For Release September 10, 2006

Going Batty, Again!

AGRI-VIEWS

by Chuck Otte, Geary County Extension Agent

After I had received five phone calls on bats in about as many days, I decided it was time to write about bats, again! Many local citizens really don't know how many bats we have in our area. There are a lot and there seems to be more every year. It's probably a good thing that we have so many bats, as the bat species that we have here eat one thing and one thing only; insects!

Not only do we have a great number of bats, we have quite a few species. While most bats that we encounter around our homes will be either the little brown bat or big brown bat we also have records in Geary, or nearby counties, for Keen's myotis, silver-haired bat, eastern pipistrelle, red bat (a beautiful creature that my wife and I have had the privilege of viewing up close), hoary bat, evening bat and Mexican free-tailed bat.

Bats are much smaller than one realizes because their wingspan can look rather impressive, especially if you find it flying around your house at 3 a.m.! Body length of Kansas bats ranges from around three inches in the smaller species like little brown bat or eastern pipistrelle, to nearly six inches with the hoary bat. But once they get that thin membrane that covers their fingers extended, wingspans can range from about nine inches with the little brown bat to sixteen inches in the hoary bat. Bats are also very light ranging from five grams to 35 grams. There are roughly 28 grams in one ounce so Kansas bats range from one fifth of an ounce in weight to just over an ounce.

Surprisingly, many of the bat species are solitary. They live by themselves and when a female bares young, she pretty much raises them herself. The little brown, big brown and Mexican free-tailed bats are all colonial bats and do prefer to spend time with other bats. These areas are either called maternity colonies or nurseries, if young are being raised, or hibernacula if they are where bats overwinter. While many bats do head for warmer climates, a surprising number stay around for the winter. They usually don't spend the winter in the same location that they spent the summer. So right now we have a lot of bats on the move, some going to warmer climates, some finding winter quarters. Which explains the recent rash of encounters between bats and people.

While bats may seem to swoop at you when in the house, they are just frightened and want to escape. They get inside by mistake and all they want is out. As long as you don't handle a bat and get bit, there is very little risk associated with bats. There are very rare cases of rabies being contracted from airborne virus, but I emphasize that this is very rare. There is also a microscopic fungus that can cause a lung disease known as histoplasmosis, but this usually only happens where there are very large concentrations of droppings from bats, pigeons or starlings.

If you encounter a bat in your house at this time of year, help it get out. If you try to pick it up, wear heavy leather gloves and handle it carefully. Sometimes an insect net or a fish net can be used to temporarily snare it and then release it outside. Often just opening a window and darkening the rest of the room will help it find it's way out. Bats are protected in Kansas so you should avoid killing them. If you find that you have a large number of bats in your house, then it is best to call in a professional to remove them and seal up the house. While their presence may be somewhat unsettling, just keep telling yourself, "bats are good, bats are good!"

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