law and it is illegal to willfully kill bats in Florida, so do not attempt to poison or exterminate them. If bats do become a nuisance in your home, it may become necessary to conduct a “bat exclusion,” which has been proven to be the only successful method of permanently removing them. An exclusion involves placing one-way devices at the locations where the bats are emerging from the roost. The devices all the bats to exit, but prevent them from re-entering.

If it does become necessary for you to conduct a bat exclusion, the trained professionals at Insect Protection Pest Control can help. They are specially trained to deploy the latest techniques. Call for a FREE consultation.

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