Dunwoody Nature Center says Big Brown Bats are natural pest control
One colony of 150 can eat enough cucumber beetles in a summer to prevent 33 million crop-damaging rootworm larvae, the center says.
Dunwoody Nature Center introduces the Big Brown Bat, one of Georgia's most familiar bats and the species most often found roosting in bat houses and buildings across the state.
The bat especially loves beetles, and the center says a single female can eat up to her own body weight in insects in one night. One colony of 150 can eat enough cucumber beetles in a single summer to prevent 33 million crop-damaging rootworm larvae.
The center suggests protecting native plants and mature trees to help the bats, and reminds readers never to touch or handle a bat.
From Dunwoody Nature Center· Instagram · Oct 7
Open the post“🦇 Wildcard Wednesday: The Big Brown Bat Meet the Big Brown Bat, your neighborhood's night-shift pest control! With glossy brown fur, rounded ears, and a puppy-like snout, the Big Brown Bat is one of Georgia's most familiar bats. It's the species most often found roosting in bat houses and buildings across the state. And the Big Brown Bat is always hungry. It especially loves beetles 🪲, and a single female can eat up to her own body weight in insects in one night. Here's why that matters: one colony of 150 Big Brown Bats can eat enough cucumber beetles in a single summer to prevent 33 million crop-damaging rootworm larvae. That's free pest control, no chemicals needed! You can help Big Brown Bats by protecting the habitat they depend on: native plants that support insects, and mature trees for shelter. And remember, bats are best admired from a distance. Never touch or handle a bat. Learn more about the Big Brown Bat and other Georgia bats from @georgiawildlife (georgiawildlife.com) and @batconservationinternational (batcon.org)! 📷 Photo: Alyson Yates via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Text overlay added by Dunwoody Nature Center. #WildcardWednesday #BatFacts #BigBrownBat #DunwoodyNatureCenter #NaturalPestControl”
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