Bats feed on crop pests in Sacramento Valley

Abstract

Food habits of Mexican free-tailed bats and Yuma myotis bats were examined in the Sacramento Valley. Analyses of guano samples indicated that Mexican free-tailed and Yuma myotis bats fed on moths, water boatmen, beetles, flies, midges, mosquitoes and plant bugs. The diet of Yuma myotis bats tended to be diverse early in the season, but more uniform later on when they ate more moths. In contrast, Mexican free-tailed bats primarily fed on midges, flies and mosquitoes early in the season, then became more generalized feeders later on. These data demonstrate that bats are beneficial as they feed on insects that can be pests of agriculture.