- LONDON, Ont. -- One of our
best allies in the war against West Nile virus may be one of nature's most
misunderstood creatures -- the lowly bat.
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- They may not win any beauty contests, but a single bat
can eat 3,000 mosquitoes in one night -- a feat delicate hummingbirds and
colourful cardinals can't touch, says Brad Glasman, co-ordinator of conservation
services at the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority in London.
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- And since mosquitoes spread West Nile virus, bats make
a natural way of taking a bite out of the problem.
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- Glasman and Coun. Ed Corrigan have teamed up to convince
a city committee just as we lure birds into our yards with bird houses,
so should we provide bat boxes to attract bats.
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- It could be a tough sell.
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- Bats suffer an undeserved bad reputation Corrigan blames
on Hollywood.
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- "They don't suck blood and the risk of getting rabies
from a bat is minuscule," he says.
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- Glasman agrees, noting 67 per cent of wildlife rabies
cases in Ontario involve foxes, 30 per cent skunks and less than three
per cent bats, coyotes and other wildlife. He says other bat myths also
should be banished -- they don't fly into people's hair, and despite the
cliche, they aren't blind.
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- For the average homeowner wanting to make an environmentally-friendly
dent in the mosquito population, Glasman says a bat box is the way to go.
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- He stresses putting a bat box in your yard won't attract
bats to your attic -- if your attic makes good bat housing, they are likely
already there.
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- The conservation authority has been promoting bat boxes
for about six years as a way to provide roosts for bats whose natural habitat
of caves has been gradually eroded. And with old barns being torn down
within city limits, Glasman says bats are left with few alternatives.
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- "There's no doubt bats need some assistance because
as their old roosts are destroyed, they die," he says.
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- With an alarming increase in human cases of West Nile
virus, Glasman says bat boxes take on new relevance.
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- London and Middlesex had 17 probable or suspected cases
of the virus last year and this year is expected to be worse.
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- But, make no mistake, Glasman adds. Given the option,
bats will always opt for a bigger meal. "If there was a June beetle,
the bat will eat that first. But where mosquitoes are plentiful, a bat
can literally fly around with its mouth open and swallow as it goes."
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- Unlike pesticides, bat boxes aren't environmentally harmful
and are totally self-sufficient.
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- "The greatest thing is you just put them out and
don't need to do anything else," Corrigan says.
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- "The bats are just looking for a place to hang out."
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- BAT BOX TIPS
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- Boxes should be 3.6 metres to six metres off the ground,
ideally on a post or side of a building.
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- Bats prefer warm temperatures, so it's crucial to mount
the box where it gets some sun.
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- For more information, call your local Conservation Authority.
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- http://chealth.canoe.ca/health_news_detail.asp?news_id=7045
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