Some species of bats living in warmer climates help nature by pollinating plants, by
eating overripe fruit, and by dropping the fruit seeds as they fly along, thus helping to
reforest areas. The plants on which Cashew nuts, walnuts, avocados, figs and allspice
berries are produced depend on bats to pollinate their flowers or disperse their seeds. If
you enjoy gum, thank bats! It may contain chicle latex, a plant material produced by
bat-pollinated flowers.
While bats are fascinating creatures, remember that they are wild animals. Respect them
and leave them alone. Never try to catch a bat with your bare hands nor pick up a downed
bat without gloves on. Teach children to respect and understand bats, but warn them to
leave bats alone - even dead ones. Tell them to inform an adult if they find a bat. While
bats do not ‘carry’ rabies, they can be infected with the rabies virus and can
pass it along through their saliva. People have feared bats for generations but you are
more likely to die from a dog bite, food poisoning from eating picnic food, injuries due
to playground equipment or from participating in sports than from a bat bite. Bats do not
attack people but may bite if handled. Bats are not blind and they will not get caught in
your hair. Nevertheless, they will certainly skim over your head if there is an insect
hovering there they might enjoy eating.
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If a bat flies into a room where you are, remain calm. It is probably just
a young bat that is lost. Help it find its way out by opening all windows and doors
leading outside and closing doors to other areas of the house. Leave the lights on and
then leave the room. If the bat does not leave and stays on a wall or a curtain, put a
plastic container over the bat. Gently slide a piece of cardboard under the bat until it
is in the container. With the cardboard on top, the container can be taken outside and the
bat safely released. It is recommended by the Center for Disease Control, that the only
time you should kill a bat is when one is found in a room with a baby or an infirm person
who cannot tell you what has happened. Then, for health reasons, you should have the bat
examined by a pathologist to determine whether or not it is rabid.
A group of female bats may move into an attic in the spring to set up a nursery. There,
each mother bat will usually have one baby. In the fall, most New Brunswick bats head for
caves to hibernate for the winter while some species migrate south. Some bats may
overwinter in an attic. While you may not want bats there, there are humane ways to get
them to leave. First of all, have patience and wait until the babies are grown and the
mothers are ready to leave at the end of July or mid August before you start to take
action. Call in a person who has experience with getting bats to move out of attics
through humane methods.
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"Many people have put up bat houses to attract bats to their properties."
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Many people have put up bat houses to attract bats to their properties. They know that
bats are nature’s natural bug busters! Research continues to investigate the best way
to encourage bats to use a bat house. From the studies done by Bat Conservation
International, it has been learned that bats in northern climates prefer black bat houses
and those in hotter climates prefer light coloured houses. If you plan to put up a bat
house, make sure you do not have any toddlers around who may pick up a sick or dead bat if
one should be on the ground. In northern climates, all bat houses should be painted black
(matte latex paint) on the outside only. They should be placed at least 10 feet off the
ground, in a sunny location facing south. If you plan to build your own bat house, do not
use any chemically treated wood.
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Good books to help you identify bat species and learn
about them are:
Golden Guide - Bats of the World by Gary L. Graham. 1994. Very useful guide to
over 100 common species.
America s Neighborhood Bats by Merlin D. Tuttle 1997. This is an excellent
introduction to bats, the value of bats and the need to conserve them. Health concerns are
also discussed.
There are many books about bats for all ages so check in your library and bookstore. If
you are really keen to watch bats, there is a new release, The Vacationer s Guide to
Bat Watching, which lists the best places in Canada and the United States to view both
captive and wild bats, along with general bat-watching information. It is available from
Bat Conservation International.
If you plan on being in Toronto anytime before January 17, 1999 be sure to visit the
Ontario Science Centre to see "Masters of the Night: The True Story of Bats" - a
6,000 square foot exhibit! For a free place mat with an "alpha-bat" for children
to complete along with bat information and pet care information, contact the Kindness
Club. If you are a teacher in New Brunswick, contact the Kindness Club ( for a list of
educational videos and books you may borrow. A new 1998 Educational package, Discover
Bats, and "Bat Chat", a tape serving as an introduction to echolocation, are
also available.
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Les chauves-souris de
ats are
wonderful creatures that are our allies and help to keep nature in balance. There are
nearly 1,000 species of bats in the world, of which only three species are vampires. All
the vampires live in Central, South and Latin America, so relax! The species of bats found
in New Brunswick are insectivorous, which means they eat insects. We can thank them for
fewer mosquitos and for saving farmers millions of dollars a year by eating crop pests.
