Some of the main mosquito predators include dragonflies, spiders, frogs, salamanders, purple martins, bats and fish. Chemical poisons kill natural mosquito predators more effectively than they kill mosquitoes. In the long run, this is best done by non-chemical means, such as by draining unnatural sources of standing water and encouraging predators such as bats, fish and aquatic insects.Įxisting chemical pesticides typically cause more long-term problems than they solve. While it is impossible in most cases to completely eliminate mosquitoes either by chemical or natural means, their numbers can be substantially reduced. However, mosquito control is a complex problem that rarely can be solved by a single approach, be it bat houses or pesticides. Keep in mind, though, that a bat will prefer to eat one large insect, such as a June bug, rather than many smaller insects, such as mosquitoes. Some bat species can eat from 500 to 1,000 mosquitoes in a single hour, so a large colony can consume enormous quantities. Bats eat an assortment of pest species, including cucumber beetles, cutworm, corn earworm, leafhoppers, June beetles and mosquitoes. A nursing mother bat will often eat up to her body weight in insects nightly, with others consuming between 30-50% of their body weight.

hibernates in groups of up to 10,000 batsĪll of the bat species found in Canada are insect eaters, consuming vast numbers of insects that fly at night.

may hibernate in buildings where the temperature remains above freezing.

species that is most likely to hibernate in Ontario, although many big brown bats will migrate.

the most common bat species locally in urban and rural areas.

weight: 19 grams (0.6 oz.) or about as much as 2 loonies.Both of the two most common bat species in southwestern Ontario, the Big Brown Bat and the Red Bat, will regularly use bat houses. If a bat appears in the house during a prolonged deep freeze, you should contact a local wildlife rehabilitator who is licensed to care for rabies-vector species and see if they are able to take the bat.Bats are the world’s only flying mammal. Bats should not be kept contained like this for long as they will quickly dehydrate in warm temperatures in the house. If temperatures are well below freezing, you can keep the bat in a box overnight until temperatures rise in the day, and release the bat at that time. If temperatures are above freezing, the bat can be released outside and should be able to find a new place to hibernate -under some bark, a hole in a tree, hopefully not back in the attic! While wearing gloves, place a container over the perched bat and and scoop it into the container.

It is at this time that they can find their way out of the crawl space and into the house. Bats awaken occasionally during winter to move around a bit, or to adjust to changing temperatures if their spot is suddenly too warm or cold. If you have a 'winter bat' it's probably a big brown bat. They are more solitary than little brown bats and more likely to hibernate in an attic, crawl space, or wall. Big brown bats, Eptesicus fuscus, have a body size of 3.9-5.1 inches and an 11-13 inch wingspan. Both the little brown and big brown bat can end up in the house in winter, but it is much more likely for the bat to be a big brown bat.

Do bats hibernate in ontario