International Bat Weekend takes place 24th - 25th August
The UK is home to 18 species of bats, they make up almost a quarter of our mammal species!
After historical declines bat species in the UK are showing signs of increasing but we still have a long way to go. Bats are still under threat from habitat loss, climate change and other man-made issue like light pollution. There is still time to help our native bats thrive
How Can I Help Bats?
There are loads of things that you can do to make your home a bat-friendly space. For a start, building a pond or leaving a space of your garden to grow wild can be beneficial to bats as it encourages insects for them to feed on. The easiest way to help your bats is to hang up a bat box. Bat Boxes are artificial roosts that give bats a place to rest and raise their young; natural roosting sites like old buildings and old trees are in decline so this is a major help.
View Bat Boxes
I have a bat in my roof, what can I do?
In the UK, bats and their roosts are protect by law. Having a roost in your property should be nothing to worry about and the presence of bats is unlikely to cause any issues. Bats are not rodents and do not typically cause damage to houses, they are the perfect lodgers! By allowing bats to return to the safety of your property each year, you are playing an important part in survival of bats in your local area, now that many of the habitats they would have roosted in naturally have been destroyed
Advice from the Bat Conservation Trust
Find Out More with Bat Conservation Trust
We caught up with the Bat Conservation Trust to discuss all the ways we can help bats thrive in the UK.
Read the Q&A
Can bats see?
Bats are not actually blind. They have incredibly sensitive vision which means they can see in the dark far better than humans and most other mammals. When combined with their impressive hearing (echolocation) this makes them very adept at catching insects during the night.
Why do bats hang upside down?
Bats are the only mammals that can fly, but they struggle to take off from the floor due to their ratio of weight to wing power. However, if they fall then they can continue to fly. The reason they hang upside down is because the tendons in their toes are different to birds so they cannot grip their perch whilst upright. Being upside down allows them to effectively grip so that they only have to let go to start flying.
What do bats eat?
Bats eat insects, and an impressive amount of them. Some nights a single bat will eat over a thousand insects - this is why they are vital for pest control.