Bat Basics

There are about 1,200 known bat species and about 70 percent of these are "microbats" that eat night insects. The remaining 30 percent are mostly tropical and subtropical fruit bats, or "megabats,"  which pollinate plants and spread seeds. Bats are the only mammals that truly fly, and they are not members of the rodent family. Bat species that live in groups are called colonial bats and species that live alone are referred to as solitary bats.

The eastern red bat, an insect-eating microbat native to eastern North America, tends to have three or four babies per year. Mothers roost with their offspring until they're weaned.  A baby bat is called a 'pup'. Bats are mammals which also means they give birth and nurse their young.

Bats are so distinctive, they have their own scientific order. Chiroptera is a Greek word that means "hand-wing" because the wing is similar to a human hand with a thumb and four long fingers. Bats have been known to migrate at cruising altitudes up to 10,000 feet, much higher than most birds. Of the 43 species of bats that live in the U.S., more than half are considered rare or uncommon.

We are aware bees are excellent pollinators for crops and flowers, but bats are also pollinators - albeit less popular.  They are another pollinator is also facing a precipitous population decline. Bats are dying at an alarming rate due to an invasive fungal disease that’s wiping out entire species, and the unlikely savior may be one of their own.

Bats pollinate over 500 species of plants around the world, including cocoa and agave - take note fans of chocolate and tequila. 

There are two broad types of bats, and each have different appearances and characteristics.

The bats that inhabit the temperate regions of Europe and North America all fall within the family Microchiroptera (roughly, "small bats"). Other than their small size (which is more of a common trait rather than a defining characteristic), they are physically unique from their cousins in that they tend to have short noses or muzzles, smallish eyes, and larger ears.

Megachiroptera is the suborder that represents most of the larger bat species of the world, but they are generally restricted to the tropical environments that stretch from Australia to South Asia and on to the Mediterranean. These bats tend to have longer muzzles and even a  rat-like or canine appearance. Species native to Australia and Southeast Asia are commonly referred to as "flying foxes" because of this.

Bats have generally gotten a bad rap...they are very beneficial to the environment and to people - they eat the insects we hate such as flies, mosquitoes, moths and beetles, including many garden pests. Thanks to bats swooping around at dusk, there are fewer mosquitoes and flies to spread disease, fewer moths to swarm streetlights, and fewer beetles and moth larvae to raid vegetable gardens. Just by keeping crop pests in check, bats save U.S. farmers an estimated $1 billion every year. Their value to American agriculture ranges anywhere from $3.7 billion to $53 billion per year.  So in a sense, we are batty to dislike them!

Microbats don't just eat insects; they eat them with super efficiency. In one night, a single  brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) can eat 60 medium-sized moths or 1,000 mosquito-sized flies. The best part is bats eat the insects we don't want, and don't tend to kill beneficial insects like bees, ladybugs and dragonflies.

North America has about 50 native bats, mainly microbats. Upper Michigan has 9 of these species. Microbats hibernate in winter. Sadly, North American bats are in danger of getting white-nose syndrome (WNS), an invasive fungal disease that strikes during hibernation. It has killed millions of bats since 2006, and is pushing several American species toward extinction. Besides this fungal disease, bats suffer from  habitat loss, as humans claim key places like feeding grounds or their best roosting trees.

While we can't do much about deforestation or disease, we CAN improve their other habitats. Adding a few bat-friendly features can turn a farm or yard into bat heaven and help the baby bat pups survive.  We can prepare areas beneficial for hibernation survivors to use in spring. And since all this saves time and energy for bats, they can focus on important tasks like catching insects (which we love) and taking care of their baby bats. 

Attracting Bats

Bats, like all animals, need food, water and shelter so use these to attract them.. Your yard and garden will provide them with their favorite food - insects!  All you will need to provide is water and shelter.  Bats generally seek shelter in secluded cracks and crevices, like in hollow trees, under loose bark, in caves, or in cracks of rocky ledges. In more populated areas they can hang out in attics, behind shutters, and in storm sewers. Bats usually won't chew holes in your home’s attic, but if the entry way is already there, they may move in.  Essentially, they are looking for dark, warm, snug fitting spaces.

Bats can get through a gap just 3/4" wide, so their entrance points are often difficult to locate and block.  Make sure you know their entrance points and seek advice from the bat conservation trust before starting any building work if you value these tiny mosquito vacuum cleaners!

Smaller, slow-flying bats avoid open areas where they are vulnerable to birds of prey. Good tree cover in your garden will encourage species such as brown long-eared bats to forage, especially in fruit and other trees that attract moths and a variety of insects. If space allows, plant a diversity of trees to provide a sheltered feeding area. Birds such as owls, hawks and common grackles snatch bats out of the sky, particularly when they are leaving and entering a roost.

Bats are a lot harder to find in urban areas, but they are there!  Join your local bat group and go on local bat walks. Once you have  the basics, it’s surprising how many bats you will spot.  

Once you have been shown the basics, get your own bat detector.  A bat detector is a device used to detect the presence of bats by converting their echolocation ultrasound signals, as they are emitted by the bats, to audible frequencies, usually about 120 Hz to 15 kHz. ... Many bat detectors are limited to around 15 kHz to 125 kHz at best. Identifying species of bats from their echolocation calls can be difficult, but bat detectors are very useful for helping you to spot bats that you would otherwise miss.