Increased floodlighting reducing bat populations in Sweden's churches

[rangerrebew]

Increased floodlighting reducing bat populations in Sweden's churches
August 9, 2017 by Bob Yirka report
 

(Phys.org)—A trio of researchers, two from Sweden and one from Spain has found that installing floodlighting around rural churches drives away roosting bats. In their paper published in Royal Society Open Science, Jens Rydell, with Lund University, Johan Eklöf, with Graptolit Ord och Natur and Sonia Sánchez-Navarro with Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC describe their comparison of church bat populations over the course of several decades.

Bats in Sweden are generally welcomed because they eat destructive insects and tend to hide at night. But bats have a unique history in the country, as well, because Sweden does not have many caves—instead, most of the bats live in the warm towers and belfries of rural churches. But, the researchers suggest, a recent lighting trend has put the bats at risk, and their numbers are falling.


Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-08-floodlighting-populations-sweden-churches.html#jCp

[Fishrrman]

I went up to the attic last night, and the cat starts racing around.
I thought it was a big insect.
Nope -- it's a bat.
Flying around at me, too.

It's gonna cost me to get rid of it (them).
Called a bat removal guy today, he sent a couple of guys over to take pics.
Process involves checking to find all points of entry, then sealing all but one.
That one gets a "one-way" gate, to let the bat(s) out, but not in.

I'll believe it when I see it.
Till then, got paper crammed in the attic door (which is right next to my bed!)...

[thackney]

I went up to the attic last night, and the cat starts racing around.
I thought it was a big insect.
Nope -- it's a bat.
Flying around at me, too.

It's gonna cost me to get rid of it (them).
Called a bat removal guy today, he sent a couple of guys over to take pics.
Process involves checking to find all points of entry, then sealing all but one.
That one gets a "one-way" gate, to let the bat(s) out, but not in.

I'll believe it when I see it.
Till then, got paper crammed in the attic door (which is right next to my bed!)...

According to the article, leaving lights on a few weeks may help.