Forum Index
»
Off-Topic
First the Bees, now the Bats
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2011/03/31/the-economic-cost-of-losing-bats/?hpt=T2
Think I'll put up a couple of bat houses this weekend 
|
Anonymous
Good for you! Bats are extremely beneficial animals. I remember going swimming as a child and they would swoop down over the water to catch insects  Very cool.
I am sure that the decline in the bat population is at least partially to blame for the fact that the insect population seems to get worse every summer (mosquitos are so much more out of control than they were when I was young). |
Anonymous
| interesting. Why don't farmers use bats instead of chemical pesticides? |
Anonymous
| Are there any negative effects of setting up bat houses in your backyard? Is this something I discuss with my neighbors? I think my kids would get a kick out of seeing them flying around the street lights and if they help with mosquito control, I’m all about it. |
Anonymous
Well, it's partially because bats don't kill all insects, only certain types. The farmer would need to have a mix of natural solutions to provide good protection. And instead of using more time-consuming greener natural solutions, most farmers just want to go with the easier, cheaper, pesticides. Unfortunately, though, they're really only easier and cheaper in the short run. Because of all the negative externalities caused by pesticide use, our kids and their kids will be paying for the chemical overload in many ways in the future. Makes me wish more people cared about what we're dumping on our food supply
|
Anonymous
No, bat houses are legal and harmless. Just like a bird house. Amazon sells them cheap. |
Anonymous
I agree; no harmful effects. White nose syndrome is a big cause of declining bat numbers in the US. It's spread very fast.
|
Anonymous
| If I get a bat house, will they come? |
Anonymous
not entirely true: guano (bat poop) is gross and can contain disease. |
Anonymous
I wouldn't put a bat house in my veggie garden, but on a tree off in my yard somewhere? Sure. |
Anonymous
| Bats don't really control mosquitoes. They are more like a snack to a bat than its main diet. I wish they did. I love bats and hate mosquitoes. |
Anonymous
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_mosquitoes_can_a_bat_eat_each_night Q: How many mosquitoes can a bat eat each night? A: Some species of bats, such as the Little Brown Bat, can eat 500 - 1000 mosquitoes in one hour. So if we consider the night 8 hours, that can add up to 4000 - 8000 in a night. To another PP: You might have to call someone (pest control?) to buy actual bats on top of the bat house. I don't think a bat house automatically = bats. |
Anonymous
| I heard guano makes good fertilizer. |
Anonymous
| 14:12 again. The veggie garden was my concern. The neighbor has a huge garden along our shared fence and I was thinking of planting one this year too. I guess I'll have to read up on bat droppings. |