How many mosquitoes do bats eat?

When considering mosquito control, wildlife might not be something that makes the top of your list. You may be surprised to learn that some wildlife is absolutely beneficial to keeping insect populations down, especially mosquitoes. For natural mosquito control, encourage bats to move in because one thing is undoubtedly true: bats eat mosquitoes. Lots of them!

The Benefits of Bats

Bats are excellent hunters of the insect world, and one of their favorite foods is mosquitoes. These silent hunters are barely notable at night. They swoop into the light and snatch some bugs before vanishing into the dark. If you are lucky enough to live near a colony of bats, you’ll probably notice a reduction in mosquito bites. This is because one little brown bat can eat one THOUSAND mosquitoes in an hour. A nursing mother bat will eat up to 4,500 insects in one evening to ensure her young are adequately fed. So, whether you have a bachelor bat house, which can hold up to twenty bats, or a colony of up to 200, having a group of bats near your home is a good way for mosquito control and general bug control.

Encourage Bats to Eat Your Mosquitoes

Now that you’ve learned how beneficial a bat can be for your yard, you need to entice them to move in. But how can you do this? First, you must ensure your home checks off the necessities of appropriate bat habitats.

Your home must have access to the following:

• Access to a proper water source within a half mile of your home
• A place to appropriately set up a bat house to be inhabited by bats
• Feature a surplus of insects, often sustained by the water source

If you can check each of these off, you’re in luck! Bat-assisted mosquito control is a possibility for your property! But here comes the tricky part.

How do you encourage bats to stay?

There are a few ways to encourage bats to stay around your property. The easiest way is to show them that their needs are met. These include food, water, and shelter. Food is easy. You have mosquitoes for them to snack on. Hopefully, water is available because that will be the trickiest part for most homeowners who live in the city. And finally, shelter.

Luxury Bat Homes

Bat houses, or bat boxes, are a great way to encourage bats to call your home their own. There are a few essential things to consider for bats to like the real-estate. First, the bat box must be 15 to 20 feet off the ground for a bat to consider it safe enough to inhabit. Popular places for bat boxes to be placed are on poles clear of trees (trees make bats uncomfortable) or attached to the side of a home where the box can get plenty of sunlight while still being sheltered by the home’s roof. Mother bats are attracted to warm places to nest because their babies will be left behind when their mothers hunt.

There are many options for providing a bat box for your new little neighbors. One way is by following instructions, such as those provided by the National Wildlife Federation. For those less inclined to build, there are plenty of online stores that provide boxes in all sizes, from smaller ones up to grand pieces of work. Bats generally aren’t overly picky as long as it suits their needs. Just ensure plenty of places for them to hold onto when entering the box and that it is a warm, dry environment for them.

Mosquito Control with Mosquito Squad

Bats are certainly the top predator where mosquitoes are concerned, but Mosquito Squad of the Greater Atlanta Area excels at keeping mosquitos off your property. We encourage you to follow the 7 T’s of Mosquito Control, seven simple things to look out for around your property to help reduce mosquitoes at the source. This includes removing large, unused items like sandboxes and kiddy pools that collect water for mosquitoes to repopulate.

When you are done surveying your property and removing favorable mosquito habitats, contact Mosquito Squad for a free quote today! Fight the bite with our Traditional Mosquito Barrier Treatment for your property. This popular mosquito control helps to reduce mosquitoes around your property by up to 90% for three weeks. This means you’ll be free of repellents and citronella candles whenever you go outside! Get reliable mosquito control today!

Now that you know bats will help control the mosquito population, it’s time to reduce those mosquitoes in your backyard even more. You can begin by following the 7 Ts of mosquito control. Mosquito Squad of Greater Atlanta would love to treat your yard with our traditional mosquito barrier treatment that can reduce backyard mosquitoes by up to 90%. Call our team today to request a free quote for Atlanta mosquito control services.