Bat Houses
You might think that a post about bats is more timely to Halloween, but bats are active right now, probably without your even knowing they're there. And you might wonder what bats have to do with homekeeping, but bats are crucial players in local and global ecologies, including gardens, yards and parks. One insectivorous bat can eat up to 2,000 mosquitoes during one feeding, a fact anyone who's outside should appreciate whether they are gardening, lounging on the patio, or hanging out on the fire escape.
Bats, like most misunderstood creatures, encounter numerous challenges. Among the most worrisome of these is loss of habitat. To counter misunderstanding, educational efforts and advocacy by such groups as Bat Conservation are important. But it's also important to turn this learning into practical action. So, while we sign up for newsletters and take up the cause of advocating for bats to the populace, as homemakers, we can also use our talents to make homes for bats.
One of the nicest things you can do for bats, other than defend their reputation, is to provide a bat house. This counters lack of habitat by giving these creatures, who bear only one young per year, an increased chance of raising their child in safety. Our apartment complex has a wide, common back yard that would make an excellent site for a few of these, but it's more practical for me to hang one just outside my kitchen window. That way, if any bats make their way over from the greener pastures of nearby Astoria Park, they will know that, in my household, bats are always welcome.
Bat Conservation has a great page on bat houses. Here is a link to some inexpensive bat houses you can buy, and if you're so inspired, a link to building your own. What a wonderful summer weekend project! I will be watching my bat house for evidence of a tenant, but will be careful with my camera -- bats are shy, and I don't want to scare away a helpful, and most welcome, member of the family.
Bats, like most misunderstood creatures, encounter numerous challenges. Among the most worrisome of these is loss of habitat. To counter misunderstanding, educational efforts and advocacy by such groups as Bat Conservation are important. But it's also important to turn this learning into practical action. So, while we sign up for newsletters and take up the cause of advocating for bats to the populace, as homemakers, we can also use our talents to make homes for bats.
One of the nicest things you can do for bats, other than defend their reputation, is to provide a bat house. This counters lack of habitat by giving these creatures, who bear only one young per year, an increased chance of raising their child in safety. Our apartment complex has a wide, common back yard that would make an excellent site for a few of these, but it's more practical for me to hang one just outside my kitchen window. That way, if any bats make their way over from the greener pastures of nearby Astoria Park, they will know that, in my household, bats are always welcome.
Bat Conservation has a great page on bat houses. Here is a link to some inexpensive bat houses you can buy, and if you're so inspired, a link to building your own. What a wonderful summer weekend project! I will be watching my bat house for evidence of a tenant, but will be careful with my camera -- bats are shy, and I don't want to scare away a helpful, and most welcome, member of the family.
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