Bat House Mosquito Mitigation Project

In the summer of 2019 and 2020, the City of Brandon implemented a bat house mosquito mitigation project. The goal of the project was twofold. One: to increase the number of bats in Brandon, as the little brown bat is endangered. Two: to feed on mosquitoes to reduce the probability of the City spraying.

Benefits of bats

Bats are more than just a Halloween mascot, they provide several benefits:

• Bats consume 30-50% of their weight in insects in a single night
• Pregnant bats eat 100% of her body weight each night
• Bats eat moths, beetles and mosquitoes and aid with agriculture and forestry pest management
• Bats in Canada are fairly small
• In the U.S. it is estimated that bats provide insect control services worth a few billion a year

Bat myths

• “Blind as a bat” is a myth - they have great vision. They rely on echolocation to find their prey
• Bats want to drink your blood - Only three out of 1200 bat species are vampire bats and they do not live in Canada or the U.S.

What to do if I find a bat?

Do not panic and Do NOT touch a bat or any other wild animal. Notify Brandon Animal Control 204.729.2345

 Steps to take if you find a bat (249 KB)

Plans to build a bat house

There are many bat house options to choose from that you can find on-line. We found this option from Bat Conservation International that you can use.

Bat House Plans Single Chamber and Nursery Chamber (870KB) 

Where and how to install a bat house (356 KB) 

Locations of bat houses on City property

• Wheat City Golf Course
• Brandon Riverbank Discovery Centre

Sponsors:

Thank you to the Home Depot for facilitating and hosting two successful bat house workshops!