There are only three species of "vampire bats"-bats that live off the blood of animals. This is vital to keeping bug populations in check. Other bats eat fruit or nectar and serve as pollinators. Their feeding plays an important ecological role since they can eat up to 1,200 mosquitoes in an hour and often consume their body weight in insects every night. They locate insects by emitting inaudible high-pitched sounds-10-20 beeps per second- and listening to echoes. There are 40 species of bats in the United States alone. They can typically live more than 30 years and can fly at speeds of up to 60 mph. Incredibly, bats can find their food in total darkness. Colorado Bat Working Group: /teams/zoology/cbwg/batList.There are 1,100 species of bats worldwide, making up a quarter of the world’s mammals.The Orient Mine near Villa Grove is home to nearly 250,000 migratory bats.Rob Mies, director of the Organization for Bat Conservation, ( ), will be in Denver early this fall with programs at Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver Botanic Gardens, PACE in Parker and the cities of Aurora and Wheat Ridge.Bat populations are declining because of habitat destruction of summer and winter roosting areas, fear of bats and disturbance by cave explorers, pesticide use and fungal diseases. are endangered, and another 20 are threatened, according to the U.S. Healthy: A healthy bat can live more than 20 years. They are very loyal to their hibernating and roosting sites, however, returning each year to the same location. Some of the Colorado species remain here, but their habitats are not completely known. Hibernators: Bats hibernate or migrate in the winter. Other Colorado bats: the Brazilian Free-Tailed Bat and Big-Free Tailed Bat, both insect eaters. Habituated: Eighteen species of bats live in Colorado, including the following members of the common bat family: the Pallid Bat, Big Brown Bat, Silver-Haired Bat, Hoary Bat, Western Small-Footed Bat, Western Long-Eared Bat, Little Brown Bat, Long-Legged Bat, Yuma Bat and the Western Pipistrelle. Helpful: As a fertilizer, bat excrement, called guano, packs nitrogen and phosphorous. Basically, they “see” with their ears, similar to dolphins, some whale species and birds. Insectivore bats use echolocation, or biological sonar, to detect insects and prey, emitting a “feeding buzz” that we can’t hear. If we’re counting all the pests it eats, it consumes its own body weight in insects each night. Hungry: A single brown bat can eat 1,200 mosquitoes an hour. Just open doors and windows and quietly sit down until the bat finds its own way outdoors. ![]() It isn’t attacking you it’s just flying a figure-eight pattern to gain clearance and make turns. If a bat becomes trapped in your house, rest assured that it is looking for a way out. ![]() Keep in mind that new pups - the term for bat offspring - generally won’t be leaving the roost until sometime in the summer, so exclusion is best done in fall to early spring. Provide an alternative bat house nearby, if possible, and use a one-way device that will allow them to exit, but not to return. If bats are occupying an unwanted space in your home, allow them time and opportunity to leave on their own - in other words, wait at least 45 minutes after sunset before sealing up their entrance. It may take up to two years for bats to discover your gift, but once they do, you can expect the bats to return year after year. Three or more bat houses in one area will increase the chance of attracting bats. Be aware that the ground below the bat house will collect bat guano, so site it properly for collection. Bat houses mounted on trees don’t work as well, because the bats’ view is blocked and they don’t stay as warm. Putting it on a free-standing pole works, too. You’ll need to install your bat house 15 feet or higher off the ground, on the south or east side of a house or barn. Design plans are available online, or you can buy one from wild bird shops or garden centers. If your landscape already has everything bats could want, consider putting up a bat house. ![]() Maintain a natural landscape with both live trees and dead snags, if you can make those snags not a hazard. ![]() Digital Replica Edition Home Page Close Menuīats like to have a water source too, so a pond, water feature or close-by stream is ideal.
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