BATS ARE BUG-EATERS TOO

That fuzzy thing hanging from a stone ceiling is an Eastern Pipistrelle bat. This one's a loner.  Normally, it can hang out in groups of 1000 or more.  As you can see, no crowd there.  It weighs in at only 0.12 to 0.30 ounces. Small. However, the Eastern Pipistrelle's wingspan ranges from 7.1 to 9.8 inches.  That's big enough to spark a little fear in me when flapping around my head. I was allowed to take that shot (without the flash), while visiting the Longhorn Cavern State Park in Burnet, Texas. We wouldn't want to awake it.

Bats are bug-eaters, even the famous Vampire bat. One Eastern Pipistrelle will devour 3000 gnats and moth-like bugs per night. A bit of a weird trade-off.  Bats or bugs? Consider this: they'll work all night for you. I've experienced them darting around feasting high in the atmosphere at about dusk. They're so fast you could miss seeing them. Therefore, when you awake to workout in your garden spaces, you'll experience less flying insect activity around you.  You'll have birds and dragonflies killing bugs in the day; and toads, bats, and other nocturnal creatures fighting for you at night. God set it up for us. Relax.

Years ago, while living in a subdivision, we bought a bat house. It came with a pack of odor substance to draw bats to our bat house. We never witnessed any activity.  We even had a neighbor place his camera on the box at night to record from his house. Nothing. Well, the box is still mounted 15 feet from the ground on a side-gable.  We moved out of that subdivision to a more country setting allowing nature to draw bats near our new home.  There are enough flying insects around these high grasses, bushes, and trees for all bug-eaters.

Not only are bats found around farmland and woodlands, but I remember bats popping up on the ceiling of our classrooms in the city. The boys yelling, "There's a bat up there!"  The janitor was called in; and I'd still be looking for the creature. It wasn't until the janitor's broom frightened it that I saw it, because when a person yelled, "Bat!" my mind reverted to TV mode and a large vampire bat appeared in my head. 

Therefore, buildings in towns and cities can experience bat invasions. It's been stated that a female bat prefers buildings and lofts to rear her young. 😮 Undisturbed, a female could hang around raising her young for four to five weeks!  The great news is, they don't want to suck our blood.  They want our bugs.

If you're interested in owning a bat house, Ebay sells many handmade houses with prices ranging from $27 - $51.  We paid around $29 plus shipping and handling for ours.  The bat attractant is in spray form now and is sold separately for approximately 24 dollars per two-ounce bottle.

Have a great day in your garden.

More pictures below of the Longhorn Cavern in Burnet, TX: