Contrary to popular belief, bats are actually friendly, useful creatures that can be enlisted during the warmer months to help you control mosquitoes and other pesky insects in your backyard.
Bats are mammals whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight.
Microbats range in size from about four to 10cms in length and feed on mosquitoes, flies and many other insects, with each bat capable of eating upto 1000 mozzies every night.
With this in mind, Joe Tonga from Go Batty, shared his knowledge about bats and microbats at a community landcare workshop last Friday at Lucieville Farm, to educate interested locals about the little critters and to make some bat nesting boxes to encourage them into our area and our own gardens.
Local Bridgetown Greenbushes Landcare officer Cheryl Hamence said the natural hollows were diminishing for bats, so it was important to provide them with a place to hang out.
“Bats are beneficial to all of us in the community, as they help manage insects such as mosquitoes,” Cheryl said.
“The hollows that are there in the natural environment for them are diminishing, due to fires, tree fallings or other critters such as native bees taking over, so encouraging them back into our environment is very important.”
During the workshop seven boxes were made, which will be placed in shire reserves around the area to provide new homes for the little critters.
“Each of these boxes will provide a safe environment and can hold a colony of about 40 microbats,” Cheryl said.
“Participants were also invited to make or purchase their own kit so as to encourage the bats and microbats into their own backyard.”
