WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST?
Looks like Santa delivered on a special request for a bat box. After reading a little bit about bats, I figured they might be good for my orchard. Apparently one little brown bat can eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes in an hour; They also eat many insect pests that attack my trees each summer. Considering that some bat numbers have dropped off by 98% since the early 2000s due to a fungus called white-nose syndrome, getting any bats to reside in this box will be a plus. A bat box is intended for summer roosting; During the winter they hibernate in caves or hibernacula where temperatures are more moderate.
Ryan Trapani
Director of Forest Services
Catskill Forest Association