THE BATS OF WEST BELLFORT KHOU-TV has tape of the newest residents of the Idlewood Park Apartments at 11675 West Bellfort, just east of Kirkwood: A colony of bats that’s been living inside the walls of at least one building. An animal removal specialist from Trutech has installed a bat valve on a portion of the building’s second story. “They come out during feeding time which is between 5:30 a.m. and 6:15 a.m. They may have been in there for weeks, possibly months, but residents didn’t tell management until earlier this week. A resident shot video of the bats leaving for the morning and showed it to management. . . . ‘We will be here every day for two weeks to monitor what’s happening and to see what occurs with this. Because of the video, we saw there were a large number of bats, so this won’t be overnight where they are going to get out and fly out,’ said [Trutech’s Derek] van Delft.” [11 News]
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I hope there is a way to relocate or provide them with a place to live. Not to get a animal rights squishy or anything, but bats are one the best natural defenses we have for mosquitos and other flying insects.
When I saw the title of the post, I was hoping it was another bridge in the city with a large bat population. Watching the bats fly out at the Waugh Bridge by Allen Parkway is a beautiful site at dusk. Who needs to go to Austin or even Carlsbad Caverns to see this? I’ve been to both, but it’s neat to have it here in Houston too.
I know. I’m so glad there are signs promoting the Waugh bridge colony now. They’re really starting to draw an audience at dusk.
Maybe a new slogan for the city? “Houston: we have a bat bridge, too!”
I was reading on a bat conservation site that bat juveniles are left behind while the mother hunts, and that if they’re born in May, they often can’t fly until July. Bats only have one offspring a year. I wonder if Trutech is sure that the juveniles will be able to get out before they close off the space.