Table of Contents
Identification
If you have ever come across a little brown bat, you should know that they are also known as the Brown Myotis. They are commonly found in the North of America as well as in southern Alaska, Canada, across the United States from the Pacific Rim to the Atlantic Ocean. Moreover, they are found in the complex and higher wooded areas of Mexico. They are also found in Iceland and Kamchatka. They can be found in variants of brown, golden and reddish. They are clustered in the order Chiroptera that means hand-wing. This word means that the wings of all the bats are made up of thin skin that is overextended towards their fingers.
1. Appearance and size
The Little Brown Bat is slight. Their furs are glossy. The size of their body is from 2.5 to 4 inches, and they weigh half than an ounce, between 5 and 14g. Their wings can be stretched up to 11 inches; they vary from 60 to 102 mm. Their wingspan is between 222 and 269 mm. They are brown in color however their color ranges from golden, red and reddish. Their ears are short and round. Female bats are larger than male bats. Their front and back limbs have five metapodials. They fly at the speed of 35 km/hour and an average of 20 km/hour.
The front and back limbs contain five metapodials. The rostrum of the brown bat is reduced. Its braincase is sub-circular and flattened. They have 38 teeth with sharp molars.
2. Habitat
They occupy three types of branches: day, night and hibernation roosts and their location depend upon the stability of temperature. Day and night bats are used by active bats that contain buildings, trees, under the rocks, and in heaps of woods but not restricted to it. Day roosts have no light, are excellent accommodation and have southwestern facing to give heat for awakening from daily inactivity.
Night roosts are carefully chosen for their restricted places where a larger number of bats can gather to heat the roosts. Bats gather in these roosts when the temperature is below 15 C. During winter they used to hibernate whereas day and night roosts are occupied during summer, spring and fall. They are often used by female bats. Female bats used the similar nursery colony throughout the year. They used to hibernate in the caves and mines where the temperature is cool and stable. Northern populated bats are used to hibernate in the start of September and at the end of the May whereas the southern hibernate at the onset of the November and end their hibernation in mid-march. They do not migrate when the season change.
3. Diet
These little brown creatures are insectivorous eating wasps, beetles, moths, mosquitoes, midges, mayflies, and gnats. They eat aquatic insects as well and for this purpose they used to settle down near water. They feed in clusters above the water. They make sounds to locate their prey. Their frequency is equal to that of sonar, used in ships. Their high-frequency sounds will get to the pray and bounce back to them. They can estimate the size of their food through the size of frequency getting back to them. The frequency of their sound is 80 to 40 KHz that will last from 1 to 5 msec. The call making rate is 200 calls each second for hunting down the target. They are good in capturing their foods particularly when they are near to their prey. These species hunt their prey by catching them in the air and gleaning. During fly, they catch their food with the help of their mouth on the water.
They do not return to the previous place where they successfully got the food. They collect two pieces of food only during food hunt. If for example, they do not get the food then they will hibernate the whole day and wake up at night-time to hunt again for food.
4. Behavior
They are nocturnal and got up from their roosts at night. Their first activity for food hunt happen after dusk and the second hunt will happen before dawn, and they get back to their roosts in the morning at four or five o’clock. They can live up to the range of 30000 in the single roost. Their body temperature changes accordingly. They can be cooled to 6.5 degrees Celsius and warm up to 54 degrees Celsius. They require 13 various and different bats to heat effectively, the roost during the provocation from hibernation.
They can increase their urine meditation to better and efficiently ensure water tension in the places with low quantity of water and they are the only species known to have this ability.
They devote large quantity of time in grooming while some use their nails to prepare the furs, tongue, and teeth to clean their wing skin.
5. Reproduction
Their breeding happens between adult males and females in two phases: active and passive. Throughout the active phase, both male and female stay conscious and attentive while in passive phase active male breed with lazy individuals of both sexes, this passive phase breeding is 35% homosexual. Their breeding is randomly, and a female mate can meet more than one male as well. In both phases, both male and female meet with various mates. Mostly their breeding period begins in the month of August and after the two months’ baby bats are born. These babies initially rely on their mother for warmth and food purpose. They start flying after one month to hunt food.
Many wild creatures including mammals, beetles, and snakes will eat these bats. The large colony sizes make them easy to catch. Cats are primary killer of the bats that keep on hunting them around their roosts.
6. Fun fact
Their hibernation happens during winter only because they can survive in a stable temperature. They can survive in 50 degrees’ Celsius temperature without any injury.
7. Signs of bats
They are usually found in the attics, trees, and roofs, and they carry a disease named Rabies with them. So, during the examination of your house, you will encounter live bats. You can found the bats through their droppings that are skinny solid made from undigested parts of bugs but different from the other animal’s droppings. They have sebaceous glands on all over their bodies. When they came in through small holes, one can see the small stains or marks on the locations.
How to get rid of bats
There are many ways remove bats from your house. You can call professional or apply homemade remedies as well. Some of the best methods are described below:
1. Excluding devices
This method is usually applied by professionals. These prohibiting devices will be able to get the bats out of the home within two weeks. You should block all the entering when confirmed that bats are gone.
2. Netting
Netting is another way to prevent bats from entering the home. You need to make a net with elastic plastic fabric that is 1/6th-inch minor and shelter and block the openings. Make sure that the length of the net should be 18 to 24 inches from the starting point to the lower edge of the opening. Apply the same method to all the openings.
This will help the bat to sail out of the house certainly, and after that, there is no way of coming back. This process will take 5 to 7 days approximately. When you get sure that all the bats have left your house then seal all the holes.
3. Mothballs
This is one of the best and significant procedure to follow. Take some mothballs and bag them up in a cloth and hang it near the bat’s roosts. Its smell will make them fly away from home.
4. Use Water Spray
Water is also another good method because water frightens them. Spray the water around their roosts and repeat this method over and over again. When they are gone, hang mothball clothes all around their roosts to make them leave the place once and for all.
5. Use Mylar
Use Mylar for preventing them getting into the home. Suspend and swing Mylar balloons around their residing place that will encourage them to move to the airy place.
6. Use Pet Repellants
Use cat and dog’s repellants around their resting areas when the bats are out to hunt the food. Nighttime is the best time to do this activity. The odor of the pet repellent will encourage them to get out of the home as soon as possible.
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Conclusion
Conclusively, they can cause you harm as they may carry diseases such as Rabies. They can enter your home through any hole and opening and reside in the trees, attic, and rooftops. You can sense them by the odor of their droppings. On the other hand, they are also helpful in removal of insects like flies, beetles, and many other small insects which they prey upon.
References:
http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Myotis_lucifugus/
https://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Library/Mammals/Bats/Little-Brown-Bat.aspx