How many bathouses would I need on 8 acres of land to keep mosquitoes and other insects down?
Answers:
Purple Martin houses are more effective.
Other answers:
Bats aren't your solution I am sorry to say.
Bats are an ineffective choice for mosquito control!
"Attract bats to your backyard with a bat-roost box and your mosquito problems are over. Right? Wrong! Studies have shown that while bats devour a huge number of insects, mosquitoes are only a small part of their diet. A study of fecal pellets of bats in Indiana conducted throughout an entire summer revealed that the primary food items were beetles, moths, and leafhoppers. A very small number of mosquitoes (0.7%) were found in the stomachs of bats in another study. Bats are "selective opportunists" when it comes to their feeding habits, and they will take a variety of prey. Why take a scrawny little mosquito when you can have a fat juicy moth? Unfortunately, mosquitoes are just not a significant part of their diet. The evidence from stomach analysis and feces examination does not justify the hypothesis that insectivorous bats specialize on particular types of insects."
Recently the Colorado Department of Public Health advised that bats can be infected with rabies, and that attempting to attract bats to your yard may increase the potential for human disease.
With that large of a property your best bet will be to do a thorough check for standing water. If you find any, either eliminate the source, empty the container, or fill in the hole.
Some of the "chemicals" on the market today are fantastic. Specifically, the larvicide Bti (bacillus thuringiensis israeliensis) is an effective choice for mosquito control because it ONLY AFFECTS MOSQUITO LARVAE! It reacts specifically to the gut pH of the mosquito larvae. It can be found at most hardware stores.
Good luck, and realize that the best way to reduce mosquito populations is to reduce the available water for them to breed in. Bats aren't the answer.
Bats aren't your solution I am sorry to say.
Bats are an ineffective choice for mosquito control!
"Attract bats to your backyard with a bat-roost box and your mosquito problems are over. Right? Wrong! Studies have shown that while bats devour a huge number of insects, mosquitoes are only a small part of their diet. A study of fecal pellets of bats in Indiana conducted throughout an entire summer revealed that the primary food items were beetles, moths, and leafhoppers. A very small number of mosquitoes (0.7%) were found in the stomachs of bats in another study. Bats are "selective opportunists" when it comes to their feeding habits, and they will take a variety of prey. Why take a scrawny little mosquito when you can have a fat juicy moth? Unfortunately, mosquitoes are just not a significant part of their diet. The evidence from stomach analysis and feces examination does not justify the hypothesis that insectivorous bats specialize on particular types of insects."
Recently the Colorado Department of Public Health advised that bats can be infected with rabies, and that attempting to attract bats to your yard may increase the potential for human disease.
With that large of a property your best bet will be to do a thorough check for standing water. If you find any, either eliminate the source, empty the container, or fill in the hole.
Some of the "chemicals" on the market today are fantastic. Specifically, the larvicide Bti (bacillus thuringiensis israeliensis) is an effective choice for mosquito control because it ONLY AFFECTS MOSQUITO LARVAE! It reacts specifically to the gut pH of the mosquito larvae. It can be found at most hardware stores.
Good luck, and realize that the best way to reduce mosquito populations is to reduce the available water for them to breed in. Bats aren't the answer.