Almost everyone will have heard the saying, “as blind as a bat,” but are bats blind? Here, we look at whether bats are blind and discuss their use of echolocation. Finally, if you’ve got a colony of unwanted bats on your property, we will cover how to remove them safely, given their poor daytime vision.
Contact CP Bat Mitigation for the best bat removal services in the Midwest. We will help you humanely relocate bats on your property to ensure you, your family, and the bats are happy and healthy.
Are Bats Blind?
No, bats are not blind. They can see quite well, just not in the same way as humans. Most bats hunt in dim or dark conditions, meaning they don’t need the ability to see in bright light as we do. They have compassionate eyes, which can be seen clearly in situations that we find challenging.
While twilight conditions suit bats’ eyesight well, their eyes struggle to adapt to bright light conditions. If they are exposed to bright light, they must keep their eyes shut to avoid damaging them. Because they cannot use their eyes effectively during daylight hours, this leads to the myth that bats are blind.
Bats And Echolocation
Bats don’t rely on their eyesight to catch insects and avoid hitting objects when flying. They also use echolocation. Bats emit very high-pitched sounds at ultrasound frequencies, which are inaudible to humans but audible to bats.
The calls are emitted at several different frequencies—some have a constant frequency (CF), and others have variable frequencies (frequency-modulated (FM) calls). The CF calls can travel further, but FM calls offer a greater variety of information. The bat picks up the returning calls using specially adapted cells in its ears.
Each bat has its echolocation call, which alters subtly as it’s reflected off various surfaces. The bat can interpret what the altered sound means and uses this information to locate its prey accurately. Echolocation can also be used to detect the presence of trees, rocks, or other objects that may impede its flight.
Bat calls can be loud! Studies that have been done to measure the volume of bat calls indicate that bats such as the little brown bat can emit a squeak that measures 120 decibels – about the same volume as a chain saw! Thankfully, as the frequency is so high, we can’t hear the bats “shouting.”
Humans also use echolocation, although we’re not as skilled as bats! People with limited vision may use a walking cane to tap the ground and area in front of them immediately. The cane's sound enables them to detect the presence of puddles, uneven ground, or a change in surface.
For bats, echolocation has several advantages over relying on eyesight or hearing alone.
Most bats hunt at dusk or during the night. In minimal light conditions, even a bat’s dusk-adjusted eyesight isn’t sufficient to pinpoint an insect's location. Echolocation can be used to locate insects (the leading food of common Mid-West bat species such as big brown bats, Eastern Red Bats, Northern Long-Eared Myotis, or little brown bats) where eyesight would be useless.
Bats produce squeaks to facilitate echolocation, which are audible to the insects they hunt. Still, for some reason, most insects that detect the bat squeaks don’t react defensively toward them—if they did, there would be many hungry bats around!
While many insects hide from the light, they, like bats, come out to feed at twilight. Bats' use of echolocation means they can hunt at the time of day when tasty insects are most likely to be out and about.
Unfortunately, bat predators can also hear sounds at high frequencies. Cats, for example, can listen to bat echolocation noises, enabling them to detect these little creatures' locations quickly.
Bats Are In Danger
Bats are vital to the ecosystem and play a key role in protecting crops due to their voracious appetite for eating crop-destroying pests. Without bats, many of our Mid-Western crops would likely fail due to the increased levels of insects.
Unfortunately, bat numbers are also declining. Habitat loss and bat disease have seen numbers plummet in recent years. The Northern long-eared myotis and the Indiana bat are both protected species, and, likely, other bat species will soon be given protected status.
Safely Relocate Bats With CP Bat Mitigation
If you have an unwanted bat colony on your premises, the team at CP Bat Mitigation can safely and efficiently relocate it.
While bats are helpful to farmers and vital to the local environment, they’re not very pleasant guests in your home. Bats in the attic can create an unpleasant smell that filters down to the rest of the property. Bat guano can also soak into joists and other timber structures, eroding the materials of your property. For these reasons, they must be removed safely when the time is right.
Because of their unique eyesight and echolocation senses, bats can quickly become dangerously stressed and panic if suddenly exposed to bright light during removal. This is why amateur removal attempts often end in disaster, as the bats are startled due to inexpert removal.
Professional bat removal is needed outside of their mating season.
Once removal has occurred, it’s essential to seal up any small holes or cracks on your property that could provide an entrance for a bat. In older properties, a missing tile, partially eroded beam, or similar minor fault could be all bats need to enter and take up residence.
Get in touch to learn more about Midwest bats and what to do if you suspect you’re playing unwilling host to a colony of bats.