The Missouri Department of Conservation is promoting efforts to bring more mosquito-eating bats to areas, especially in the state’s cities. Urban wildlife biologist Debra Bernardos wants to see more bat houses – narrow birdhouse-like structures designed to attract bats to an area – without attracting them into homes where they have run-ins with people. The bats then eat mosquitoes, cutting down on the potential West Nile virus carriers. Bernardos says cooler weather is killing off the mosquitoes, and the bats are headed for wintering areas in the Southern part of the state. But the houses are for the future. Bernardos admits she’s not sure if the bats would get the disease from eating the infected bugs. Bernardos says bats don’t always take to a bat house right away. She says you sometimes have to experiement with placement and how the box faces the sun.
