To be honest the only thing I have ever heard was that bats carried diseases and were bad things to have around. I put them in the same category as rats as mentioned in the video. I was obviously misinformed...as were all four of us here at the house that night... and for those of you who let me know that in a nice way I appreciate it and I am changing my actions towards them and making a donation to a bat foundation as a result.

Cheers,
DJ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Opensourcep...illing-bat.html

Awesome !!!! You rock !!!!

Oh my goodness thank you DJ!!!

I would really love to meet you one day. You absolutely rock!

Nice to read DJ. I didn't think you were being mean in your own mind, so nice of you to recognize that this would upset others.

You do rock as everyone says!

lol, wow. That's very sweet..

Farmers put "Bat Boxes" on there farms to promote their living there. They take care of bugs by feeding off of them. They are some the best creatures to have around.

You can kill the spiders. They were trespassing. They should have know better or they just really didn't care.

We have a bat house in our back yard. It helps control the mosquitos and house about 150 bats. The bat house also keeps them from moving in to our home.

Here is some info about bats:

One bat can consume up to 1200 mosquitoes in one hour.
Myth: Bats are birds.
Fact: Bats are the only flying mammals in the world. (Flying squirrels do not fly, they glide!)

Myth: Bats are blind.
Fact: Bats can see quite well.

Myth: All bats bite and carry rabies and dieseases.
Fact: Not all bats carry diseases.Less than one-half of one percent of bats contract rabies. However, a grounded bat should never be handled because it may bite in self-defense. Call a wildlife rehabilitator or an animal organization for help.

Myth: Bats are rodents.
Fact: Bats are not related to rodents. In fact, fruit bats may soon be reclassified as primates!

Thank you for rethinking your actions DJ. I am sure at the time, it was pretty fun/funny and exciting.

We know you are a good guy!

Like I posted in the other thread...if you wake up with scratches on your body that weren't there in the morning...you gotta do something about it.

Dude, you didn't have to do that. Sorry for reacting to that one. I usually don't, so that was a little out of character for me. I'm not a super activist about anything really. Anyway, it brought back to mind a funny story my aunt told me. In like Boston or some place back east there's this big bridge over a river and there's parks made on either bank of the river where the bridge hits land. Tons of people go there to relax and hang out. Well I guess a colony of bats had grown pretty big under the bridge and the visitors to the parks didn't like the sight of the bats though the bats were always asleep when the people were there, they just didn't like to see them. So the people petitioned for the removal of the bats and the city obliged. Within a month the insect population had erupted and the people couldn't figure out what had happened. The BATS WERE GONE! Oops. So the people petitioned for the bats return. Silly people. Nature has a way, and it's often better than ours. Sometimes I guess there's things we need and have no idea we do.

DJ, by now you should no I totally dig you man. I'd be beating a dead horse saying it again. So thanks for seeing another side man. Did you ever get any of my emails BTW?

Later all!

There is actually a bat foundation, is that for real? If so, in my opinion, I think there may be better uses for ones money, like like cockroach condos perhaps;)

Is this a joke??? Are you serious??? I am sorry I love everyone here on OSP but someone actually gave you a hard time for killing a bat? Maybe it is just the way people are raised, I was raised with boys that shot at everything. I am sorry I am just in shock.

I'm a caver and I love bats. Bats need friends, too. I'm sooo glad I didn't catch your original story first and got this one instead. I would have been sad. I was also going to suggest a bat house. If you do it right, they will stay out of your house and keep the bugs away! I have really awesome stuff about bat houses and info that will make it a success. Definitely avoid certain types of bat houses because they don't really work for all types of bats, you need ones specific to your area. PM if you want any info!
And that goes for anyone! Especially if you have water near your home! The bats will seriosuly keep away a lot of your unwanted bugs!

DJ,
I just read about this really good animal organzation.

www.batcon.org

Really garet site with REAL info about bats, awesome bat houses and instructions on how to make them work in your area.

Just incase anyone wants the info!

You kill -atts at the Freedom House?

*thinks back to when I was invited*

*thinks he'll decline, politely*

I had the occasional bat in my house when I lived in Germany. The first one was coerced out of the house with the strategic opening and closing of doors leading outside. The next one declined to negotiate and he got the Babe Ruth treatment with a broom.

If I didn't invite you into my house and you aren't paying rent you better know where the exits are at.

The third bat (and this is interesting) sat on our floor for three days unnoticed. It ends up that bats can't start flying off of a horizontal surface, that's why they cling to walls or hang on the ceiling. So this bat somehow got on our floor and was dying - my wife found him and was going to clean him up thinking he was a hairball from our cats, until he started moving
I was called into action and I scooped him up, took him outside and gave him some water to drink. He went right to it - tiny little bat tongue lapping up the water into his little evil looking bat face. He got his fill and limped into the bushes, hopefully to live another bat day - outside of my house.

DJ - I'm pro-choice on this one. Kill 'em or don't, it's your house.
I do wish I would have had your gun in Deutschland though instead of a broom!

apology accepted

I don't know what this is about...I'm hoping it's just a joke? I can't imagine why anyone would kill a bat. They're friendly, fascinating creatures who eat insects.

About four years ago Krystal and I had the honor of creating the University of Florida Alumni Calendar, and the theme was "UF at night." One of our concept images was, of course, the bats flying out of the bat house.

Any UF student can tell you about the significance of the bat house. It was built so the multitude of bats who live underneath the buildings around the University of Florida could have a real home.

I tried my best to capture the majesty of the bats flying out of the house each night, and the elation of students watching them go. It's kind of a tradition on campus...you have to watch the bats. Krystal's on the left, and our delightful friend Aya is on the right. And yes, we all got peed on during the shoots

We spent three nights on this project, and talked each night with an insightful young woman who studied bats and their migratory patterns.

One day, I would love to take this photo again.

i love that photo! oh and its not ok to kill spiders. scoop them up and put them outside. spiders have a reason to be here, your 1000 x bigger than they are, dont be such fraidy cats.

I was raised to appreciate nature, and bats are wonderful, so... yeah, I think it's how you are brought up.

ETA (not that your values are wrong!)

I have a spider jar When I see one (which is rare) I just scoop it up in the jar, show it to the kids, and take it outside.

I did kill one spider last week - but he was a nasty poisonous one - I was kindof afraid he might come back. (I still feel bad about it)

What about roaches, ticks and mosquitoes? Are those okay to kill? Trying to figure out which animals are okay to kill and which ones aren't. I think my general rule is, if it makes our skin crawl by looking at it and it's in our house and it could crawl on me, my wife or my daughter when we're sleeping, it's dead. But I try to make it a painless as possible by giving the bug some nitrous oxide beforehand.

Put up a bat box for the mosquitoes...

Yeah, I see what you mean... I hate bugs, but my husband will pick them up and throw them outside. roaches are pests, ticks & mosquitos carry diseases... I dunno! Whatever it is, it's way smaller than me- so if I can redirect it outside that's always my first option.

(except roaches)


(do we have a Buddhist on OSP? I wonder what their take is)

I wondered about this video as soon as it was posted- I thought he is brave for putting this up someone will tear him apart for sure! I guess it happened......especially after the sweet loving rescue of the hummingbird last year.

I am not buddist.....but I would love to learn more of their religion.

What about scorpions??? Are they OK to smooosh?

Forunately, we do not have scorpions at our home, my inlaws do and I have been stung by one- as has my son when he was 4. No matter what- my inlaws kill them when they see one

I usually cringe at the site and then go and get my husband or someone else
After being stung, I do not want to get near them.

We're close to the base of the SanTan's so we get a few scorpions. We have a blacklight to see them at night, they glow bright green. They totally creep me out. I scream, smoosh and scream some more.

I THINK THIS SHOULD BOTHER MORE PEOPLE!!!! LOL



J/K - I saw the update and the "bat adoption" - that's good but .. I guess unique to you DJ. hehe

First thing I thought when they let you adopt a bat was "he doesn't get to release it in the living room to practice with, right?" lol

I wasn't opposed when I thought he was referring to cats... but I'd hate to see you gunned down with a ridiculously silly looking pellet gun

That is one TM demerit for you!!!!

Seriuosly? I need a black light then! We've got quite a few bats in our back yard.

LOL... Scorpions glow bright green, not sure about bats.

BUT>>>> If you thow up a tennis ball at night the bats will catch it... My kids tried it.

ETA: They only grab it for a brief second then drop it...

I wonder if they'll catch a tennis-ball-colored skeet...??? PULL!

Compared to the 5,253 that you have I guess I'm doing alright I wonder if we dressed you up in a fuzzy neon green suit and threw you off a roof if they'd catch you

Fifteen-love.

I obviously am not a role model.

No, quite obviously not.

ok the tennis ball suit? hillarious...

see, I'm allergic to mosquitos- I swell up like crazy! So bats are AMAZING to me One common brown bat will eat about 34 tons of mosquitos in it's lifetime!! GO BATS!

As far as killing bugs? In our house we have a spider height rule. We have vaulted ceilings and if they come within head height, they are toast.

See, I am all for killing something that could harm you and they are in your home. Scorpions, spiders that bite or things like that.

Bats have no interest in you, I promise.

you would positively freak out in my house. i live in an old old house in england - where the spiders come in from the cold. seriously. i have learned to live with them because i would be spending all my time hunting them down and capturing them if i didnt.

there was a big one that used to live behind the toilet. we had an agreement. he didnt come out when i was in there and i left him alone.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhahahahhahahahahahaah

i literally laughed out loud on that one.

dont worry dj we still love you. (just dont hurt any more or they might hurt you)

hahahhahahhahahaha that is so funny. There was a big one in our kitchen like that! Stay above and don't come down and we'll leave you alone.

Now here's one that will give you the willies- we have a pretty bad black widow problem in our garage. We've had some HUGE females down there and I am definitely not ok with them. But I completely FREAKED on my husband one night when he went to step on one instead of spraying it with the bug stuff we have down there- here's why....

One of my good friends lives in TX. She was in her garage with her 2 yr old daughter and came across a black widow. She's a tough chick, stomps on it and goes on. Well she feels sorta crawly around her ankle and looks down to see that she has thousands of little blond baby spaiders crawling ALL over her!!!!! The widow was carring an egg sack and stomping on it opened it up. She grabbed her daughter and ran out front to the hose and completely soaked themselves in freezing cold water to try and get them off. She stripped them both cause they were all over her clothes- then ran them upstairs and got into the shower. Her 2 yr old had them in her hair- everywhere. She ended up in the shower scrubbing until there was no more hot water and had to call a fumigator to clean out the house cause they had tracked them everywhere.

That story still gives me the heebie geebies!!!

ewwww... a chill just went down my spine.......

seriously though, spiders just dont bother me anymore. except for the big strong ones that sometimes come up the bathtub drain... the drain actually has a pipe that leads out of thehouse and into a drainage hole, which means... the pipe is open so sometimes we get spiders crawling up it which then end up in my tub. these are the big ones that can fight back if we try to smoosh them so i have to call my husband and he puts into action the 'catch and release' program we run . . .

Tami, you just got | --- --- | <----- that much cooler in my brain!

I'm thinking we need to have OSPUK at YOUR place, next Halloween!

the house comes complete with bats and owls....

When I was still single (go figure), I had a garden spider as a roommate one summer. My apartment opened up to the outside, but it didn't have a screen door. Always had flies and moths flying around from when I'd bring in groceries and left the door slightly ajar. One day, I noticed a garden spider making her web just inside the door. Black and yellow. About an inch, maybe inch and a half long body. Leg span about 3 inches. Characteristic Z zig-zag signature on her web.

Never had a problem with flies and moths again. I moved later that summer. Took her outside before I left because I wasn't sure the next tenant would be as amiable.


Eric