Bats have an undeserved bad reputation. Superstition and fear of disease, are a couple of reasons. The truth is, bats are among a gardener’s best friends. They feed on insects like moths, mosquitoes, June beetles, leaf hoppers and even scorpions. In fact, bats are the only major predators of night-flying insects.
Bat Fact – a bat the size of your thumb can eat up to 600 mosquitoes an hour — that’s 3,000 insects in one night.
That’s a lot of insect pests that won’t be eating your garden and sticking to your screen door!
Invite some bats to live in your yard by putting up a bat house. You can also plant a bat garden of night-scented and night blooming plants. Some good choices are:
- Salvia
- Silene
- Phlox
- Stock
- Cornflower
- Spearmint
- Four o’clocks
- Moonflower
- Nicotiana
Make it up to the bats this year! You’ll be glad you did.
Bat House
