When speaking with people about bats, they often say:<\/p>\n
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Bats, like the rest of the natural world, are our friends. The last thing a bat has on its mind is getting caught in human hair. That’s an old superstition. Bats eat the bugs that like to dine on humans! This fact alone tells us that bats help keep the spread of disease down as blood sucking insects often carry disease. Example – mosquitoes and West Nile Disease.<\/p>\n
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Bats work in harmony with the bees and butterflies that we’ve learned to appreciate for their essential work in pollination. Without pollination from fruit bats, much vegetation will be lost!<\/p>\n
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Living in Arizona in the mid 80s, it was a short drive from Apache Junction to Canyon Lake<\/a>, the first in a series of three man-made lakes outside of Phoenix in the superstition mountains. At dusk the bats would come out to feed on bugs attracted by lights at the picnic area. You would see families quickly packing up to go, but our family would always stay to greet the bats. Stand still and quiet – before long, the bats will fly all around you, over you; sometimes you will feel the whoosh of air from their wings on your face. No, they are not trying to get in your hair! They are devouring the bugs that would love to bite you for a blood meal!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bats are one of man’s best friends and we should be concerned about their continued existence. They are threatened by White-Nose syndrome<\/a> (WNS) which has killed millions of bats in the U.S. WNS is no direct threat to humans, but cave explorers are cautioned to sanitize their clothes so they don’t spread possible infection into new areas – protect our bats! In the UK, street lights have been reported as inhibiting woodland bats from foraging for food<\/a>. Bats and People<\/a> explain how human disturbance is a threat. These are not localized, isolated issues. Bats are threatened all over the world. Learn more about bats and their essential place in our environment. Go bat-watching. Build<\/a> or buy bat houses for your back yard! You’ll be helping bats while receiving the benefits of their association.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Free plans for building bat houses!<\/a><\/p>\nBeauty in Nature<\/h1>\n