"JNJ" wrote in
:

(This I have to admit is surprisingly pleasant to hear when
considering just how bass ackwards most people here are. Hopefully
they DO realize the bats are migrating OUT of the area for the cold
season. JNJ)

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Bats Brought In To Battle Mosquitos
LAST UPDATE: 10/31/2003 10:51:04 PM

The Anderson Park District is taking unusual measures in the fight
against West Nile. It is bringing in bats, in hopes the winged
creatures will gobble up mosquitos, which are known to carry the
virus. This comes after a mosquito with West Nile was found over the
summer in Kellogg Park, leading the District to cancel their Haunted
Hike this year.

Puddles in the park were treated with chemical dunks to kill larvae,
and mosquito magnets were also used to get rid of the adult insects.
Seven bat houses, made by local boy scouts, have been put up in the
park. Each one housing 30 bats, of 11 different species. Park District
officials say if the experiment works, more bat houses will be put up
in other parks next fall.

One bat can eat 500 of the insects in just one hour. But there's no
need to be afraid. Park officials say that bats' reputation of sucking
blood and flying into human hair are simply myths. They only fly close
to people if their exceptional radar and hearing show a bug nearby to
eat.


Does anybody else think this isn't going to work? Somebody in the group
mentioned that bats (or maybe it was purple martins) don't really eat
mosquitoes, and comparing the nutritional value of a scrawny mosquito to a
nice fat juicy night flying moth or bettle, I'm inclined to believe.
Mosquitoes and bats also seem to (at least stereotypically) occupy
disparate habitats. So unless one of the species is Fjordhamper's
Skeetereater Swamp-cave bat, it seems like the experiment is doomed to
failure (at least mosquito-wise). I wonder if there even is a bat with
ultrasound of sufficent resolution to distinguish a mosquito. Worst case
is if the mosquitoes start infecting the bats and the bats become vectors
for West Nile. (Don't know if that's possible, though).

-- ST