Worldwide, bats receive an undeserved bad rep. If asked, most people worldwide will say they don’t like bats. Bats smell bad, they’re creepy, dangerous, and are typically portrayed as scary innumerous horror films.
The majority of folks questioned would likely tell you that bats are “flying rats” that carry disease. Simply put, they are dirty and that they transmit rabies. Even more outlandish, many people believe that bats will fly into your hair and become entangled.
De-Bunking Bat Legends, Folklore, And Myths
In cultures around the globe, misconceptions about bats and bat behavior are prevalent. For instance, there is a common theory that bats are blind. However, not only are bats not blind, but they can see as well as most other mammals. Bats do not become entangled in human hair or fly blindly into stationary objects. Rather, they utilize echolocation to accurately navigate in total darkness.
Regarding any other myths, here are some facts about bats:
- 蝙蝠很少把疾病传染给人类或动物。2022欧洲杯葡萄牙vs德国
- Bats are relatively harmless and serve as indicators of a healthy ecosystem.
- 蝙蝠是高效的传粉者,也是夜行昆虫的贪婪捕食者,对农业产生了巨大的经济和生态影响。
- Fruit-eating bats disperse seeds.
A Keen Sense Of Hearing
Something else to keep in mind is that many bat species are gifted with a highly evolved sense of hearing. Bats emit sounds, which bounce off of obstructions in their flight path and then echo back to guide the bats. The texture, size, and distance from an object is determined in seconds.
Bats Are Our Allies, Not Our Enemies
在世界范围内,昆虫主导着每一个支持生命的陆地环境。昆虫是人类在食物和纤维方面最重要的竞争对手。昆虫通过摄取植物汁液、啃咬树叶和茎、钻到茎和树干上、传播致病病原体等方式吸取植物的生命。
昆虫以纤维为食,破坏储存的谷物,破坏木质结构,并加速有机腐烂的过程。昆虫通过传播疾病、造成烦恼和痛苦的叮咬,对人类和动物的健康产生负面影响。总的来说,他们是全方位的讨厌鬼。
World economists agree that insects destroy or consume up to 10 percent of developed countries gross product, and more than 25 percent of the gross national product of developing countries.
蝙蝠吞食各种各样的飞行害虫,是人类对抗掠食性昆虫的最大盟友之一。这些昆虫毁坏庄稼,侵扰财产,每年给自耕农、农民和牧场主造成数十亿美元的财产损失和农作物损失。
举个例子,在德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥附近的三个洞穴里,蝙蝠每晚要吃掉大约100万磅的昆虫。如果没有蝙蝠,德州将会是一个非常“乱”的州。蝙蝠在印第安纳州也很流行,当地居民每年都会举办一个节日来纪念蝙蝠。
Here are some more examples of how bats work to mitigate insect problems:
- 通过食用如此多的昆虫,蝙蝠减少了对环境中有毒化学农药的使用。
- Bats help control infestations of moths, mosquitoes, leafhoppers, aphids, fleas, flies, wasps, and beetles.
- Insects avoid areas occupied by bats.
Do you know that installing a bat house on your property is one of the most environmentally friendly and effective methods of reducing the insect population near your home? Like the majority of wildlife, the world bat population is diminished by a loss of habitat. Clear-cutting of forest vegetation is the primary cause. Homesteaders can help bats by providing a welcoming environment and putting up bat houses. Check out this bat house onAmazonthat is designed by the Organization for Bat Conservation.
或者,一些精明的自耕农建造蝙蝠屋,把它们安置在他们的家、谷仓和棚子上。当蝙蝠搬进盒子里时,这些建筑周围的昆虫就变得不那么多了,也不那么讨厌了。
Bats Are Important Pollinators
Bats fill an important ecological niche in the pollination of plants. A good example is the great baobab tree, native to the East Africa Savanna, is crucial to the survival of so many different species that it is commonly called the “African Tree of Life.” Almost exclusively, baobab tree pollination is dependent on bats. Baobab trees would die without the bats, triggering the collapse of one of the planet’s most crucial ecosystems.
As good stewards of the earth, it’s important for us to know as much as we can about this mysterious, misunderstood animal. The more we know, the better our chances are of protecting bats and their fragile environment.
Bat Facts
周围的蝙蝠比人们意识到的要多得多。大多数人从未或很少见过蝙蝠。黄昏是观赏蝙蝠的最佳时间。就在天黑之前,可以看到它们在池塘、溪流、湖泊和海洋海岸线上觅食。
蝙蝠天生是夜行性的,它们倒挂着栖息。蝙蝠用它们的小脚趾牢牢地附着在洞穴、外屋、岩石露头、阁楼和阁楼的裂缝、裂缝和树根上。2022世界杯四强亚盘赔率从倒立的位置,小的哺乳动物自然地松开他们的抓和从栖息。从下落中获得的动量有助于推动这些小生物在空中飞行。事实上,大多数蝙蝠发现不可能从平面上飞行。
Here are some more general facts about bats that you may nothaveknown:
- There are more than 1,000 species of bats.
- Some species of bats “hang-out” together in groups of up to a million, while other bat species are solitary.
- 虽然大多数种类的蝙蝠是迁徙的,但在漫长的冬眠期间,其他种类的蝙蝠会在建筑物、洞穴和矿井中寻找过冬的避难所。
- More than one-fourth of all mammal species are bats.
- Although a few mammals can glide through the air, bats are the only mammals capable of continuous flight.
- Bats inhabit every part of the world except extreme desert environments and areas subject to arctic cold.
- 蝙蝠的细长的手指,结合蝙蝠翅膀之间伸展的膜,在解剖学上模仿人类的手
- Beneficial to organic gardens, bat guano is one of the most nutrient rich natural fertilizers available.
Bat Species
The little brown bat is a friendly creature found throughout the Northwestern United States. They can consume more than 1,200 nocturnal insects, such as mosquitoes, in less than an hour. West Nile Virus, a disease that kills horses and humans, transmits primarily by mosquitoes. In areas where West Nile Virus is prevalent, bat houses are encouraged as an effective and environmentally friendly method of mosquito eradication.
Two other bats commonly found in northern regions are the Hoary Bat and the Big Brown Bat. Both species are migratory, heading south in search of winter warmth. Native to Canada and the Northern United States, many hoary bats winter in Hawaii while others seek respite in Central and South America. Hoary bats are solitary creatures, and typically roost in trees.
It’s hard to call a bat beautiful, but the hoary bat is impressive.
Sporting a long body covered in dense grey-brown fur with white tips, the hoary bat’s coat looks frosted in appearance. White patches of fur on the shoulders and wrist of the bat are offset by a distinctive patch of yellow throat fur. The tiny, rounded ears of the hoary bat are marked with a band of black fur. Female hoary bats are typically larger than the males. Unfortunately, as a result of deforestation and general use pesticides, hoary bats are an endangered species. However, this gives you an even better excuse to invest in a bat house!
Welcome Bats To Your Homestead
To attract bats to your homestead, you need to provide the basic requirements of all wildlife: food, water, and shelter. Scientists tell us that bats can lose up to 50 percent of their body weight from water loss daily. Although they are talented at finding food and shelter, water is a necessity. If you have a water feature, such as a stream, pond, or birdbath, on your property you are more likely to successfully attract bats to your homestead.
Herbs and fragrant flowers, including night-blooming flowers, attract nocturnal insects, which in turn will attract bats to your landscape. Marigolds, creeping thyme, honeysuckle, and raspberries are good choices. Keep in mind, any light-colored, fragrant flower, which insects can easily see in the dark are fine choices when planting a bat attracting garden.
Welcome bats to your property by providing them a place to roost. Bat houses can be purchased online, at local home and garden centers, or you can build your own. Free plans for a bat house are readily available online. They are simple to construct and can be a fun-filled project for the whole family.
Mount your bat house on a pole or the side of a building, at least 15 feet off the ground. Do not mount the bat house on a tree. Tree mounted bird and bat houses are too accessible to rodents and other predators that can climb trees. Bats need room to fall from the roost to gain flight, so make sure the house is mounted in a location that provides enough space for free-fall without being nabbed by the family cat or other predators.
Bats prefer small, tight places, so keep your bat house small and mount it in a location protected from the wind. Bats like warm temperatures between 85-to-100 degrees Fahrenheit.
You will know you have managed to attract bats to your homestead when you notice an accumulation of bat droppings (bat guano) on the ground beneath the bat house.
References
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- Single Chamber Bat House,Bat Conservation
- Study Confirms Bats’ Value In Combating Crop Pests,Southern Illinois University
- Basic Facts About Bats,Defenders Of Wildlife
- Living With Bats,Montana.gov
- Bats,Montana.gov (Field Guide)
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