goEco Bug Control

The Problem

I starting hiking and camping in the winter mainly due to mosquitoes. I know have a nice home with an equally pleasurable backyard yet I don't really get to enjoy it in the summer thanks to buzzing and biting of local insects. I am too green to start spraying all sorts of crap on myself and my surroundings or burning one of the many products that are supposed to keep you safe from them. There is also the day I had a mosquito bite me through a pool of 98% deet that I had on my arm which I was about to spread that has made me lose my faith in these methods. My solution has been avoidance and tolerance but there might be some relief with the aid of bats. I remember on a kayak camping trip being told off by a friend for swatting at a dragon fly, 'Do you know what they eat?'. After learning that they ate mosquitoes I lost that swatting at them reflex and began to appreciate theme even more. I have know been informed that bats put the dragonfly to shame with their bug eating talents. They can eat up to 1000 bugs an hour, half their weight per night in bugs. Now this is way better than any of those bug zapping traps you can spend hundreds of dollars on and still have to feed them some kind of fuel.

Aren't bats nasty little creatures?

Before we can embrace the bats we have to understand a few things about them first and address some misconceptions. Bats are in most part o

How can I attract bats?

There are many misconceptions when it comes to bats, here are a few:

• Bats are ugly
  Bats are not ugly or dirty. Most bats have very cute faces, some even resemble deer, rabbits, and little Chihuahuas. Like cats, bats spend an enormous amount of time grooming their fur, keeping it soft and silky.
• Bats are evil
  Bats are shy, gentle, and intelligent. They are among the slowest reproducing animals on earth. Most bat species have only one live young per year. A mother bat nurses her baby from a pair of pectoral breasts. The average life-span of a bat is 25 to 40 years.

Not all bats are vampires. Of the world’s 1100+ species, only three are vampire bats limited mostly to Latin America. Vampire bats are very small (about the size of a package of M&Ms). Vampire bats do not attack humans or suck our blood; they prefer to get their teaspoon-sized meals from other animals. The remaining 1097 or so species of bats eat insects, fruit, nectar and pollen. A few species eat fish and frogs. Insect-eating bats eat billions of tons of insects each summer. They protect our crops and keep our costs down at the market place. Fruit bats bring us over 450 commercial products and 80 medicines through pollination and seed dispersal. Over 95% of rainforest regrowth comes from seeds that have been spread by fruit bats. Bats don’t ‘carry’ rabies, however, they are capable of catching the disease just like any other mammal. Less than one-half of one percent of bats actually contract the disease. In reality, more people die annually from contact with household pets than have died from contact with bats in all recorded history. This doesn’t mean that it’s okay to touch or handle bats, as they may be afraid and bite in self-defense. Bats are wild animals, and all wild animals can be dangerous. Additionally, grounded bats are more likely to be sick so they should never be rescued bare-handed. Bat populations are declining. Over half the bats in the US are listed as rare, threatened or endangered. Bats do not suck blood or feed on humans. North American bats eat a wide variety of insects, while those in the tropics also eat fruit. The vampire bats of South and Central America do feed on blood by making a small incision through the skin of livestock or birds. They lap up small amounts of blood through the incision. Bats are not rodents. They are more closely related to primates than to rodents. They are in their own Order, called Chiroptera. This means "hand-wing" due to their unique flight abilities with wing bones that are similar to those in human fingers. The truth about bats and rabies in Alaska. Although bats can be carriers of rabies, the frequency of this has been greatly exaggerated in Alaska. Bats are not blind. They can see better than humans at night, however echolocation is their most important sense when hunting. No, bats aren't dirty and disease-ridden. "They tend to be quite clean, grooming themselves frequently," says Garcia. And like any wild animal, some of them do carry diseases, such as rabies. "Other animals such as skunks, foxes and even cows have higher levels of rabies," he says. And no, bats aren't evil. "I think that arose out of people's fear of darkness and ignorance of bats," says Garcia. "They're really quite shy, and because they fly at night, few people see them up close. I think it's hard for people to appreciate animals that they hardly ever see." Bats carry rabies, a bad disease - not true. Bats can GET rabies like any other animal. However, the chance that a person could get rabies from a bat is slim to none. But, we should not try to pick up or catch a bat. They are wild animals and should be left alone. http://www.batworld.org/bcs/bat_houses.html

Build your own bat house?

Buy a pre-made bat house

Don't have the time or the patience to make your own bat house? We've got some ready made houses with instructions on how to use them.

The only bats that drink blood are in central america the rest are omnivores. ARE BATS BLIND? NO! No, bats are not blind and many can see very well. Insect-eating bats depend on sound and very good hearing to find food and to get around in the dark. So don't say, '...as blind as a bat' because it is not true! DO BATS GET CAUGHT IN YOUR HAIR? NO! If bats can find tiny insects in total darkness, would they get tangled up in your hair? No! They are much too smart to fly into people. BATS ARE FLYING MICE, RIGHT? NO! While both bats and mice are mammals, bats are not rodents and are more closely related to primates and people. Besides...mice can't fly! ARE BATS DIRTY AND DO THEY ALL CARRY RABIES? NO! Bats are very clean and groom themselves just like cats. Bats can get rabies, like all mammals, but few ever do. Remember, bats are wild animals. You have nothing to fear if you never touch a bat. OTHER MAMMALS CAN FLY LIKE BATS, RIGHT? NO! Some mammals, like the flying squirrels can glide, but bats are the only mammals that can really fly. There are many different ways bats fly. Some can hover like hummingbirds while feeding on nectar, and a few flying foxes can soar in the air like eagles. BATS ARE WORTHLESS ANIMALS. NO! Bats are very, very helpful! They help control the insect population, reseed cut forests, and pollinate plants that provide food for humans. Bats also taught us about sonar. Bacteria in their guano is useful in improving soaps, making gasohol and producing antibiotics, besides being a fertilizer. Bat houses, says Tuttle, come in a variety of types, though some can be as simple as a piece of plywood with strips of wood tacked on. A bat house only 2 feet tall and wide and only 6 inches deep can attract nursery colonies of up to 300 bats. Wild Birds Unlimited in Westmont has been selling assembled bat houses and kits, ranging from $25 to $40, since it opened a year ago. The houses are very good sellers, says owner Christina Fore. 'They're very popular, especially at Christmas time. People are looking for unusual gifts for nature lovers, or for friends who seem to have everything else.' bats don't carry west nile if they eat a west nile mosquito they have a bat thing at Wild Birds Unlimited in Westmont Wild Birds Unlimited Ottawa, Ontario Address: Blue Heron Mall 1500 Bank Street Ottawa, ON K1H 7Z1 Phone: (613) 521-7333