The 'Bat House Guy' is coming to Southampton

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Allan Kempert is the 'Bat House Guy' and shown with one of his handcrafted bat houses and his recent guide on 'Bat Eviction'

"One of the top comments I hear from people all the time is, 'I don’t mind bats; I just don’t want them in my attic!', says Kempert.   "Most people understand that bats eat bugs, which is great for those trying to enjoy their gardens, but most also don't want them around."

Bats are among nature's best pest controls. According to sources, a typical colony of 150 Big Brown Bats consumes 38,000 cucumber beetles, 16,000 June bugs, 19,000 stinkbugs and 50,000 leafhoppers in just one summer.

Another benefit is that bat guano (poop), is one of the richest natural fertilizers found anywhere and has been used since ancient times in agriculture.  It is especially valued in organic gardening because it contains healthful micro-organisms and elements such as nitrogen and phosphorus that work to detoxify the soil. Phosphorous also helps in the flowering of crops while nitrogen promotes stalk and shoot growth.

Kempert also points out that many states in the United States (US) are now realizing the positive tourism spin-off from bats.  "Every summer, hundreds of people gather at night to see the world’s largest urban bat colony emerge from under the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, Texas," says Kempert.   "It is estimated that more than 100,000 people visit the bridge to witness the bat flight, generating 10 million dollars in annual tourism revenue.

There are many myths surrounding bats and Kempert has heard them all and has set them out in his new book.  Among them are:

BLIND AS A BAT (false)

Contrary to popular belief, bats are not blind. In fact, bats can “see” better than we can in the dark because they are equipped with a highly developed sense called echolocation. When echolocating, bats produce a series of extremely high frequency chirps.  These chirps are emitted in the form of sound waves that bounce off of objects and prey. When bounced off an object, these sound waves return to the bat in the form of an echo, thus helping the bat to navigate and hunt. These chirps are so high in frequency that they are inaudible to the human ear. The chirps that you hear from the bats as they emerge from their roosts are social calls, not echolocation.

BATS GET CAUGHT UP IN YOUR HAIR (false)

Bats don’t get caught in your hair, but they may swoop around your head if there are bugs flying around. Think of it as being a natural form of bug repellant.

WHEN THE BATS LEAVE AT NIGHT, I CAN SEAL MY HOUSE/BUILDING (false)

Bats don’t all leave at the same time. In fact, some will stay in the house/building for the night if they sense danger.  Sealing the house/building will therefore result in trapped bats.

I CAN CONTRACT RABIES  FROM A BAT (true)

Rabies is a viral disease that attacks the central nervous system. It is spread through contact with the saliva of an infected animal, which can come in the form of a bite wound from the animal. If you have a scratch on your hand and saliva enters that way, you still risk getting the rabies virus.

Fortunately, rabies is rare in bats, and documented cases of bats passing rabies on to humans are few and far between. In fact, only five of the 26 cases of human rabies recorded in Canada since 1925 have been due to contact with an infected bat. Still, you should never have to handle a bat when evicting it from your house or building.  When working on a bat eviction site, I strongly recommend wearing leather gloves and appropriate clothing.  If you or someone you know gets bitten, contact your local hospital or health unit. More detailed information on rabies can be found at www.rabies.mnr.gov.on.ca

DID YOU KNOW?

• There are an estimated 1,100 species of bats in the world.
• Nineteen species are native to Canada.
• Twelve of these 19 species are known to roost in houses and buildings during the summer months.
• The two most common species found across Canada are the Big Brown Bat and the Little Brown Bat.

According to Kempert, white nose syndrome has been destroying the bat population in the U.S. and has recently moved into Canada and has been reported as far north as Flesherton in Ontario.  "This is a terrible disease," says Kempert.   "It wakes the bats up during hibernation and they go out in search of food at a time of year when there isn't any and so they slowly starve to death.  Without bats, our insect population will explode, so it's very serious."

The Ministry of Natural Resource (MNR) is currently studying bats from Ipperwash to Kincardine but Kempert would like to see the study extended throughout Bruce County.  "If anyone out there has a colony of bats, I'd be very interested in studying them and perhaps even get the MNR in to do a study  [519-506-BATS (2287) or e-mail kempert@wightman.ca ]

While Kempert tries to educate people about the value of bats, he also recognizes that some people simply do not want them in their attics or on their property.  Therefore, he also performs bat evictions, sells bat houses but also serves the agricultural community by using bats as natural agricultural pest controllers.  One proponent of the bat houses in the control of insects, is Smith's Apple Farm outside of Saugeen Shores.

Smith's Apple Farm has two bat houses that hold upwards of 600 bats

To learn more about bats, bat houses or the Bat Guy's eviction process, Kempert will be at Martin's Home Hardware on Saturday, June 26th with a bat-house and his bat eviction guide.

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010