10/31/2007 Bats!

Bats. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. I couldn't resist getting in the Halloween spirit with one of the most mysterious and enigmatic creatures of the night. (I am Dracula, I bid you welcome.) No, not vampires&bats! And the mysterious part is really more misunderstood according to Barbara French, the Science Officer for Bat Conservation International who says bats aren't the bad guys everyone thinks. FRENCH: Perhaps because they're a nocturnal animal people aren't familiar with seeing them and the things we don't see and aren't that familiar with we tend to fear. In fact bats are generally very different than what a lot of the myths that are associated with them go. They're not going to try to catch people or get caught in your hair, they're not blind. Many of the things that we tend to associate with bats are really not true at all. French says that bats are mammals just like we are but are not related to rats or mice and are the only true flying mammal. You don't typically think about bats when it comes to farming but the two are much closer than you might think. FRENCH: Probably 70% of the bats in the world are insect eaters. Hmmm, I think I see something important here. FRENCH: Insect eating bats are really very important because a lot of what they eat are crop pests. The insect eating bats really eat a variety of insects depending on the bat species so they really have a tremendous impact by eating these pests they really significantly reduce the amount of pesticides that are required. And French says that many farmers actually work to invite bats to nest in fields. FRENCH: There are a number of organic farmers and orchardists and people who do encourage bats. They will put up bat houses in the orchards or around their farmland and they will want to have them there because they will reduce the pest insects in that area and again they'll reduce the amount of pesticides they have to use each year. So this year when you see a bat flying on Halloween, don't be afraid  he's probably on his way to work and getting ready for supper. For more information on Bat Conservation International visit their website at batcon.org. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.