Posted by Gary | Posted in Bat Preservation | Posted on 25-07-2009
The Little Brown Bat (Myotis Lucifugis) is one of the most common bats in the United States and is found from Labrador, the Northwest Territories and central Yukon into Alaska, all of Northern United States to Georgia and Southern California. The population is stable but is highly susceptible to pesticides and habitat destruction.
The little Brown’s favorite foods are gnats, beetles, moths and mosquitoes. The Little brown will eat about 1200 mosquitoes a night and helps protect crops from insect damage. The Little Brown hunts at night and requires water to survive. They fly just over the water swallowing water as they hunt for food.
During the summer the mothers and their babies will roost in giant nurseries with maybe 1000’s of bats in it. The mother can always find their pup by its smell and sounds it makes.
As winter sets in these bats may travel up to about 170 miles to their winter roost. This will be some safe place for them to hibernate during the winter months. This winter roost is called a hibernaculum. These bats are mammals and will die if disturbed during their hibernation period. They have enough body fat stored away to let them survive the winter, but as more and more habitations are being destroyed these bats will die off.
The bat does need our help as hollow trees are removed and caves and mines are blocked off or people enter, they will die. There are ways to help these gentle creatures if we remember all they need is food, water and shelter, much as we do. A colony of bats will eat a tremendous amount of insects each night and think what a great BBQ you could have with no gnats or mosquitoes around.
