Bat Week

Humans need bats. Worldwide, there are more than 1,400 species of bats—that’s almost 20 percent of all mammal species. Bats live almost everywhere on Earth except the most extreme desert and polar regions. So, no matter where you live, it is almost certain that there are bats living near you. Bats are amazing animals that are vital to the health of our environment and economy. Although we may not always see them, bats are hard at work all around the world each night. Most bats in North America eat insects, including moths, beetles, aquatic insects, and flies. A single bat can eat up to its body weight in insects each night. Eating all these insects helps protect our food crops and forests from insect pests, saving farmers and forest managers billions of dollars each year.

Bats are in decline nearly everywhere they are found. These amazing animals face a multitude of threats including habitat loss, pesticide use, destruction of roost sites, over-harvesting for bush-meat, climate change; and much more.

Bat Week is a great time to do something positive for bats. Build bat roosting boxes, pull weeds of out of bat habitat, plant native vegetation that attracts bats, create bat art, and ask your governor to proclaim your state’s Bat Week to help bats. Host a Bat Week Party or other special event to get others excited about bats. You can feature bat-themed games, foods and drinks that are made possible by bats, and/or costume contests, – anything that highlights our amazing bats!

Spread the word! Use your platforms on social media (#BatWeek) and share your enthusiasm for bats during Bat Week to help them get great attention at a time of year that they are often seen as scary, not super! The Bat Week social media tool kit can help you find the right messages and Bat Week Facebook and Twitter pages are a great way to share photos, too!