Bats are very interesting mammals and animals that can bring unexpected benefits. They are the most important predators of nocturnal insects including mosquitoes, midges, moths and beetles and help keep their numbers in check. A single bat, for example, can catch 600 mosquitoes in an hour. Watching them catch insects can also be an interesting and fun nocturnal activity.
Steps
Step 1. A bat house in your yard will surely help attract them and provide them with a place to hang and sleep
- The shelter should be placed on a pole about four and a half meters above the ground in a place where it is in the sun for most of the day.
- Tree trunks are usually too shady for a bat house.
- Some bat species such as the gray, red and gray bat may use trees and shrubs for shelter or may take refuge in caves
Advice
- Worrying that bats might cling to a person's hair is pointless - Bats find their prey through echolocation. If they are accurate enough to find a mosquito flying erratically in a desert sky, it is very unlikely that they will mistake a person's hair for their prey to grab.
- Many bat species migrate in the fall and spend the winter in caves or buildings. If they are disturbed during their hibernation their metabolism wakes up making them consume more resources and energy and putting their survival at serious risk.
- Bats fly silently, unlike birds. If you are in an open environment or in a barn you may happen to hear and see swallows flying inside the barn in a graceful way and with a slight sound of wings. At the same time you will often see bats flying out of the same barn in a chaotic and confusing but absolutely silent flight
