HOOK

8 HOOK S p e c i a l Fe a t u r e Natural Preservation Bats Have you ever looked out your window at night and seen a small flicker of wings across a dimly lit night? That was most likely not a small bird, but instead, a bat. Humans and bats are primed for a beautiful symbiotic relation- ship, one where mosquitoes and other unwelcome insects are hunted by our trusty beloved As we skip out of one of the coldest and snowiest winters in recent memory and into an unknown spring, we want to share some nature-focused thoughts and ideas to consider as the world begins to bloom once more. Spring and summer are seasons that invite a reintro- duc4on with the greenery around you. Whether it's natural pest control solu- 4ons or safe fire- works alterna4ves, we invite you to evolve your habits along- side nature. By Taleen Pos4an Bats eat up to 1,200 mosquitoes an hour, which is equal to their body weight in insects! Bats locate mos- quitoes through echoloca- tion, which is the process of emitting high-pitched beep sounds and then listening back to the echoes, usually at 10-20 beeps per second. Imagine how much more comfortable your backyard barbecue would be with a couple of bats clearing the air. Dinner and a show! bats. As such, bats have served as a historical nat- ural alternative to chemi- cal pesticides for eons. Studies have shown that as bat populations de- cline, chemical pesticide use increases. While the level of harm is directly related to the level of ex- posure, a study by the University of Chicago found that for every 1% increase in pesticides, there was a 0.25% in- crease in the infant mor- tality rate. Chemical pesticides can affect the nervous system and irri- tate the skin or eyes. In- stead of reaching for a chemical pesticide, con- sider bats as a natural al- ternative this spring and summer. Not convinced? Bats eat up to 1,200 mosquitoes an hour, which is equal to their body weight in insects! Bats locate mosqui- toes through echolocation, which is the process of emit- ting high-pitched beep sounds and then listening back to the echoes, usually at 10-20 beeps per second. Imagine how much more comfortable your back- yard barbecue would be with a couple of bats clearing the air. Dinner and a show! Interested in welcoming your new batty friends? First stop using pestcides. Then, bats accept and

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