Re: Get rid of BATS??????

["Carolyn Loedeman" <tawasentha@ohiohills.com>]

I also have bats in my barn and I love them!  Between my bats and barn
swallows we have not had too much of a problem with bugs!
Carolyn Loedeman
Ohio
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lynette Helgeson" <helgeson@lansford.ndak.net>
To: "Maggie Mieske" <mmieske@netonecom.net>
Cc: "Ridecamp" <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Monday, January 10, 2000 10:44 AM
Subject: RC: Get rid of BATS??????


> Maggie Mieske wrote:
> >
> > I haven't read all but enough about the posts concerning rabbies and
> > possums and bats, etc. to get really nervous.  Quite honestly I didn't
want
> > to think about it!  Unbeknownst to us, when we purchased this house, we
> > also inherited a bat colony (a HUGE one) with it.  We have fought the
good
> > fight for the last 3 summers with some success but not enough.  We have
> > found a company who says they can rid us of them for quite a big price
tag.
> >  Anyway, if anyone has any ideas (like someone wants to do a project and
> > relocate some bats...I don't mind bats, I just don't want to LIVE WITH
> > them!), please e-mail me privately so as not to clutter the list.  THANK
> > YOU!
>
> I had the same problem when we bought our
> ranch. The place had set empty
> for 5 years prior to our purchase and the
> barn was full of bats. I went
> to the county agent and asked how we could
> get rid of them. She asked me
> why I would want to? Then she handed me
> some good information about bats
> and after I was educated about bats,
> instead of believing stupid myths,
> I came to the conclusion that I really
> liked the bats. They were not only
> beneficial and ate lots of mosquitoes, but
> they did not bother me and
> crap all over my hay. In the last couple
> of years our bats have moved
> out and pigeons have moved in. I would
> much rather have the bats. Tell you
> what I will trade you some pigeons for
> some bats!!! Besides I do not know
> of one documented case when livestock,
> including horses have contacted
> rabies from bats. Here are some of the
> things that I learned about bats
> that changed my mind. So all you bat
> haters, read on.........
>
> All mammals can contract rabies; however,
> even the less than a half of one
> percent of bats that do, normally bite
> only in self-defense and pose little
> threat to
> people (or animals,) who do not handle
> them.
>
> Worldwide, bats are an important natural
> enemies of night-flying insects.
>
> A single little brown bat can catch 1,200
> mosquitoes-sized insects in just one
> hour.
>
> A colony of 150 big brown bats can protect
> local farmers from up to 33 million
> or more rootworms each summer.
>
> The 20 million Mexican free-tails from
> Bracken Cave, Texas eat approximately
> 200 tons of insects nightly.
>
> Tropical bats are key elements in rain
> forest ecosystems which rely on them to
> pollinate flowers and disperse seeds for
> countless trees and shrubs.
>
> In the wild, important agricultural
> plants, from bananas, breadfruit and
> mangoes
> to cashews, dates, and figs rely on bats
> for pollination and seed dispersal.
>
> Tequila is produced from agave plants
> whose seed production drops to
> 1/3,000th of normal without bat
> pollinators.
>
> Desert ecosystems rely on nectar-feeding
> bats as primary pollinators of giant
> cacti, including the famous organ pipe and
> saguaro of Arizona.
>
> Bat droppings in caves support whole
> ecosystems of unique organisms, including
> bacteria useful in detoxifying wastes,
> improving detergents, and producing
> gasohol and antibiotics.
>
> An anticoagulant from vampire bat saliva
> may soon be used to treat human heart
> patients. Contrary to popular
> misconception, bats are not blind, do not
> become
> entangled in human hair, and seldom
> transmit disease to other animals or
> humans.
>
> Bats are exceptionally vulnerable to
> extinction, in part because they are the
> slowest reproducing mammals on earth for
> their size, most producing only one
> young annually.
>
> More than 50% of American bat species are
> in severe decline or already listed
> as endangered. Losses are occurring at
> alarming rates worldwide.
>
> Loss of bats increases demand for chemical
> pesticides, can jeopardize whole
> ecosystems of other animal and plant
> species, and can harm human economies.
>
> Lynette
>
>
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Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
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