Pest control with bats

Pest Control with Bats in Rural Areas, this was the title of the course we taught last week in Albacete. Organized by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Development of the Regional Government of Castilla La Mancha. The course was taught by three Environmental Ideas technicians and a regular collaborator in our work with chiroptera: Javier Garcia — Oliva Mascaros of Cantabrian bats.

Our students included environmental agents, organic farmers, students and those interested in the world of chiroptera and the rural environment. All of them eager to learn about new techniques for the natural and biological control of both agricultural and forestry pests.

Bats: Unknown Beings

On the first day, Luis Monteagudo explained generalities; characteristics of these mammals, morphology, the type of flight, their annual cycle, first aid for bats. We do not forget about their diseases and parasites and some notions for identifying species. We ended with Juan De la Cruz Erans Rangel's presentation, who told us things about bat habitats, shelters, migration, capture methods and research.

Listening to bats. Echolocation

On the second day, Javier García told us what echolocation consists of. I teach us to discern heterodyne signals. At nightfall, we went out to detect bats in situ at the Agroenvironmental Training Center. That same night we were able to record three species of Pipistrellus hunting simultaneously around a lamp post: P.pygmaeus, P.pipistrellus and P.kuhlii as Javier shows us in the signs.

A natural insecticide in the field and in the bush, compost and pollination.

The last day we talked about threats to the survival of chiropterans. And ultimately what interested us most for this course: your diet. One of our biologists, Cristóbal Martínez, told us how bats can prey on insects that are harmful to the field, among many other species. The processionary moth, the grapevine cluster moth,... and we talk about the possible actions of bats against galeruca or clytra (Clytra bipunctata) the beetle that is attacking some pistachio plantations in our region.

We ended up talking about new bat shelters and building nest boxes for bats at the Agro-Environmental Training Center in a very novel and interesting way, and at low cost.

In short, a very enjoyable course in which we have learned a lot from our students and we hope it has met the expectations of all of them. Thank you all and we hope to repeat next year!!!!

The Tribune echoes the course click here to read the news.

Header photo by Paulo Barros