Batty for Bugs...or...Buggy for Bats

 Bats are mammals, and certainly not an arthropod, but I figured since they feed on numerous insects it would be okay to feature a couple of bats that came into my possession this past week. They have long been one of my favorite creatures. I've put up bat houses to encourage them to take up residence on our farm. So far they have not used the houses, but I do see bats feeding on the insects at the pole lights.

This face that only a mother could love belongs to an Evening Bat (Nycticeius humeralis) and it showed up in a persons house in St. Joseph. Animal Control was called and rescued the bat. I received a phone call asking me if I would take it and find a safe place to release it. It is very difficult in the winter to rescue these little guys. Releasing them outside is obviously out of the question and not just any location will meet their requirements. The area must be cold in order to encourage hibernation, yet not too cold to freeze them to death. It cannot be too warm or it will encourage them to awaken and fly around. This activity will cause them to use up valuable fat stores and may result in them being unable to survive the rest of the winter. Fortunately on our farm we have such a location in the form of an old farrowing house. It is a large building with a peaked ceiling. We have a small amount of heat in the building to keep water lines from freezing. You can still see your breathe in the building. So I captured a few quick images of this little beauty and then quickly placed it in the farrowing house.

Evening bats are very common in the Southern half of the United States, and are often found with Big Brown Bats and Brazilian Free-Tail Bats. They very much resemble Big Brown Bats and are often mistaken for them. Evening Bats are smaller, uniformly dark brown in color, and have black ears, wings and tail membrane. Their nose lacks fur. They measure up to 3.5 inches in length and have a wingspan up to 11 inches. They weigh up to 1/2 ounce.  In the northern part of their range they are less common and will migrate to hibernation locations. Sometimes they travel great distances to reach these winter roosting sights. In Missouri they seem to use attics and other locations to spend the winter.This species is often seen roosting in towns and rural areas. Males will form harems and defend their females from other male Evening Bats. Females give birth to one or two pups. Occasionally three pups may be born. They seem to suffer separation anxiety from their mothers and are very vocal when their mothers are out of their sight. The young are ready to leave and fly at 20 days. In autumn the young males are cast out of the colony and may show up in odd places like the eaves of houses or outdoor stairwells.

 Large colonies (up to several hundred individuals) will be found roosting together in old buildings. Smaller colonies (up to 40 individuals) will roost under the loose bark of trees where they squeeze close together to accommodate the tight quarters. In early spring they come out of hibernation and begin foraging for insects early of an evening. They feed on beetles, leafhoppers, flies, moths and ants. Evening Bats are important predators of the Spotted Cucumber Beetle, making them a friend to farmers and gardeners alike. These particular bats often find themselves prey to feral cats and many are sacrificed to hungry wild kitties all over the southern states.

This tiny little bat is a Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus). This species is a member of the "Mouse Eared Bats (myotis) and were at one time the most common bat found in their range. There are reports however that claim their numbers are declining and they are becoming more difficult to find in the populations that they previously occurred. No one seems to know how or why this is. Is it a disease? Are they victims of predation? Is it loss of habitat and suitable roosting sights? Hopefully research will bring about the answers before their numbers fall too dramatically. This one too showed up in a persons house and needed rescuing. The gentleman at Animal Control wanted to know why bats were suddenly showing up in peoples homes, especially now during the coldest spell we've had so far this winter. I told him it could be one of several reasons. First being the actual cold that should keep them sleeping. It seems that at 30 degrees or warmer they rest contentedly. When the temperature drops another 30 degrees like it has this past week they become aggitated and begin  looking for warmer environs. This often leads to them finding their way into the living quarters of whatever dwelling they are roosting in. Second reason could be a disturbance of some kind. Perhaps loud noises or unusual activity awoke them and roused them out of their winters sleep. This too would result in them flying around and becoming disoriented and ending up in your house. Too many disturbances is dangerous for them. It is imperative they return to slumber quickly and with as little fuss as possible.

The Little Brown Bat species is very small at 2.4 -4.0 inches in length and a wingspan up to 11 inches. They weigh a mere 1/2 ounce. They have shiny pale brown to dark brown fur. Their coat is evenly covered, and the hairs on their toes extend to cover the toenails. This is a long lived species and may live up to 34 years, with males living longer than females.

Little Brown Bats roost in hot attics during the summer in colonies they may number up to 1,000 members. They will roost in bat houses and other man made structures in smaller numbers. They will even use dead or decaying trees as roosts. Their roosts will generally be located near water. They mate in the fall and the females will store sperm until the following spring. This ability to delay fertilization assures the pups won't be born while the mothers are hibernating.  The female will give birth to one pup sometime in May, June or July. They are born furless, and with their eyes closed. They will rest under their mothers wings during the day, then at night the mothers leave them in the roost so they can go out and forage for insects. They typically eat mayflies, crane flies, moths, gnats and beetles. They are capable of eating their entire body weight in insects in a single night.  Most hunting grounds are located near water, like ponds. They capture several hundred mosquito sized insects in a single hour. Pups are able to fly at 2 weeks of age, and will be adult sized in approximately 20 days. When fall returns they will seek their winter hibernation spots that may contain up to 300,000 individuals.

There are fourteen species of bats living in Missouri and each of them are insect eaters. We do not have vampire bats or fruit bats in Missouri. Therefore all Missouri bats are helpful to us by controlling insect populations. It has often been said that they eat thousands of mosquitoes in a single evening. While it is true that they are capable of eating mosquitoes, they however prefer larger prey insects like moths. The larger the insect the more energy and calories gained. It is kind of like showing up at a buffet and choosing to eat a salad. Does any of us really do that? Nah, of course not.....

 Bats do however carry rabies, and this is a very real threat. Approximately 40 cases are reported annually in Missouri of bats that test positive for rabies. Considering there are millions of bats living in Missouri this is a relatively low number. There are about 1/2 of 1 percent of bats that carry the virus. Bites typically occur when people find a bat out during the day and handle the bat, or they handle one that mistakenly makes its way into your home. Never under any circumstances handle a bat that is out during daylight hours, instead call your local Animal Control Center. If one makes it into your home, use caution and never try to handle one without sufficient gloves. It is best to call Animal Control.

Our local Animal Control has me on their call list to take bats for release and rehab. I have completed training through a licensed Wildlife rehabilitation Center and have my name listed with the Missouri Department of Conservation.

There is no reason to live in fear of bats, they are one of the cleanest animals in existence. They spend a huge amount of time grooming themselves. The chance of rabies infection is low, and they provide valuable insect control. Lastly they are just plain cool!!!!