Post by L Roebuck on Jul 3, 2006 7:02:29 GMT -5
Stop getting bugged out
If you go batty and install a house, mosquitoes will be less of a nuisance.
Sherry and Jenny Boas | Special to the Sentinel
If mosquitoes are driving you batty, here's a chemical-free solution that also provides entertainment: Install a bat house.
"The best reason to attract bats to your yard is because of their insect-consuming ability," says Laura Finn, owner of Fly By Night, a nonprofit organization in Deltona that works to conserve bats.
Bats, those much-maligned creatures of the night, will eat up to 600 insects an hour, and a large bat house -- about 2-by-2 feet square and 1 foot deep -- can hold more than 1,000 bats. Do the math, and you'll see how quickly annoying insects can disappear when bats move into your neighborhood.
Finn has been involved in bat education, evictions, rescues and research for 15 years.
"Bat houses are needed for ecological reasons because their natural roosting areas are being lost at a very rapid rate. It's a good thing to do to put up a bat house," she says.
Florida has 19 species of bats, and all dine on flying insects. The most common bat in Central Florida is the Brazilian free-tailed bat. This night flier is considered a "colonial" bat because it likes to congregate in large groups. In nature, a dead tree or Spanish moss would provide safe roosting spots. However, as more land is developed, habitat for the world's only flying mammal declines.
Setting up a bat house on your property doesn't ensure that a colony will move in, but a well-designed structure placed in an appropriate location increases the odds. A bat house should be mounted on a pole or on the side of a building at least 15 feet above ground. It should face south and be in an open area.
Although bats often move into a properly located bat house within a few months, it may take two or three years for a colony to become established.
For more than 10 years, bats lived in bat houses on Tom Laputka's Orange City property, but one of the three bat houses stood unoccupied for two years.
"We had roughly 1,500 bats in our houses," says Laputka, 58, master gardener with the Valencia County Extension Service. "They were interesting to watch and educational for the children. We also harvested the bat droppings, which are very high in nitrogen and great for use in our gardens. We definitely saw a reduction in the amount of mosquitoes, and we live on a lake."
Full Story: Orlando Sentinel
If you go batty and install a house, mosquitoes will be less of a nuisance.
Sherry and Jenny Boas | Special to the Sentinel
If mosquitoes are driving you batty, here's a chemical-free solution that also provides entertainment: Install a bat house.
"The best reason to attract bats to your yard is because of their insect-consuming ability," says Laura Finn, owner of Fly By Night, a nonprofit organization in Deltona that works to conserve bats.
Bats, those much-maligned creatures of the night, will eat up to 600 insects an hour, and a large bat house -- about 2-by-2 feet square and 1 foot deep -- can hold more than 1,000 bats. Do the math, and you'll see how quickly annoying insects can disappear when bats move into your neighborhood.
Finn has been involved in bat education, evictions, rescues and research for 15 years.
"Bat houses are needed for ecological reasons because their natural roosting areas are being lost at a very rapid rate. It's a good thing to do to put up a bat house," she says.
Florida has 19 species of bats, and all dine on flying insects. The most common bat in Central Florida is the Brazilian free-tailed bat. This night flier is considered a "colonial" bat because it likes to congregate in large groups. In nature, a dead tree or Spanish moss would provide safe roosting spots. However, as more land is developed, habitat for the world's only flying mammal declines.
Setting up a bat house on your property doesn't ensure that a colony will move in, but a well-designed structure placed in an appropriate location increases the odds. A bat house should be mounted on a pole or on the side of a building at least 15 feet above ground. It should face south and be in an open area.
Although bats often move into a properly located bat house within a few months, it may take two or three years for a colony to become established.
For more than 10 years, bats lived in bat houses on Tom Laputka's Orange City property, but one of the three bat houses stood unoccupied for two years.
"We had roughly 1,500 bats in our houses," says Laputka, 58, master gardener with the Valencia County Extension Service. "They were interesting to watch and educational for the children. We also harvested the bat droppings, which are very high in nitrogen and great for use in our gardens. We definitely saw a reduction in the amount of mosquitoes, and we live on a lake."
Full Story: Orlando Sentinel