CORVALLIS, Ore. — With a swish of his cape, Count Dracula ruined the reputation of bats forevermore. Maybe.
In the 125 years since Dracula spooked us into believing bats are bad, we’ve learned the truth: Their appetite for insects makes them a living pesticide that saves farmers billions of dollars a year and helps clear backyards of mosquitoes, moths, grasshoppers, flies and beetles. Some species are also key pollinators for crops ranging from bananas to agave.
Their appetite for insects makes them a living pesticide that saves farmers billions of dollars a year and helps clear backyards of mosquitoes, moths, grasshoppers, flies and beetles.
There’s still plenty of false fodder. Bats aren’t flying mice. According to Bat Conservation International, they’re more closely related to humans. Bats don’t get tangled in hair. They aren’t blind. Of the three species out of 1,300 that feed on blood, only one targets mammals, and all three occur in Latin America. And they don’t “suck” blood — they lap it “like kittens with milk,” BCI notes.
Most importantly, bats are no more likely to carry rabies than other mammals. In any given year, some bats do contract the disease, said Dana Sanchez, wildlife specialist with the Oregon State University Extension Service.
“People should report and avoid any contact with a bat that acts oddly, such as flying during the day, approaching people or crawling on the ground,” said Sanchez, co-author of the Extension publication Getting to know Oregon’s bats. “It could be affected by rabies or another disease, such as white-nose syndrome.”
Report sightings to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife website or by phone at 866-968-2600, or to your local health department, where professionals can advise on next steps.
Invite bats, support conservation
Bats roost in dead trees, caves and other dark, quiet places — including bat houses. You’ll see them at dusk, often with a zigzagging flight.
To attract them to your garden, install a bat house or provide other roosting places. Bat boxes resemble large birdhouses but are open on the bottom and partitioned into several narrow spaces. Patterns are available on the Bat Conservation International website.
“One of the biggest problems that bats are facing right now is loss of habitat,” Sanchez said. “We can try to mitigate that with bat houses.”
Other threats include wind energy development, white-nose syndrome and broad changes to water and foraging resources due to climate change.
Oregon’s bats
Of the 15 bat species in Oregon, common ones include the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus), long-legged bat (Macrophyllum macrophyllum) and big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus). The Western pipistrelle (Pipistrellus hesperus), the smallest bat in the U.S., weighs about one-tenth of an ounce and can be found in Eastern Oregon.
More bat facts (from Bat Conservation International)
- Bats are the only mammals capable of true flight.
- Bats occur worldwide except on some islands and in the polar regions.
- Many bats hibernate in winter.
- Bat sizes vary widely: the bumble bee bat in Asia has a wingspan of about 7 inches, while the giant golden-crowned flying fox in the tropics of Asia, Africa and Europe can reach about 6 feet.
- Some bats are solitary; others form colonies of up to 20 million.
- Diets vary: in addition to insects, some species feed on fish, frogs, lizards and fruit.
- Many bat species are listed as threatened or endangered.
Previously titled Beneficial bats help control insects in the garden
