Are Bats a Natural Mosquito Control Solution?

There’s a popular theory that has just recently been gaining traction and revolves around the idea that bats can actually be an effective mosquito control solution. However, this doesn’t mean you should try to buy a pet bat while shying away from proper mosquito control techniques for your home. Why? We’ll explain.

While, it’s true, bats love mosquitoes and can devour up to 20 of these blood-sucking pests in one minute. With that being said, that doesn’t necessarily mean bats have the ability to catch mosquitoes at the rate of 1000 per hour. Which is a big difference when it comes to a bat being able to effectively control a mosquito population.

What do Bats Actually Eat?

According to an associate professor of biology from Ball State University (who studies bats) named Tim Carter, the myth of bats eating mosquitoes is just that: a myth.

Many believe that when biologists claim truth to the bats-eating-mosquitoes theory, what they’re actually saying is bats eat mosquito-sized insects.

In all actuality, there is little evidence (at best) to back up the claims that bats would actually eat several hundred or 1,000 mosquitoes in an hour. What expert bat research actually has shown is that, in the wild, mosquitoes often only make up a small percentage of a single bat’s diet. Some studies even concluded that mosquitoes made up less than one percent of a bat’s overall diet.

Bats Need a Much Bigger Meal

Many experts believe that bats ( larger ones in particular) prefer larger insects such as moths, caddisflies and beetles, which provide more calories per bug.

Think about it, if a human was forced to to survive off of eating insects, they would never choose a mosquito as their meal of choice. This is because there is nothing to these pests outside of their legs and wings. The same principle works for bats, who likely seek out other larger insects as prey.

Ditch The Bat Theory For Effective Mosquito Control

If your mosquito control solution revolved around the hope that bats eat these disease-carrying pests, you should probably take down your bat houses.

A much better solution would be to instill proper, proven mosquito control techniques. If you’re in Atlanta, Mr. Mister is your premier source for mosquito control to fully protect your yard and transform your yard into a mosquito-free zone. How do they do this?

Mr. Mister has a range of effective techniques for at-home mosquito control, including a service called ClearZone — which sends a mosquito control professional to your yard periodically for treatments — and their automatic mosquito control systems.

By installing a mosquito misting system in your yard, you get daily mosquito treatments during the times that mosquitoes are most active. Mr. Mister expertly designs your automatic mosquito control system to fit your yard perfectly, ensuring your outdoor spaces are consistently treated with Mr. Mister’s 100% biodegradable mosquito misting sprays. Visit their website to learn more.

We hope you’re finding our Atlanta Mosquito Control blog helpful and informative! For more information on what makes Mr. Mister Atlanta’s premier provider of innovative mosquito control solutions and techniques click here. Or, visit our Testimonials page to see what some of our satisfied customers are saying.