Mosquitoes have gotten way too ego-inflated as of late. Those little bloodsuckers have been taking over everything (much like anything bloodsucker related in the TV and film industry). As I got to kickboxing class last night my foot started really itching. I mean reeeeeaaaaally itching. I take my shoe off and self-consciously pretend I'm massaging away an ankle injury while in my head thinking "What is going on?!? OMG, do I have athlete's foot, so embarrassing!" only to pull my sock down a bit and see, nope, I've got a mosquito bite. Now, mosquito bites on your arm or your calf or somewhere normal are annoying enough. But the extra annoyance of a mosquito bite on the foot should be saved for at least June. Alas, it's March here in Maryland and the unseasonably warm weather apparently brought with it natures most hated blood sucking fiends. And this is when I remembered the lovely xmas wish list item my sister got for me...MY BAT HOUSE!!!
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| My bat house! Sideways. |
Yes, along with my wacky gardening ideas, I have ventured into wacky pest control. One bat can eat about 1,000 mosquitoes in an HOUR and their homes are a natural repellent for insects, so some genius realized you can post bat friendly roosts in your yard to attract a bat family and be bug free all summer long! You can buy a "how to build" book online, but most people I know just go ahead and buy the pre-made bat house. They are under $100 and come in wood finishes, but if you live somewhere that experiences winter you should paint it a darker color like brown or black so it heats up more. The ideal temperature is apparently 80-100 degrees so they recommend you place the box on a pole or attached to a building facing south at least 15 feet off the ground that gets full sun exposure. Trees are not recommended because they are usually shaded but can also put the bats at risk of being eaten by raccoons or cats. Also, despite the bad rumors regarding rabies, you are no more likely to get rabies from a bat than any other animal. Rabies virus in a bat can actually lead to the bat being paralyzed rather than exhibiting violent erratic behavior as other animals do. The only downside of this is that it's important not to approach or handle a bat that is on the ground or appears dead without protection as it may actually be suffering from rabies. But again, they are not rabies incubators any more than your dog is.
Also, super extreme bonus that I had no knowledge of before today, bats also act as pollinators!! Great for your summer garden! They also keep pest bug populations down. Also, bat poop (I know, I have a true affinity for poop talk), also known as guano, is a great fertilizer. I have no intention of collecting guano from my bat house, but maybe one of you thinks it's the bees knees. Speaking of guano, there will be a lot of it under your bat house because it has an open bottom so the guano doesn't build up. You can put a collection plate under it if you're putting it near a window, door, or off a deck to collect the dookie. They don't recommend a bucket or anything similar because if a baby bat falls out of the bat house it might get stuck in the sludge and not able to fly out. Which would probably piss the bat mommies off and lead them to find a better landlord.
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| Don't be scared of bats-they don't bite and look how cuuuuuuute! [okay disclaimer, these are fruit bats over in Australia, but it's really hard to come across baby bat photos!] Photo Courtesy Of: http://www.digitalspy.com/odd/news/a298039/bat-clinic-cares-for-abandoned-pups.html | | | | | | | | | | |
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And how can you be the best bat landlord? Bats leave each winter (don't worry, they'll come back) so in addition to monthly inspections for problems, in the winter you should bring your vacant bat house down and check it for wasp nests, clean it up a bit, and make sure all the seals are still intact so it retains its heat. There should also be a water source near by like a lake or stream within 1/2 to 1 mile from your house. Mommy bats don't like to travel far. Before I remembered there was a pond very close to my house hidden in some woods, I was thinking a great way to create water would be a little landscaping pond I've been fantasizing about putting in. But alas, with the pond that excuse for overspending is gone. Maybe next year...
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