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Bats Are Misunderstood

By Carol Mahan, Conservation Education Consultant for the Missouri Department of Conservation

Bats have been feared and misunderstood for centuries.  Much of this fear has been perpetuated by sensational journalism and Hollywood vampire stories.  It is only recently that we have begun to understand their importance in nature and ways in which they help humans.

Bats in Missouri eat only insects—and lots of them, too.  A single bat can eat 3000 insects in one night.  These include corn borer and cutworm moths which damage crops, and mosquitoes.  Because of their feeding habits, bats are the major predator of night flying insects.  Although they are the size of a rodent, bats are very different.  For one thing, they only produce one offspring, called a pup, each year.  This usually occurs between May and June.  Some species form groups called maternity colonies.  The pup is left at the roost while the mother feeds at night.  After 3 or 4 weeks, the pup is able to fly and feed on its own.  By winter, bats usually find a cave, building, or hollow tree for hibernation. 

Many Missourians who fear bats do so because of the panic associated with rabies.  Medical statistics show, however, that only a handful of persons have ever contracted rabies from bats in the U.S. ; more people die annually from dog attacks, bee stings, power mower accidents or even from lightning strikes.  In fact, less than one half of one percent of the bat population has rabies, an incidence that is no greater than for any other wild mammal.  Bats that are acting abnormally (flapping on the ground, active in the day) should not be handled by the public.  Pets should be vaccinated because sometimes they will find a sick bat and bring it home in their mouths.

Some people do not appreciate bats because they believe in some of the myths that surround this tiny mammal.  One such myth is the notion that bats will fly in your hair.  Bats are expert fliers and, in fact, are the only mammal that can fly.  (Flying squirrels just glide from tree to tree).  Bats are not blind but have eyes and can see in the dark.  They also rely on echolocation to navigate and locate prey at night.  Echolocation is a sophisticated “sonar” system used by dolphins as well. The reason bats may seem to be flying toward your hair is to catch the tiny insects that swarm around you as you walk in your yard at night.

Another myth is that bats are dirty.  Actually, the opposite is true.  Like your cat, bats spend a lot of time grooming to keep their fur clean.  They have few parasites and those that are found on bats do not normally infect humans.  The other health concern, histoplasmosis, is a fungal disease associated with bat or, more commonly, bird droppings (guano).  In the past, people mined the guano from bat caves for use in explosives and fertilizer industries.  These activities are now prohibited thus reducing the exposure to bat guano.

Bats and humans can come in conflict when bats try to take up residence in an attic, a church, or other structure.  Some people learn to live with the bats.  However, large maternity colonies may create a messy problem for homeowners.  In this case, the only safe and permanent solution is to seal all the bat entry sites in the fall, after the bats have left for their winter hibernation site.  If the openings are closed during the summer, young bats left behind would die and rot, creating a bigger nuisance than the colony itself.  To find the openings, which may be quite small, simply watch where the bats emerge from the outside of the building at dusk.  Occasionally, a bat will enter a living space in the fall.  Simply opening a door or window at dusk to provide and exit route should solve that problem.

Of the 15 species of bats in Missouri , three are endangered.  The Ozark big-eared bat has not been seen since 1971.  The other two species rely on Missouri ’s caves during all or part of the year.  The Indiana bat hibernates in relatively few caves from September through April.  The gray bat uses caves in both the summer and winter.  While they are in the caves, these species are vulnerable to disturbances by human visitors.  During hibernation, bats will arouse and use up fat reserves needed to survive until spring.  For maternity colonies of gray bats, pups may fall to their death during the panic caused by human disturbances.  Many of the caves which are important to these species have been gated and/or signed to protect these species.

All species of Missouri bats are protected under the Wildlife Code.  These laws recognize the biological value of these species in nature.  And people are learning to appreciate that bats can be an excellent barometer of the condition of our own environment.  As we learn more about these unique and often misunderstood creatures of the night, our appreciation for them will continue to grow.