What Can You do to Help?

Spread awareness and dispel myths amongst your family and friends! Bats have a bad reputation as being scary and spreaders of rabies when there are only 1-2 cases of bat related rabies per year. Talk about all the amazing things bats do for us humans. They are free pest control that feed on the pesky mosquitoes we humans hate. ¹ They also pollinate many fruits and plants that we enjoy like agave (for tequila), wild bananas, guavas, and mangoes. ²

You can also reduce pesticide use in your own garden and use bat-safe alternatives. Bats are small and even a small amount of pesticides can hurt them. Adding to this harm is the fact that they can have such long lifespans (40 years). This means the toxins from pesticides can build up within their tiny bodies for many years. ¹

Keep your cats indoors at dawn and dusk to avoid them hunting bats. Or if you cannot keep them indoors, attach bells to their collars. ³ Also stay out of mines or caves (especially closed ones or ones with bat gates) during Winter. Disturbing bats during hibernation can use up their energy and cause starvation. ³

Donate

Help existing conservation organizations by donating. Check out Merlin Tuttle's Bat conservation, Bat World, and Austin Bat Refuge, to name a few.

Bat Houses

If you own property, you should consider setting up a bat house near your own home. Bat houses provide safe and comfortable places for bats to roost without exposing them to White Nose Syndrome. We have not included instructions or specifications on how to pick or build a bat house as it is best to stick to high quality and safe vendors. Cheap, poorly designed bat houses may not be safe or accessible for bats. Below is a list of reputable vendors certified as safe by Merlin Tuttle’s Bat Conservation (MTBC).

• Austin Batworks
• Bat BnB
• Bat Bungalows
• Bat Conservation & Management
• Big Bat Box
• Fly By Night, Inc.
• Habitat for Bats
• Swift River Pecans

Place your bat house in a sunny place on the side of a building to help regulate the temperature. Make sure houses are at a minimum height of 12 feet and that they are 20 feet away from trees to avoid predators. It will take 2 to 6 months for occupants arrive, although it can take up to 2 years if you're in an area where bat houses have not been previously used. ⁴ Visit merlintuttle.org to learn more about selecting a quality bat house.

Long-Term Solutions ⁵

• Extensive research into white nose syndrome and other ways climate change is harming bats.
• Create laws to stop deforestation in bat habitats.
• Better land management around bat habitats.
• Regulate use of pesticides to those safe for bats.
• Implementing habitat restoration and protection measures.
• Modifying cave and abandoned mine entrances with bat-friendly structures such as bat gates and bat cupolas.