The Benefits of Bats

Calling Hilton Head home means a lot of things. We have mild winters, pleasant springs, and very hot summers. We tend to focus our lives around outdoor activities.

Everyone knows or has experienced mosquitos and gnats when trying to enjoy the outdoors. A common practice is to douse ourselves in “bug spray” or even have our yards fogged with an insecticide.

To help alleviate this problem, the grounds staff has been asked to think outside the box and come up with a solution. With a little research, we learned we can use nature against itself. Ten bat houses have been installed around the activity areas here in Wexford. It will take anywhere from six months to two years for bats to find the houses and begin using them. Some of the benefits of having bats around include:

• Bats are silent predators, hunting in the darkness of the night.

• Bats control insect populations — easily eating up to 1,200 mosquitos an hour

• Reduces the demand for spraying insecticide chemicals into our environment.

• Female bats need safe places to raise their “pup” — they only have one offspring a year.