Tag Archives: bat conservation organizations

How to Safely Support Local Bat Colonies

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Here at Virginia Bat Removal, we often remind readers that bats have high ecological importance. They play a large role in our local eco-systems and economies, and even provide outdoor comfort with their primal need to eat thousands of mosquitos and other obnoxious flying pests, each night. Having bats around can be beneficial, so long as they don’t get too close. If you want to support the local bat colonies around your property, there are many safe ways you can do so without putting your home at risk if an infestation or bat damages.

Continue reading to learn what you can do to support, and even treat, your neighborhood bats!

Virginia Bat Control 804-729-9097
Virginia Bat Control 804-729-9097

Bat Houses

One way you support the local bat population around your property is to install bat houses for them. You can purchase quality bat houses on the market that are specially designed to cater and house microbat species native to Virginia and its surrounding regions, such as the wonderful selections sold by Bat Conservation and Management.

You can also choose to make your own bat house, but be sure to follow professional instructions, which you can download online, to ensure they are proper for bats. There are certain recommended dimensions, materials, and features that bat houses should have in order for them to be comfortable, functional, and humane. Here is a terrific bat house blueprint plan by Batworld.org. You may also purchase “The Bat House Builder’s Handbook”, here.

When mounting your bat houses, be sure to hang them around the perimeter of your property, 20 to 30 feet away from tree branches, and 20 feet above ground from your home and any structures, like power lines, telephone poles, sheds, and the tallest vegetation. Also, be sure to choose an area that gets 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight, facing either East or South. This ensure that the bat house remains warm while they roost during the day.

Bat Donations

To further support local and national bat populations, you can donate funds (or time) to various bat conservation and Rabies management initiatives, such as Cave and Karst Protection Program, Bat Conservation International, Merlin Tuttle’s Bat Conservation, and Virginia’s Non-Game Program.

What NOT to Do

Although you may want to be friendly to bats, it is vital that you never attempt to trap, touch, or keep a bat as a pet. Furthermore, you do not want to “feed” bats, as this is not something they instinctual take to, and it can pose several health risks. Read our recent blog, “What to Do if You Find a Bat” for the knowledge you need about finding bats in or around your house.

If You Have a Nuisance Bat Problem…

Virginia Bat Removal and Control 804-729-9097
Virginia Bat Removal and Control 804-729-9097

Call Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 when you need prompt and professional Virginia bat removal and control you can afford. We use safe and humane methods to deliver effective 24 hour bat control for residential and commercial properties throughout Virginia. We serve all of Virginia, including Richmond, Petersburg, Short Pump, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Newport News, Virginia Beach, and all of their surrounding areas.

Could Wind Turbines Be a Threat to Bats in Virginia?

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As long-time advocates for the protection and well-being of bats, we regularly echo the importance they have on our surrounding Eco-systems and local economies. For this reason, it is a concern that many bat fatalities may be a result of wind and air pressure changes caused by giant wind turbines.

Virginia Bat Removal and Control 804-729-9097

Wind turbine from aerial view. Sustainable development environment friendly concept. Wind turbine give renewable energy sustainable energy alternative energy. Wind sustainability energy.


Wind energy is a significant alternative energy source used to help reduce fossil fuel consumption. Until a study was done in West Virginia regarding bat fatalities, the primary environmental concern with wind energy was bird fatalities. The West Virginian study revealed that up to 4,000 bats died in a period of just one season, and it could have been due to the environmental impacts of wind turbines.

The Link Between Wind Energy and Bat Fatalities

So why are bats dying from wind turbines? For decades, researchers have studied this question. To this very day, they are still investigating the link between wind energy and bat fatalities. Although there are several theories and studies in existence, many believe that the number one reason why bats are being killed by wind turbines is because they are simply flying into the turbine blades.

Other research has suggested that wind energy-related bat fatalities could be a result of barotrauma, which is a health condition that damages lung tissue, inner ear tissue, and other respiratory organs. Barotrauma is suspected of being caused by air pressure changes that occur too rapidly or in excess. This type of massive air pressure change takes place near the edges of turning turbine blades.

National Statistics

There was a recent study done that investigated the mortality rate of Hoary bats near wind energy facilities during 2014. It suggested that populations could plummet by 90% within the next 50 years if nothing is done to protect bats. Here are some more interesting statistics:

➔ In the United States and Canada, a projected 650,000 to 1.3 million bats lost their lives between the years of 2000 to 2011 as a result of turbine collisions.

➔ It is suspected that in 2012, 400,000 more bats died as a result of wind energy structures.

➔ In the United States and Canada, 24 species of bats (and possibly more) are on record as victims of wind turbines, including the Hoary bat, Eastern Red bat, and the Silver-Haired bat.

➔ Even endangered species have been reported as being killed by wind turbines, including the Indiana bat and the Hawaiian Hoary bat.

SOURCE: Arnett and Baerwald 2013

Finding a Solution

Wind energy is substantially important to our society, and our world as a whole. And so are bats. This is why we need to find a working solution to the environmental impact wind turbines have on nature’s wildlife. So what can you do to help the initiative? Support the various organizations working hard to develop the right strategies and solutions.

Such organizations include Bat Conservation International, Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative (BWEC), American Wind Energy Association, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey. Show your support by providing donations, educating yourself with the various free resources they provide, joining community efforts for wildlife conservation, and always be nice to bats!

Got Bat Problems Near You?

Virginia Bat Removal and Control 804-729-9097

Virginia Bat Removal and Control 804-729-9097

Call Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 for safe and humane bat removal and control assistance in Old Dominion. We serve all of Virginia with 24 hour bat removal, as well as, numerous residential and commercial bat exclusion services, such as bat cleanup and restorations for bat damages. We even provide insurance work! Contact us at 804-729-9097 to request a free estimate, anytime.