Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Enlighten Me: Bats in the First State

DNREC

You could call this week a little “batty.”

It’s “Bat Week” - an international celebration of the role of bats in nature. And Halloween is Sunday, with bats a staple of that holiday’s frightful decorations.

But in reality, biologists say our environment would be a more frightening place without bats.

In this week’s Enlighten Me, Delaware Public Media’s Joe Irizarry chats with Holly Niederriter, a bat expert with DNREC, about this often-misunderstood creature.

Delaware Public Media’s Joe Irizarry interviews DNREC wildlife biologist Holly Niederriter about bats in Delaware

While bats are a prominent part of Halloween decorations and costumes, there are many misconceptions about them.

Even though they are a Halloween staple, bats are more likely to be seen in Delaware during the spring and summer months, and they are not the villain many portray.

Bats carry rabies, but they’re not a major carrier with less than one half of one percent of all bats tested for rabies coming up positive.

And bats are not aggressive in nature - and unlikely to come after the people since the biggest bat in Delaware - with its wings spread - is as big as our hands.

DNREC wildlife biologist Holly Niederriter says one might fly close to you, but that’s got nothing to do with a popular myth about bats

"There's no benefit to the bat to get caught in your hair, there's no benefit to the bat to hit you accidentally so they're not going to get caught in your hair, but that might swoop close to get the food that you've got around you," said Niederriter. "'Blind as a bat' is something that I hear a lot, That's another misconception. They can actually see as well as we can as night."

Niederriter adds that bats are known to use landmarks to navigate during the night - as well as echolocation.

Niederriter also explains how bats can actually be good for the environment.

"Because they do eat a lot of insects that are considered pest species to us mosquitoes, they eat moths that also eat our farmed food," she said.

Niederriter notes bats are cleaner than most think as they groom themselves daily, and the mothers groom their young the way humans take care of their children.

Stay Connected
Joe brings over 20 years of experience in news and radio to Delaware Public Media and the All Things Considered host position. He joined DPM in November 2019 as a reporter and fill-in ATC host after six years as a reporter and anchor at commercial radio stations in New Castle and Sussex Counties.