Bats

BATS

Bats play an important role in many environments.
While some people think bats are pests, some bats are actually pest controllers eating thousands of insects every night. UK bats won’t bite you or suck your blood. All bats in the UK are insectivores – they only eat insects. A common pipistrelle can eat over 3,000 tiny insects in a single night! You can help to provide food for bats by planting a wildlife friendly garden.

Habitat Loss

In the UK, bat populations have declined considerably over the last century.
The decrease in bat numbers mirrors the ever-changing countryside. Natural Habitats such as hedgerows, woodlands and ponds have been declining and fragmenting. It is important that we create new suitable habitats and manage and enhance existing habitats to help bats recover and survive.

To survive, bats need water and insects to eat, places to hunt insects (called foraging habitats), places to hibernate, sleep and raise their babies (roosts) and safe routes between these different locations (commuting habitats).

All UK bats eat insects. Each species has its favourite types and hunts them in its own special way. Most insects are caught and eaten in mid-air.

Our Eco Project 2018-19 includes providing 20 bat boxes for bats to roost in and around Ferndown.

To find out more about bats visit the bats organisation in the UK

Bat Boxes

Encourage bats in your neighbourhood by putting up bat boxes and growing bat-friendly plants in gardens.

I recommend Schwegler boxes, these are hard wearing and will last many years.
Information about where to buy and how to fix boxes are available on the internet or from local garden centres.

Protection.

All bats are protected by law, for information go to: Bats protection surveys and licences

© Paul Hanson Graham 2018