There are many reasons why you may decide to maintain your colony of bats rather than try to get rid of them:
- The roost site may be providing critical habitat for the bats and the chance of losing the colony will be reduced if they can stay where they are.
- Bats are fascinating and provide a learning environment, especially for children. Some landowners have even installed a viewing chamber to watch the bats without disturbing them.
- Bats are long-lived (more than 30 years) unlike rodents and usually only have a single pup, making them more vulnerable to population decline.
- Bats rarely carry rabies and will sicken and die if they contract it, unlike some other animals that are unaffected carriers.
- Most colonies in buildings are maternity colonies, used year-after-year.
- Bats consume noxious pests (mosquitoes), agricultural pests and forest pests.
- Bat guano is an excellent fertilizer.
Read more in Living with Bats. This document has information about how to safely coexist with a colony, and examples of people and bats sharing public and private properties.
Or, visit each example site on its own:
Bats in attics:
Bats in exterior siding
Bats in soffits
Additionally,
1. There is a colony of MYVO in the Pallisades Centre in Jasper National Park (complete with batcam). Learn more: http://www.thepalisadescentre.ca/Photos.php
2. There is a colony of COTO in the golf club house at the St Eugene's Mission. Learn more: http://steugene.ca/en/townsends-big-eared-bats/
