Bats Return to Working with Wildlife Page Bats People are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of the bats they once persecuted. Increased pesticide use, the loss of roosting and foraging habitat has resulted in the current decline of many bat species. North Carolina supports 16 species of bats, including three federally listed as endangered. This publication provides information about bats, their benefits, and steps to encourage bats on private lands. The Importance of Bats Bats serve as important pollinators of many food plants as well as provide useful aids for medical research, particulary for the blind.
Bats are the only major predator of night-flying insects.
Bat prey includes lacewings, cockroaches, gnats, and mosquitos as their major food source. A single Big brown bat can eat between 3,000 and 7,000 mosquitos in a night, with large populations of bats consuming thousands of tons of potentially harmful forest and agricultural pests annually. Permanent wet areas are critical because they supply water and a consistent insect supply. Flying Mammals Bats are the only mammals capable of true flight. Their wings are like hands with skin stretched between modified finger bones.