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06/20/10, 08:50 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: North-Central Ohio
Posts: 159
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Where have all the bats gone?
We always had a lot of bats feeding over our pond in the evening. I was never a fan of those bats. Whenever I read that a bat was tested for rabies in our county it would always test positive. They loved swooping dangerously close to my head if I was working in the barn after dark or walking along the pond BUT we didn’t have a mosquito problem. I’m guessing that this is the third or fourth season without the bat colony and the mosquitoes are intolerable. What do you think happened to them?
At some point in the last 10 years or so we encountered duckweed or water meal on the pond. My husband found a chemical that removed the watermeal but can’t remember what he used.
I’m wondering if that chemical could have poisoned the bats via the mosquitoes or if rabies actually killed off the bats. Anyone else encounter this? BTW, I live in north central Ohio.
I have been seeing a bat every evening here recently. The first one sighted in a long time.
Thanks,
Renee
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06/20/10, 09:04 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 114
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Here in the northeast a fungus in the caves where the bats hibernate killed off many of them. This is the first year here that I'm seeing very few of them.
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06/20/10, 09:19 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: North-Central Ohio
Posts: 159
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Whoa! This sounds serious. I just did a quick search finding a memo from OSU that indicates the White nose syndrome hasn't hit Ohio yet, ( http://extension.osu.edu/news-releas...ne-10-workshop ) but something has happened to our bats here. I will have to do some research as I never thought about what bats do in the winter. Are they migrating to a region where there are infected caves? Will they winter over if I make bat houses, etc. Interesting. Thanks.
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06/20/10, 09:48 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: South Central Wisconsin
Posts: 14,801
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Bat houses are useless unless there are bats to use them as summer homes. Otherwise it's right back to caves and mines for the winter. We spent $800 for a deluxe house and treated 8x8 pole 5 years ago. Added a second house for another $400 a year later. They are the biggest ones available at: www.batcow.org Haven't seen a bat using them yet.
Any mines and caves where bats hibernate around here are now sealed and off limits to anyone until the problem can be figured out. Definitely not good since I haven't seen a bat in at least 5 years and used to see 5 or 6 at a time.
Martin
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06/20/10, 10:24 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Western WI
Posts: 226
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re:bat house
Martin,
My wife will gladly sell you our "bat house"....which includes the attic of our 1907 Queen Anne Victorian house for a mere $135,000. Used to be dozens of bats up there but after having a complete shingle tearoff, new plywood & shingles put on the roof we do have a few "in residence" bats but not the large population of many years ago. Seems to be a good balance as we do not have much of a mosquito problem in our yard/garden area. She will accept a check, but cash is preferable. 
Charlie
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06/21/10, 05:25 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: North-Central Ohio
Posts: 159
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Sparky, would love to trade this geodesic dome for a Victorian but that will
never happen in my husband's lifetime!
I don't know of any caves in my region. The bats that were here must have migrated for the winter.
When I was trying to keep them out of my hayloft someone told me this trick to keep them out of an attic. During the day cover their access places with a good sized flap of clear plastic. When they leave at night they can push through the plastic to exit and fly off. The plastic won't allow them to re-enter. I would be careful not to do something like that if they had babies inside the attic. Sadly, I wish the bats were back in my hay loft.
I will check out your bat houses when I get home from work, Martin. You are surely dedicated to the environment. I hope you get some residents!
Renee
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06/21/10, 07:43 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York
Posts: 1,656
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Well, this is the first year that I don't have bats in my bat house - nope it ain't a belfry -  just a homemade home for bats........ 
Do hope that the "White Nose Syndrome" didn't wipe them out - know last year the state was doing all sorts of testing, examining, etc because of the disease.
Like others I sure do miss those bug eaters.
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06/21/10, 07:56 AM
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Learning to love today...
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: SW PA
Posts: 766
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I just chased one out of my living room the other day......
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Sarabeth
"Time is not money - time is life. And what controls your time - controls your life." Wind in Her Hair
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06/21/10, 08:10 AM
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Enter farm name here
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,526
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The summer my daughter was born (2006), I would see bats out feeding near our barn light since I was up feeding my own little bat.
Each year we continue to see bats, although I'm not up in the middle of the night like I was that summer. I saw one a week ago flying through our yard. I have not seen an increase or decrease in bats at our place.
With all of the mosquitos we have each year, I'm happy to see them around.
__________________
Nerds on a nano-farm - since 2005 
There are 10 types of people in the world. Those who understand binary and those who don't.
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06/21/10, 08:47 AM
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 2,141
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The fungus disease has spread into TN according to the newspaper.
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06/21/10, 09:34 AM
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Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 3,567
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Our bats did not come back thi year.
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06/21/10, 02:54 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: northcentral MN
Posts: 14,378
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The side of my house is sprinkled with bat droppings again so mine are back. I waited too long to close off the entrances so now I'm waiting until the young are old enough to fend for themselves before evicting them with an excluder.
I'd gladly build them a big bat house if I was reasonably sure they would use it but they haven't used any of the small houses I put up.
__________________
"Do you believe in the devil? You know, a supreme evil being dedicated to the temptation, corruption, and destruction of man?" Hobbs
"I'm not sure that man needs the help." Calvin
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06/21/10, 03:02 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: MS
Posts: 24,572
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Haven't seen any at my pond either and we usually have several there. I like the bats and wish they were still at the pond.
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06/21/10, 05:05 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,522
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I almost got smacked in the face by a bat the other evening when bike riding down the road after sunset. I will be the lone voice of dissent here and say I don't like them. Hooray that they eat 20 times their weight in insects a night, hooray that they give off guano etc etc. I just don't want them cohabiting in my house, even in the attic. They can go find somewhere else to live. Thousands of acres of woods surround my home, let them live there. Around here, I am seeing more bats than I ever have.
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06/21/10, 10:04 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: MI
Posts: 259
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My mom, who lives in town, has had three bats in her house this year. Flying around in the living room. I'm sure she would be happy to send them to you...
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Ora et labora.
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06/21/10, 10:47 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,522
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I had one in the house once. Flipped my lid over it.
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06/21/10, 11:20 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: wisconsin
Posts: 4,293
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my bats are missing also
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I'm so done here.
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06/22/10, 06:23 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,693
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Bats.
I seem to remember seeing them, just a few years ago.
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06/22/10, 07:11 AM
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In Remembrance
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: South Central Kansas
Posts: 11,076
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Neighbors are gone right now and I was tending their pool last evening. While doing so a bat made several low level passes just above the water. I have never seen bats in the area before but am not really out when they would be. Neighbor with the pool did install a bat house perhaps 10 years ago but he disregarded location suggestions and it was never used to his/our knowledge. Hopefully it is still up and now being used. Has a lot of ivy around it now and is on the east side of the house.
__________________
My family---bEI
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