Encounters with bats

Bats are fascinating creatures and important components of ecological communities worldwide. In North America almost all bat species are insectivorous. Although most human cases of rabies in the United States are thought to be the result of interactions with bats, the proportion of any bat population that is infected with rabies is very low. Most people prefer not to live with bats in their homes but an increasing number of people are becoming aware of the benefits of encouraging bats to live nearby. Bats are important predators of crop and garden pests, tree pests, and mosquitoes.

To learn more about bats please visit the following sites:

Bat Conservation International

http://www.batcon.org/

(look for their bat links also)

For information on building bat houses see this site:

North American Bat House project

http://www.batcon.org/bhra/index.html

This site has information on how to exclude bats from your home:

Do it yourself bat exclusion

http://www.batcon.org/binb/doityourself.html

For more information on rabies please see this excellent site:

Rabies Questions and Answers

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies/Ques&Ans/q&a.htm#What