Bat Blues

 Hello, viewers! Today, we are going to be talking about bats! Bats often have a bad reputation, but bats are not bad.

We have had bats living in the roof of our house for years and they have never bothered us. According to AZ Animals, three fun facts about bats is that:

1. Bats don't suck blood. They simply bite their pray, which is most commonly sleeping mammals, such as cows. After they bite the area, they lick up the blood! 

2. Bats keep tons of bugs away from your house. Varying on the size of the bat, they can eat up to 600 insects an hour!

3. Bats that do drink blood only drink about a teaspoon of blood every half an hour!

Blood feasting bats.

 According to AZ Animals, there are three types of Vampire bats these include: the common vampire bat, the hairy legged vampire bat, and the white winged bat. Vampire bats are found in central and south America. Their main diet consists of warm-blooded mammals like cows and pigs. It is extremely rare for a vampire bat to bite a human and the main concern would be the chance that the bat might carry rabies. According to AZ Animals, other animals are more likely to carry rabies than bats. 

Insect feeding bats.

According to the USGS There are over 40 species of insect eating bats in the US alone, these only eat bugs! They can eat up to 600 bugs a night! According to ecohealthalliance.org without bats we would be overrun with bugs!

There are also 300 types of fruit eating bats!

Threats

There has been an increase in bat deaths because of wind turbines. Scientists don't know why they seem to be drawn to the turbines. Other threats include habitat loss, disease, and people also poison them. I think it is wrong to poison bats because they are beneficial to the environment. Think of all the bugs we would have without their help!

How you can help.

You could purchase some bat houses and hang them around your yard so the bats can be welcome. DO NOT HANG HOUSES IN TREES! If you put bat houses in trees, owls will sit above them and catch them on their way in or out of the house.

Limit where they can get inside your home by blocking openings. If you do get bats in your house, call bat removal services to safely relocate them. Some bat species are endangered and protected by the government, so always seek professional help. 

For more information visit; USGS, AZ Animals and ecohealthalliance.org.

Dont miss next weeks post, Black cat blues!

Syd