Bats are all around, but due to their nocturnal nature, Baton Rouge residents do not see them often. Misconceptions about the flying mammals abound, despite their significance to ecological systems.

Aaron Ashbrook, an assistant professor for the LSU Entomology department, specializes in urban entomology. He recently hosted a seminar series at LSU AgCenter’s LaHouse Research and Education Center for state sanitarians who expressed interest in the local bat population. Ashbrook’s lecture focused on correcting misinformation about pollinator support, mosquito management and bat conservation. 

After the interest and success of the sanitarian lecture, Ashbrook and Christine Gambino, an extension associate for the entomology department, joined forces to plan a “Bats in Our Ecosystem Day” for the public. 

Ashbrook and Gambino planned a two-part event on May 24 that included a lecture on different bat species, their benefits and a demonstration on how to build a bat house. 

Initially, the presentations were supposed to take place at LaHouse, but due to the large amount of interest and turnout, the event was moved to LSU’s Howe Russell Auditorium. 

Gambino said that 405 people registered and 85 attended. She has noticed an increase in similar events that focus on gardens, pollinators and conservation efforts.

“We had people drive in from all over the state to attend,” she said. “We wanted to get the word out about bats, and we got lots of interest. People who couldn’t attend asked for the presentation to be recorded.”

Ashbrook and Gambino were pleasantly surprised at the registration and the turnout. 

Teague O’Mara, director of conservation evidence at Bat Conservation International and adjunct professor of biological sciences at Southeastern Louisiana University, presented the lecture on bat diversity, Louisiana bat species, bat abilities, the benefits of bats for humans, threats to the bat population and solutions to protect bats. 

O’Mara shared that there are 12 bat species present in Louisiana, all of which are insectivores and protected by law. Mexican free-tailed bats reside in the state year-round and primarily feed on moths, beetles, flies and ants.

Beneficially, bats consume agricultural pests and insects, which positively affects farming economies. They also disperse seeds and pollinate commercially and ecologically valuable plants like agave, which flowers at night.

O’Mara included threats to bat populations, which include white-nose syndrome, wind turbines, land use change like deforestation and human diseases. The more natural separation between bats and humans provides a buffer, which means the less chance of viral spillover between the two species. 

There are multiple ways Louisianans can help protect the local bat population, including building and setting up a bat house — which Mike Meyers, a Boy Scout Master in Metairie, demonstrated at the “Bats in Our Ecosystem Day.” 

The bat houses must be attached to a structure that could be inhabited by bats and need to be built with specific dimensions, distance from a house and height for the bats, to allow them to find the space comfortable and appealing to live in. Meyers even recommends a specific color, nutmeg, to paint the houses.

Other ways people can protect bats are planting bat-friendly pollinator gardens, using less pesticides and standing up for bat conservation. 

For more information, visit batcon.org.