Bats in the Barn

[Mike Cruz]

We have bats. We know that. We like the bats. We heard a bunch of bats making some racket today up on a ledge near the roof of the barn...on the front side of the barn, not where they usually are which is on the backside of the barn. A couple of hours later, they were all on the ground...and a 3 foot black snake was where they WERE. 12 in all. Two had hair (adults) 11 were bald (youngin's). One either didn't survive the fall or was already dead. So, 11 into a box and in a somewhat safer spot in the barn. The black snake taken far away (at least to buy the bats enough time to relocate come nighttime. Cute little buggers...mice with wings. BTW, yes we have a bat house on the barn, but in 8 years, I don't think it has EVER been used.

[Lee Schierer]

Good for you. We have a little brown bat that does figure 8's under our street light every night all summer long. Sometimes there are 2 or more doing the same thing to get bugs.

I have the same luck with bat houses that you have. The most effective ones I've seen were mounted on the south side of a building and painted a dark brown.

[Bruce Page]

You’re a good man Mr. Cruz, they are cute little buggers. We don’t have any bats locally but I once saw the evening mass exodus of Mexican Freetail bats flying out from Carlsbad Caverns in southern NM. There were literally thousands of them. It was an amazing site to see!

[ray hampton]

You’re a good man Mr. Cruz, they are cute little buggers. We don’t have any bats locally but I once saw the evening mass exodus of Mexican Freetail bats flying out from Carlsbad Caverns in southern NM. There were literally thousands of them. It was an amazing site to see!

I do not intend to argue with your statement that you do not have any bats but I hope that you are mistaken

[Van Huskey]

I have bats... bats in my belfrey!!!

The only time I haven't like bats was when we had one in the house!!!

Cool critters, good on ya Mike!

[Bruce Page]

I do not intend to argue with your statement that you do not have any bats but I hope that you are mistaken

I have to admit, my wife would probably disagree with my statement..

[Kevin Bourque]

When I lived in the suburbs we had a whole sky full of bats. Now I live on a farm in the country and there are no bats anywhere. What up with that?

[phil harold]

Bats are dying at alarming, rates from
White Nose Disease
and
Wind Farms are also decimating the population


ps Better to have bats in your barn than bats in your belfry!

[ray hampton]

I have bats... bats in my belfrey!!!

The only time I haven't like bats was when we had one in the house!!!

Cool critters, good on ya Mike!

you are lucky if you got bats in the belfrey, having fleas in the belfrey tend to make us howl at the moon-pie

[Curt Harms]

Bats are dying at alarming, rates from
White Nose Disease
and
Wind Farms are also decimating the population


ps Better to have bats in your barn than bats in your belfry!

This colony was devastated

http://www.phillyburbs.com/my_town/n...9bb30f31a.html

[ray hampton]

This colony was devastated

http://www.phillyburbs.com/my_town/n...9bb30f31a.html

if the bats die -off then we may not be able to go outside after dark because of the biting bugs

[Curt Harms]

if the bats die -off then we may not be able to go outside after dark because of the biting bugs

Yup, and mosquito borne diseases aren't going away if mosquito populations increase. Yellow Fever isn't the only disease transmitted by 'skeeters.

[David G Baker]

Couple of weeks ago a local girl was bit by a bat while she was sleeping. Her parents captured the bat, it was tested for rabies and it tested positive. The girl had to go through the painful rabies shot regimen. I have plenty of bats on my property and due to my obsessive hate of mosquitoes I encourage them to stay. I also have a small swamp that is around 1/2 acre in size that breeds mosquitoes but there are thousands of frogs that eat the majority of the critters. Keeping my large lawn mowed also helps discourage the bugs.

[ray hampton]

Couple of weeks ago a local girl was bit by a bat while she was sleeping. Her parents captured the bat, it was tested for rabies and it tested positive. The girl had to go through the painful rabies shot regimen. I have plenty of bats on my property and due to my obsessive hate of mosquitoes I encourage them to stay. I also have a small swamp that is around 1/2 acre in size that breeds mosquitoes but there are thousands of frogs that eat the majority of the critters. Keeping my large lawn mowed also helps discourage the bugs.

I got one smart question , do your frogs fly after the mosquitoes, now for a stupid ?? do wasps and hornets eat the mosquitoes

[Mike Cruz]

Ray, as far as I know, wasps and hornets are active during the day...when mosquitos are least active. Bats and mosquitos like dusk and dawn. Frogs eat mosquitos and their larva when on and in standing water. But frogs are, however, excellent fliers. At least the ones with wings are. They look remarkably like bats...wait a minute, those ARE bats.