Did you know that bats are important to human health and survival? While all plants and animals play their own important part in our ecosystem, bats play an essential role in pest control, seed dispersal, and plant pollination.
Here are a few reasons why bats are important to humans:
Pest Control
They might be small creatures, but bats eat a lot of their favorite food – flies, moths, mosquitoes and other insects. In fact, a single bat can eat up to 1,000 insects in one hour. That means, if bats ever go extinct, the insect population will immediately thrive, much to the discontentment of humans.
The pest control provided by bats also greatly benefits the agriculture industry. With less insects flying around, crop damage is significantly reduced and the need for chemical pesticides that would kill insects is limited.
By eating mosquitoes, bats are also helping to control the viruses commonly spread by these insects. Be sure to remember this if you ever think about harming a bat.
Disperse Seeds
Another reason why bats are essential to human survival is because they help to disperse seeds for many important plants. Bananas, mangoes, avocados, peaches, figs, and cloves are just some of the various fruits that humans eat that rely heavily on bats for seed-dispersal.
The seed-dispursing process starts when a bat ingests a fruit. Since the seeds can not be properly digested with the rest of the fruit, the bat will excrete the seeds. This generally occurs when the bat is flying, which means the seeds will land and begin growing in a new area. This process is known to be extremely effective, especially since bat excretion is rich in nitrogen, which acts as a natural fertilizer for the seeds.
Without seed-dispersing bats, the ripple effects would also be catastrophic for many ecosystems. With fewer plants to feed off of, many smaller wildlife species would gradually die off in the area, followed by larger animals in the food chain, which would eventually cause the entire ecosystem to deteriorate.
Pollination
In addition to eating insects, bats also enjoy drinking the sweet nectar found inside flowers. Each time they drink from a flower, their body gets covered in a dusting of pollen. Then, as they fly from one flower to the next, this pollen is transferred to the new plant, which results in cross-pollination.
Fun fact: bats are the only animal responsible for the pollination for the agave plant. However, bats are known to play a part in the pollination of over 300 plants.
Have A Squirrel Problem? Call the Experts at Shumaker Animal Control
If you think you have a bat problem on your property, call the experts at Shumaker Animal Control to deal with the problem for you. Our experienced team will take care of the problem in a timely manner, ensuring that your home and pets are not in any danger.
At Shumaker Animal Control, we are a family-owned business who cares about the safety of you and your family but also about the well-being of the animals themselves. All of our trapping and control methods are humane, as we never try to hurt the angry or scared animal.
Call us at 443-854-8072, visit our website or fill out our contact form for more information.
