06/26/2025
We. Love. Bats. They aren't creepy cave-dwellers out to get you. Let's clear the air with some truths about Michigan's winged wonders!
Myth: Bats fly blind.
Fact: Bats use echolocation - sending out high-frequency sounds and reading the echoes like tiny flying sonar experts. Yes, they can "see" with their ears.
Myth: Bats want to suck your blood.
Fact: Wrong continent, wrong species, and seriously, Michigan bats just want bugs. Lots of them. A single bat can eat 600 to 1,000 mosquito-sized insects per hour. Bug zapper? Try bat power.
Myth: Bats are aiming for your hair.
Fact: Wrong! You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Bats like to roost in warm, dark, quiet places - often near water and forests where their favorite bugs hang out. If they end up flying near you, there’s probably insects around!
Myth: There is nothing I can do to help bats.
Fact: Wrong! You can help bats by reporting any bat roosts in your home, barn, trees or bridges - your sightings support vital conservation work.
If you see bats flying in and out of an area, you’re probably looking at a roost. Reporting a bat roosts helps bat researchers understand more about where bats live throughout the state. See bats, report bats here: https://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/programs/michigan-bat-roost-monitoring-program