Cathy Isom tells us how bats play a significant role in agriculture. That story is ahead on “This Land of Ours.”
Bats and Agriculture
From: Center for Biological Diversity
The Economic Value of Bats
Groups of sleeping bats in cave
Bats eat bugs, which is not only helpful for keeping mosquitoes and another annoying insects at bay for us humans but also has economic importance. A recent scientific paper on the economic value of bats to agriculture estimated that bats provided nontoxic pest-control services totaling $3.7 billion to $53 billion per year. This study did not even consider what the indirect costs of “replacing” bats with pesticides would be in terms of potential health and pollution threats from greater levels of toxins in the environment.
Bats provide other services to humans too, such as pollinating plants and distributing seeds, in tropical and subtropical habitats throughout the world. Some of these plants are useful to people, including a species of agave that is the source of tequila, a multimillion-dollar industry in Mexico. Bat guano has traditionally been used as fertilizer for crops in various parts of the world and is also sold commercially. However, mining of bat guano may also be harmful to cave organisms that depend on it as a source of food, and removal of guano is likely to be disruptive to bats themselves, if they are present.
Frequently Asked Questions from Bats Birds Yard.com About Bats
Bats in Agriculture poster (.pdf)
Learn all about the amazing world of bats in this OBC Bats video!