Bats In My Citrus Trees

[Bugbear]

This evening, a neighbor noticed and commented that there are bats frolicking around my citrus trees at night. There probably feasting on bugs. I very rarely use chemical pesticides and most of the predator bugs are out during the day, so the bats are doing their job. There are some desert plants that get pollinated by bats out here, but I don't have any that are blooming right now.

I don't have a belfry back there, and I don't think there's a good place to put a high enough bat roost for them. However, there is a overpass bridge for the new freeway they put in a couple of blocks away. I bet they could roost up under there... maybe even up in the fronds of a palm tree.

[BoldHighlander]

Cool
I wouldn't be at all surprised if they are roosting under the bridge as you mention Ted.

Not sure how big the bats are down your way. Most of the ones around here are fairly small, though about a month ago I saw the shadowy figure of a bat in flight that was huge (almost like a small owl in size). Now that did startle me!

Its funny, most people I know around here freak out when they know bats are about. They've never bothered me out doors (except that big fella'), I hear them "shrieking" & regularly spot them in flight. I just keep on going about my business as they are theirs.

Now in flight indoors (a barn or house), thats a different story. I tend to duck more, they seem a little schizophrenic then

[Bugbear]

Well, I'm not sure how big these are, but probably fairly small.

I did look it up just to make sure, and some of the bats out here do roost in palm trees, especially the skirts of dead palm fronds. I have a couple of very tall Mexican palms (fifty or sixty feet tall) and they could roost up there. This neighborhood has several tall palms, though, that don't get trimmed and have very large skirts. It sounds like they would prefer that situation.

I wouldn't mind having a bat house up above my compost heap.

But they're doing their work on the bugs. Now if I could only train the ants to till the garden.

[BoldHighlander]

I did look it up just to make sure, and some of the bats out here do roost in palm trees, especially the skirts of dead palm fronds. I have a couple of very tall Mexican palms (fifty or sixty feet tall) and they could roost up there. This neighborhood has several tall palms, though, that don't get trimmed and have very large skirts. It sounds like they would prefer that situation.

I wouldn't mind having a bat house up above my compost heap.

But they're doing their work on the bugs.

I didn't know that. Find out something new everyday

Well then, I'll bet thats where they're at

The park where I got married, & also where our local highland games are held, have bat houses strategically placed in the various trees. I always thought it a neat idea. And like you said, they do their job on the bugs.

Now if I could only train the ants to till the garden.

Ha!Ha!

Do you have fire ants down your way Ted?
I remember those mean boogers when I was at Fort Benning.
Just curious.

[Bugbear]

Ya, our ants are kind of like those. They're very small and attack in groups. They tend to infest gardens because of the water, and the only real way to fight them back is with ant bate.

The funny thing is that they seem to know to walk along the black tubing of my drip system grid like a highway.

[sirdaniel1975]

I believe there is a species of bat known as "Citrus Bats." I could be wrong....

[BoldHighlander]

I believe there is a species of bat known as "Citrus Bats." I could be wrong....

Yeah, the "Fruit Bat" is what I think your thinking of

here's a website with different bat species listed.

[Bugbear]

I don't think we have fruit bats here, but we do have a Mexican long tongue bat that slurps nector from cactus and desert plant flowers blooming at night.

If I remember correctly, the fruit bats are quite large. There was one that was clinging to a space shuttle when it launched a while back, and that was in Florida.

The bats around my trees don't seem to make any noise that I can here other than perhaps a little bit of rustling around in the leaves.

[Bruno]

I have seen bats of a night catching moths and such it is certainly entertaining.

We have an old abandoned croft house on our land a haven for bats mice etc. Especially in the attic. I get thrown out to smoke in the garden and if I have a pipe I can sit and watch them at work.

They certainly seem to fly slow compared to a bird. I recommend sitting very still and keeping quiet. Putting on a low watt bulb will attract bugs which will bring you a bat or two.

[Bugbear]

Ya, I keep it dark on my property at night. Most of my neighbors do too. There aren't street lights out here.

I think the bats have a good supply of bugs, though.