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07/18/2003 Archived Entry: "THE BATS WON'T GO AWAY"

THE BATS WON'T GO AWAY

We've always had a lot of bats around our house and in the woods. Lots of them. Bats are a good thing and having them around helps keep the insect population under control. I don’t mind them at all as long as they keep their distance.

I thought we'd rid ourselves of them from our house last fall when they flew away for the winter. I then had two large bat houses put up high in the cottonwood trees behind our house which I was certain they would prefer. They were new, roomy, orderly and had good places for them to hang. They were made and approved by the national bat preservation people who know such things. Larry Griffith came with his cherry picker truck and put them way up there where they are supposed to be. I was sure they would prefer them (boys in one, girls in another) to our house. Alas!

About 40 of the little dickens are back living in a tight space on our deck, right above my bedroom window. It’s easy to tell from the guano on the deck below. It has marked characteristics that make me sure of what I’m saying.

When the windows are closed and the air-conditioning is on, it’s not so bad having them live there. But when I have the bedroom windows open and they come home early in the morning after a night on the town, they screech and whine like nothing you’ve ever heard. They are pitiful sounds and it makes sleeping difficult.

So today, Brit made an effort to encourage them to move elsewhere. We’ll hope it works.