Fascinating doco about bats (wild, Minnesota)

[The Postman]

Secrets and Mysteries of Bats (Full Documentary) - YouTube

I've become interested in bats...you don't stop to think about what unique, fascinating creatures they are, flying mammals who navigate by echo-location...they live almost everywhere but you don't often see them. I sometimes see them flying at night over the city, they're pretty cool. I learned quite a bit from this documentary. Felt bad for the bats who had all those experiments done on them or were blown up by the US military!

[bjh]

Bats are cool. Among other good things they eat lots of skeeters! Let's hope the white nose fungus thing doesn't get too many of them!

[601halfdozen0theother]

I still have some living in my walls even though the bat guy installed excluders at various places on my roof (shutter things that let them out but won't let them back in.) Feel free to visit and take some home with you!

I've been sticking steel wool around pipes and other small holes I see inside to keep them from coming into the interior of my house.

The bat guy said bats become active over 32 degrees and will fly out of the house at dusk, but can slow their metabolism and hibernate under 32 degrees, so they won't be leaving my walls until spring. Ick. I'm praying for a January Thaw.

My neighbors have two bat houses up beside my garage, and I'll put a few more up in the spring. Outside, I love 'em. Inside, not so much.

Here's a picture of the breed the bat guy says live with me - the Minnesota Small Brown Bat:

[The Postman]

Originally Posted by 601halfdozen0theother

I still have some living in my walls even though the bat guy installed excluders at various places on my roof (shutter things that let them out but won't let them back in.) Feel free to visit and take some home with you!

I've been sticking steel wool around pipes and other small holes I see inside to keep them from coming into the interior of my house.

The bat guy said bats become active over 32 degrees and will fly out of the house at dusk, but can slow their metabolism and hibernate under 32 degrees, so they won't be leaving my walls until spring. Ick. I'm praying for a January Thaw.

My neighbors have two bat houses up beside my garage, and I'll put a few more up in the spring. Outside, I love 'em. Inside, not so much.

Here's a picture of the breed the bat guy says live with me - the Minnesota Small Brown Bat:

Lol, sounds cool to share your house with bats! Well, they were there before us, so I guess it's good if we can share our house with 'em!

[601halfdozen0theother]

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

There's another BAT in my house!

It is behind the bookshelf in my bedroom.

My cats have been trying to catch it since last night.

I spent last night on the couch in the front room.

I'm prepared to gird my loins and open doors for it if it starts flying around, but it just sits there clinging to the back of my bookcase. I'm not going to go up and touch it.

EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

Bats and the cost of propane are the only negatives to my wonderful new retirement home. But I could really do without bats in the house. Really.