Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Bats In The Belfry

We have bats.  This is a good thing -- messy, but good.  Bats are wonderful for the garden and for pest control.  The Little Brown Bats that live in our front porch eaves eat insects.  One bat can eat 600 mosquitoes in an hour.  They are only 3 inches long so they are very compact munching machines.  I figure they are helping the garden and the horses - no mosquitoes, no West Nile Virus. 

Unfortunately, their night roost area is in the eaves of the front porch right next to the front door.

They've been using the same spot for a few years now.  The crevice they crowd into is small and we never would have found them if they hadn't left evidence below.


The covered porch runs the length of the front of the house.  This helps keep the south facing house cool in the summer.  Down at the far end of the porch, outside our bedroom, we have a sitting area with a couch and a couple chairs.  It's a wonderful place to relax and read a book.  Apparently, it's also the dining room for the bats.

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11 comments:

  1. BarbaraJuly 21, 2011 at 4:59 AM

    Nice of you to share. ;-)
    Bats are great, I know people who have hung bat houses around house and barns to try to attract them. But they are a little messy too.

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  2. LindaJuly 21, 2011 at 7:31 AM

    All I can say is....Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  3. AnonymousJuly 21, 2011 at 8:04 AM

    We have tons of little fruit bats. They are protected and do indeed eat lots of insects. And they are usually crowded behind a shutter or in a crack somewhere. As long as they don't come into the house...

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  4. WolfieJuly 21, 2011 at 9:23 AM

    How lucky are you to have bats!!! I have noticed quite a decline in the bat population where I am due to White Nose Syndrome. I hope your little guys are safe and continue to be part of your "family" for a long time!!

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  5. NicoleJuly 21, 2011 at 9:28 AM

    wow, that's just crazy! You're lucky you actually got to see them!

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  6. Calm, Forward, StraightJuly 21, 2011 at 10:44 AM

    I love bats! When you see them close up, some are even pretty. Plus the whole echo-locating thing is amazing.

    Planning to put a bat house in at the farmette for sure! :)

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  7. cheyenne jonesJuly 21, 2011 at 2:07 PM

    bats!!!!.............How wonderful, bats here are so protected. Its wonderful to see them flying at night.

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  8. TexWisGirlJuly 21, 2011 at 4:40 PM

    oh my goodness! they're packed in like sardines! ha ha!

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  9. English RiderJuly 21, 2011 at 5:22 PM

    Great photo of the bats at snooze time. I think they're worth the mess.

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  10. CarolJuly 21, 2011 at 6:40 PM

    I love bats. We have them here too. When we have fires on the beach at night we can see them swooping after bugs. You're lucky to have them close to keep the bugs at bay.

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  11. Achieve1dreamJuly 28, 2011 at 5:52 AM

    I love the picture of the bats. They are so cute! I wish some would find a place to live around here lol. I see them down by the lake and river, but not that often right around my house. At the house where I grew up we used to go outside and watch them hunt bugs around the street light in our driveway. So fun!

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Thanks so much for commenting!

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