Daytime Gardeners Sponsor Bat Workshop

October was an appropriate month for Scott Ward, a North Haven resident, certified bat rehabilitator, and licensed wildlife nuisance control officer, to present a slide show and workshop to help educate members of the Daytime Gardeners of North Haven and their guests about the importance of bats in the control of insects.

With the current, widespread concern about diseases carried by insects, it can be helpful to understand the role of bats in insect management. A single bat can eat up to 1,200 mosquito-sized insects every hour, and each bat usually eats 6,000 to 8,000 insects each night. Their appetite for mosquitoes certainly makes a backyard more comfortable. Bats are opportunistic, and their lack of discretion benefits everyone. Some of their favorite prey include crop-destroying moths, cucumber beetles, flies and gnats. Natural insect control is their specialty.

Connecticut is home to crevice bats, such as the big brown bat, and the little brown bat, which roost in a shelter, and to tree bats, which roost in trees. Appropriate shelters, such as bat houses, will encourage certain species of bats to live on your property, and dine on your mosquitoes.

After a slide presentation to learn about bats and their needs, Daytime Gardener member, Walt Brockett, provided participants with a bat house to finish assembling so they could take it home. Amidst the sounds of drills, guests chatted about their interest in bats and their hope that local bats would discover these new houses. The group completed 25 houses that will be installed on their properties, with the hope that the mosquito population will be controlled more naturally!

Daytime Gardeners of North Haven is a member of the Federated Garden Clubs of CT, Inc., New England Garden Clubs, Inc., and National Garden Clubs, Inc. New members are always welcome. For information on our activities and membership, email proto.mary@yahoo.com, and be sure to visit us on Facebook at Daytime Gardeners of North Haven.