Beneficial Bats

What makes bats seem so scary? Is it their tiny, fang-like teeth? Leathery wings? Their association with vampires? However the fear started, it often keeps us from appreciating just how much good bats do! Bats live almost everywhere in the world and make up a quarter of all mammal species. They help keep ecosystems healthy by pollinating plants, offering pest control and more—just by eating.

Check out what makes bats special and what you can do to turn a green space into a yummy "trick-or-treat" stop for bats!

Cheers to Bats

Bats have big appetites, but not for blood ... usually. Out of over 1,500 bat species, only three drink blood from animals like livestock and none of them live in the U.S. Most bats eat insects, nectar, fruit or small animals, and they help us out a ton when they feast.

"Bats play a role in our daily lives," said Dr. Ela-Sita Carpenter, a wildlife biologist at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and part of the Masonville Cove Partnership. "We rely on bats more than we realize for the food we eat, materials like cotton that we use for clothing, coffee beans and more. They're really important little guys that shouldn't be feared."

Bug eaters make up 70% of all bat species and help farmers by eating the pests that eat plants and crops. According to some reports, they save the U.S. farming industry over $3.7 billion every year. Nectar-eating bats, although fewer in number, pollinate flowering plants, like wild bananas and mangos, when they drink from them. (The lesser long-nosed bat species is almost single-handedly responsible for pollinating agave, the plant that becomes tequila.) Finally, fruit-eating bats help replant rain forests by spreading seeds they eat and then excrete.

Creating a Bat-Friendly Green Space

Welcoming beneficial bats to your backyard, community garden, schoolyard or other green space is easier than you think! The secret? Food! Most nectar- and fruit-eating bats migrate from Mexico and South America to the Western United States to feed on cactus flowers and fruit. However, bug-eating bats live all over the country, making them more likely to visit your green space.

Now, it's time to kick back and wait for the bats to come!

Local Fliers

Identifying a flying bat in your green space can be tricky, especially in Maryland where we have 10 to 12 species of bats. But there are ways to pick out unique differences between species like the Eastern red bat, big brown bat and hoary bat.

Sometimes, it's all about timing. Most bat species wait until after sunset to start hunting, but not the Eastern red bat. This species emerges at dusk and sometimes even in the late afternoon, making it easier to see. You can also watch how bats eat. Many bat species are agile flyers and will pick insects off tree leaves, but the big brown bat does it a little differently and catches its prey mid-flight. The hoary bat stands out for three things: its flight pattern, size and fur. This species doesn't use echolocation as much as other local bat species, so it usually flies in a straighter line. Bats that use echolocation constantly adjust course based on the objects their sound bounces off. Hoary bats are also the largest species in the Chesapeake Bay region, with a wingspan of 13 to 16 inches. Their brown fur is also speckled with white, hence their name.

"Hoary bats are one of my favorite local bat species," said Dr. Ela-Sita. "They're one of our most colorful and adorable species, and they're also long-distance fliers and will migrate just like birds."

Feed the Bats

Bats do some of their best work when eating, but they can't eat all the time. In the winter, bats hibernate in caves to survive colder temperatures. Unfortunately, a fungal pathogen called white-nose syndrome puts North America's bats at risk. When bats hibernate, they lower their body temperature to match the cave's fridge-like conditions and mostly stay asleep to conserve energy. Since their body temperature drops below what is normal for mammals, the fungal pathogen that causes white-nose syndrome can live on their skin. The fungus irritates bats, causing them to wake up more frequently, burn energy and starve to death. Since 2007, millions of bats have died of this disease.

But there's hope! Scientists have learned that the fatter the bat, the more likely it is to survive. A well-fed bat has more energy reserves and is less likely to starve, which makes moon gardens and bat houses so helpful. Talk with your friends and family about how much bats do for us and start planning your green space now to make your next Halloween bat-friendly.