Food: What do bats eat?

What native bats eat and how they prey on their food depends on the species in question. Because the insectivors differ not only in appearance, but also when hunting.

What are insectivors?

Animals that feed mainly or entirely on insects are called insectivors. These can be, among others, the following types:

• To fly
• Beetles and ground beetles
• Larvae
• Moths or butterflies
• Mosquitoes
• be crazy

Which animals are preferred and how the bats hunt their food depends on the respective species.

Great mouse-eared mouse

Bats of the species "large mouse-eared bat" are also known as giant bat and have the scientific name "Myotis myotis". They reach a length of about 7.2 centimeters and are mainly found in wooded regions.

The hunting behavior is adjusted accordingly. The animals fly close to the forest floor and prey on insects. These are mainly:

• Centipede
• Beetle larvae
• Ground beetle
• be crazy

Giant noctule bat

The scientific name of the noctule bat is Nyctalus lasiopterus and it hunts in the air. Although the animals are only about ten centimeters long, they often fly several hundred meters above the ground and hunt their prey like a bird of prey in a dive. These bats mainly eat:

• flying beetles
• large moths
• smaller migratory birds, especially in autumn

Water bat

Diving bats, as the name suggests, catch their food near bodies of water. Rivers, lakes but also larger ponds in parks and gardens serve the Myotis daubentonii as hunting grounds. Due to the small size of only 4.4 centimeters, their food consists primarily of smaller, flying insects such as:

• smaller dragonflies
• Caddis flies
• Mosquitoes
• Water strider
• Mosquitoes

Note: However, the water bat is not only able to hunt just above the surface. Smaller fish, larvae and other aquatic life can also serve as food.

Pipistrelle

The pipistrelle bat Pipistrellus pipistrellus weighs only about five grams and is about four centimeters long. Due to the low weight and small size, the prey animals are also very small. Popular food for these bats includes:

• To fly
• smaller moths and butterflies
• Mosquitoes

Note: Since, like other bats, they hunt during twilight and at night, they can often be found around street lamps. Because the insects are attracted by the light and lamps are an ideal point of attraction.

Help bats

To help the different bat species find food, some measures can be taken. These include, among others:

1. do without insecticides: If agents are used to control insects, two problems arise at the same time. For one, the number of insects is reduced, which reduces the amount of food for the bat population. On the other hand, insects that have already been poisoned can also harm bats.
   
2. Bat boxes: A special bat box offers shelter and protection for the animals, some of which are threatened with extinction. This allows them to settle on the property or at least temporarily stay in the garden.
   
3. Insect Hotels: By setting up insect hotels, the food for the different bat species is attracted. They also make a valuable contribution to nature conservation.
   
4. Garden pond: A garden pond that is as large as possible with a stepped bank area is a wonderful enrichment for your own greenery. It is the habitat for a multitude of animals, serves as a source of water for the local fauna and attracts numerous insects. The same applies to rain barrels.
   
5. night lighting: Light sources mainly attract mosquitoes and moths at night. An energy-saving or solar-powered variant can serve bats as an ideal source of food, protect the environment and keep mosquito infestation low.
   
6. natural corners: Natural sections in the garden, like garden ponds or watercourses, are a valuable contribution to the animal world and are by no means only used by bats. In addition to numerous insects, hedgehogs also find shelter here. Pile of leaves, taller grass, stacks of branches - if you have the option, you should let at least a small area in the garden run wild.

The support in foraging also has some advantages for garden owners. Since the bats mainly eat insects, they eliminate numerous annoyances and pests. Due to their high energy requirements, they sometimes eat up to ten insects per minute. This also makes them particularly efficient at eliminating mosquitoes and the like.

Bat beds

Another possibility to attract one or the other bat and provide it with food is to create so-called bat beds. Flowering plants that bloom at night, are rich in nectar and give off an intense scent belong on this bed.
These include, for example:

• common catchfly
• Soapwort
• Chicory

The plants attract moths with their scent, which in turn represent an important source of food for nocturnal mammals.
Various shrubs have a similar effect, such as:

• elder
• liguster
• Snowball
• Buddleia

Create a bat garden

In principle, creating a bat garden is very easy if a few basic points are observed. The following factors are important:

• varied planting
• flowering plants
• long grass
• natural design
• Fruit trees
• Compost heaps with nettles and weeds in the area

Instead of a short lawn, the grass should be allowed to grow higher in at least one area. Weeds - for example around the compost heap - also attract insects and thus provide food for the bats.
Also suitable for planting are:

• lilac
• Lilies
• Cloves
• Roses

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