Did you know that bats can eat up to half their body weight in insects (including mosquitos!) every night? That equals about $3.7 billion in pest control for farmers each year! Bats’ big appetites are extremely important to our ecosystem and serve an important role in Ohio’s pest control. While there are many myths about bats, the reality is, we are much better off with them in our night skies!
Want to help bats? Share their importance and encourage people not to harm them. Put up a bat box to provide them with shelter during the daylight hours. Use fewer pesticides on your yard, which eventually make their way up the food chain to bats and can cause harm. And, learn as much as you can about these amazing flying mammals. The more you know, the more you can appreciate how important bats are!
Check out our Mammals of Ohio Field Guide to learn more about the 11 species of bats we have living in Ohio: http://ow.ly/bzRH30mn0mO