They eat insects, pollinate plants. So why do we get freaked out by bats?
Just in time for Halloween, Bat Appreciation Week is coming.
Celebrated Oct. 24 through Oct. 31, Bat Appreciation Week is an international celebration to raise awareness for bat conservation.
There are 13 species of bats in Florida, which is a tiny percentage of the 1,300 species found throughout the world, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Bats have gotten a bad rap over the years, from folklore to horror movies. But the flying mammals play an important role in our environment.
From myths to facts, let's take a look.
What types of bats live in Florida?
In Florida, there are 13 native bat species, and seven “accidental” species that have been spotted a few times in the northern or southern areas of the state, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
What's the largest bat found in Florida?
The Florida bonneted bat, also known as the Florida mastiff bat, is the largest species of bat in Florida. It can reach a length of 6.5 inches, with a wingspan of 20 inches.
The Florida bonneted bat is protected as an endangered species by the Federal Endangered Species Act and as a federally designated endangered species by Florida’s Endangered and Threatened Species Rule.
What are bats good for?
Bats serve critical roles worldwide as insect pest controllers, pollinators, seed dispersers and fertilizers.
Florida's native bats eat insects, including beetles, mosquitoes, moths and other agriculture and garden pests. A single bat can eat hundreds of insects in a night.
'Extraordinary' facts about bats to appreciate
Ken Gioeli, a natural resources and environment agent at UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie County, said bats deserve love and need conservation. He offered these bat facts to appreciate:
Bats are our friends. They provide insect pest-management services in Florida. Almost 70% of bat species feed primarily on insects. Florida bats are insectivorous, eating beetles, moths, and other nocturnal insects. Elsewhere in the world, bats are carnivorous, eating meat like rodents, frogs and fish.
Bats are the only mammals capable of flying. Other mammals, such as flying squirrels, do not fly, they glide.
Bats such as flying foxes are often portrayed in horror movies. In Florida, we have what are known as micro-bats, or Microchiroptera bats. Their bodies are approximately the size of a thumb.
A bat flew into your house. How do you get it out?
Bats found in people’s houses are usually younger bats that have lost their way but could be an adult that accidentally flew through an open window or door. Here's what the Florida Bat Conservancy suggests you do:
Stay calm. If the bat is flying around, it is not trying to attack anyone.
Turn on the lights so that you can easily see the bat and it can see you.
Close the doors to adjoining rooms to confine it to one room.
Open any exterior doors and windows in the room. More than likely, the bat will fly out within a few minutes.
Do not chase the bat. It will think you are attempting to harm it, and will take longer to find its way out.
If the bat does not fly out on its own, you can wait for it to land. Then gently capture it with heavy leather work gloves or a thick towel.
Or take a large can or plastic bowl, put the container over the bat and slip a piece of cardboard or magazine underneath. Take it outside and let it go.
Can you kill bats in Florida, especially if they're roosting in your attic?
No. It is illegal to kill bats in Florida in accordance with Florida Administrative Code rule 68A-4.001 General Prohibitions.
The rule also does not allow the use of pesticides or poisons for the purpose of harming, killing, or deterring bats.
If you think you have a bat or bat colony roosting in your home or other structure, learn more about what you can do by visiting the bats in buildings website.
Bats are not to be disturbed during maternity season, which runs from April 15 to Aug. 14.
Bat removal: To the bat 'cave': Fall is right time to rid your Florida home of bats. But there are rules
Do Florida bats carry rabies?
Bats are the leading cause of rabies deaths in people in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
While bats do carry rabies, any mammal is capable of carrying rabies, and in Florida, foxes and raccoons have a higher incidence of rabies than bats do, according to the FWC.
Never pick up or hold a bat. Bats can spread rabies to people through bites and bodily fluids, said Gioeli.
How can you tell if a bat is rabid?
You can’t tell if a bat has rabies just by looking at it. Rabies can only be confirmed in a laboratory.
Any bat that is active during the day or is found in a place where bats are not usually seen — like in your home or on your lawn — might be rabid, according to the CDC.
What do you do if you are bitten by a bat?
If you are bitten by a bat — or infectious material (such as saliva or brain material) from a bat gets into your eyes, nose, mouth, or a wound — wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and water and get medical advice immediately.
Whenever possible, the bat should be captured and sent to the county health department for rabies testing.
You cannot get rabies from having contact with bat guano (feces), blood, or urine or from touching a bat on its fur.
Build a bat house to attract bats to your yard
Want to reduce the number of insects around your home and in your yard? Build a bat house.
The two species you are most likely to attract to bat houses in Florida are the Brazilian free-tailed bat and the evening bat. A rare, endangered species that could reside in bat houses in south and central Florida is the Florida bonneted bat.
Just like humans, bats are picky when it comes to homes to hang out in (get it?).
Chambers at least 14 inches wide and at least two feet tall.
A landing area beneath the entrance at least three inches long with a rough surface for bats to grab onto when they fly to the house.
Toughen a panel in the interior of the house so bats can easily grab onto the surface with their toes.
Color of the exterior of a bat house is an important consideration because it influences the temperature inside the house.
Bat houses made from a combination of exterior plywood and cedar work well; pressure-treated wood should be avoided.
Bats prefer houses that do not allow rainwater to seep in.
But don't make the houses airtight.
Location, location, location: Bat houses located on the sides of buildings or on poles are more likely to attract bats than bat houses mounted on trees
Separating fact from fiction: Bat myths
Bats are blind.
While bats use echolocation to find insects at night, they are not blind.
Bats drink blood.
Vampire bats, which live in Latin America, do rely on the blood of other animals to survive. They feed primarily on large animals, which often don't even notice the bat.
All bats are rabid.
Less than 1 percent of bats are rabid, according to the National Park Service.
Bats intentionally fly into your hair.
If you wander into a place where bats are roosting, they may fly toward you in an attempt to get away and could get caught in your hair by mistake, according to the San Diego Natural History Museum. Bats do not have the desire to nest in your hair.
Bats may not be taking over social media but they still get lots of love
Cute bat eats banana
#Cutebat chows down
All bundled up
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida bats. Importance to environment, rabies, facts and myths
