Gone Batty!!

It's official... we've gone batty! Yes, it's true, we are erecting a bat house in the garden to help control the mosquito population near the house. What on earth are we thinking, right? According to Bat Conservation International, a single bat can capture 500 to 1,000 mosquitoes in a single hour! There are many alternative mosquito control devices and repellants on the market today but, this is a cost effective, farm-friendly approach to achieve our goal. After much research in this subject, we have learned that erecting a bat house will boost the bat population on our farm and subsequently provide substantial mosquito/insect control. Bats eat enormous quantities of mosquitoes, garden insects and moths. In fact, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a colony of bats with approximately 100 members will consume more than 600 million insects in a 200-day feeding season.

So what exactly is a bat house? A typical bat house (approximately 3 feet wide and 14 inches tall) will house 100 bats. Bats normally live in trees and under bridges and in abandoned attics, etc. So constructing a habitat that mimics a natural home is important. It must be similar to the space between bark on a tree, a bat's ideal nursery to rear it's young. Bats like tight spaces, so the space inside the house is very narrow. It also needs to be warm and cozy for their babies so it is important to stain the box a dark color and to caulk edges to seal any gaps. Our bat house is 4ft wide x 2.5 ft tall and 6 inches deep. We have 5 chambers inside the house about 1 inch apart. Each chamber is roughened with a circular saw to create grooves and bark-like qualities. We are hoping to house about 300 or so bats.

John is trying to convince me that he is going to wipe out the West nile virus in our area, but I think he is just trying to relieve my fears about the bats living nearby in such large numbers. In reality, only .05% of bats carry rabies, whereas mosquitoes carry many more possibilities for disease and infection. So, in an effort to be supportive of housing bats on purpose, and in very close proximity to our house and our young children, I have chosen to change my theory from "I hate bats and I hate mosquitoes!" to .... "I love bats because mosquitoes love me!"

Lastly, if nothing else comes out of this venture, maybe we will at least benefit from the guano in the garden!