Bugbear: the bats are out and about...

[ali8780]

Yes, for sure, Ali, but only one or two people a year contract rabies from bat bites in the US (that would be one occurrence for each 150 million of you, at best). I think I would take that risk in order to control the flying insect population, but give a pass to the potato salad on a lovely warm day.

Alright Rex, I'll concede and agree that protecting a species (especially one that keeps our insect population down) is much more important than acting on an unfounded fear of rabies. I just hope that I have access to such rational thought the next time I'm confronted with one (although likely, the worst I would do is scream and run for cover, which only stands to hurt my ego).

It sounds as though the real creature to be feared is a winged and fanged nocturnal bowl of spoiled potato salad

[ThistleDown]

Leave out the mayonnaise and put in lots of mustard and enjoy the salad. The other dangers on your picnic will be biting insects and your beloved snakes, but you won't need to worry about bats 'cause they stash themselves away during picnic-time

In Utah you have a wonderful Spotted Bat found in the arid places of southern British Columbia, too. Well, and all places in between and to the south of you. This one is about 12 cm long and with a wingspan of more than 30 cm. It's spotted, obviously, and lives entirely on flying insects. No danger to you, in other words. The problem with this one is that its habitat is endangered by encroaching humans -- it prefers to be away from us and we keep on moving closer to it.

[Bugbear]

ThistleDown is the bat man.

I wish I could identify the species of bats living in my palm trees. I'm having a hard enough time with plant identification.

Bat species list

Guess it could be narrowed down to four or five possible species by habitat.

There is also a freeway overpass bridge a couple of blocks away that may have bats who hunt in my area.

[ali8780]

Leave out the mayonnaise and put in lots of mustard and enjoy the salad. The other dangers on your picnic will be biting insects and your beloved snakes, but you won't need to worry about bats 'cause they stash themselves away during picnic-time

In Utah you have a wonderful Spotted Bat found in the arid places of southern British Columbia, too. Well, and all places in between and to the south of you. This one is about 12 cm long and with a wingspan of more than 30 cm. It's spotted, obviously, and lives entirely on flying insects. No danger to you, in other words. The problem with this one is that its habitat is endangered by encroaching humans -- it prefers to be away from us and we keep on moving closer to it.

You know I've never actually seen a bat in all my time in Utah. Very strange.

[Mikilt]

You know I've never actually seen a bat in all my time in Utah. Very strange.

Wow, I lived near the entrance to Big Cottonwood Canyon near Salt Lake City and I saw them all the time. Brown bats, I believe.

Where there's water, there are usually bugs and where there are bugs, there are usually bats to eat them.