How You Can Help Bats

1
How You Can Help Bats

• Provide shelter and habitat
• leave old tree trunks standing (15-20 feet)
• to provide roosting areas.
• avoid excessive clearing of trees
• and shrubs.
• reduce outdoor lighting.
• put up a bat house!

In Virginia, 8 species of bats like to live in
trees. On a side note only 1 of bat
species carry rabies!
a successful bat house!

• A Bat-Friendly Garden
• plant some night-flowering plants
• our bats dont actually drink nectar,
• but they eat insects that come to night
  flowers!
• avoid insecticides and other chemicals
• allow plants to get a little wild
• a pond is a great place for bats!

pollen-covered bat!
bats get thirsty on hot nights!
night-flowering jasmine

• Dont Wake A Sleeping Bat!
• Each time it is disturbed, a hibernating
• bat can lose the energy that would have
• lasted 67 days (hibernation is about 83
  days!)
• try to stay out of caves or mines where bats
• may be hibernating. Remember that humans
• can help spread white nose syndrome!

frost-covered hibernating bat (yes, this is
normal!)
Learn more about our Night Visitors Dept. of Game
and Inland Fisheries http//www.dgif.virginia.gov
/wildlife/bats/facts/ Bat Conservation
International http//www.batcon.org/