Bats Aren't That Bad.

Desert Dweller · Guru

Bats Aren't That Bad.

El Gringo · Senior Member

Fact 5.
Don't try to touch one, even a dead one. Just one scratch and you will likely get Lyssa (spelling?) Virus.
It's deadly, a close variant of Rabies.
If you do get even a slight scratch, go and get treatment immediately.
This is not scaremongering, it is a fact, happened to my wife.
Leave the bloody things alone.

Cheers,

Cupie · Guru

I feed them & the possums on mangoes regularly.

They invariably get to them before me. Bastards!

Put a net over the tree one year but only managed to catch one & didn't save too many mangoes. Called the bat rescue person who came out & took it away, while giving me a VERY hard time in the process. Won't call her next time.

laurieoz · Senior Member

Desert Dweller wrote:
In recent times we've camped in a few areas where there are a lot of fruit bats (flying foxes). While staying in these places we've spoken to many people that seem to have the wrong idea about these animals to the point of hysteria in some cases.
We've done some research & come up with these FACTS.
1. Bat guano is no more acidic than bird poo if it gets on your cars paintwork (it is best removed promptly though).
2. Bats are very clean animals.
3. If they poo or wee in your pets water or food bowl your pet won't die.
4. If they pee in your eyes you won't go blind or get Hendra Virus.
We reckon they're cute little buggers even though they tend to be a nuisance to some fruit growers.
Cheers Keith & Judy

If you like them so much, maybe come to my place and collect a few hundred and take them home for pets
I am sure there are a lot of fruit growers also that will make you the same offer

Desert Dweller · Guru

El Gringo wrote:
Fact 5.
Don't try to touch one, even a dead one. Just one scratch and you will likely get Lyssa (spelling?) Virus.
It's deadly, a close variant of Rabies.
If you do get even a slight scratch, go and get treatment immediately.
This is not scaremongering, it is a fact, happened to my wife.
Leave the bloody things alone.

Cheers,

Whoops, forgot to warn about the dangers of playing with bat carcasses! We didn't advocate playing with live ones either. Great to see some instant emotional responses to our thread! Bats tend to do that to many people as we have posted.

-- Edited by Desert Dweller on Friday 29th of January 2016 02:36:24 PM

JackoFJR · Senior Member

We have camped where has been thousands of the bloody things , my trigger finger got really itchy , I could only imagine sitting there all day with a brick or 2 of .22 bullets and a couple of cases of shotgun shells .

rainy1850 · Senior Member

My uncle got scratched trying to get one out of his fruit netting. He is from Geelong. He was sent off to hospital, then had to have painful injections for weeks from the health department to make sure that it helped the virus if he contacted. My understanding, there is no cure

Graden · Veteran Member

Oh migosh, I also have a problem with bats, but I cant find their roosting place to remove them. I keep being told from SWMBO that they are in my belfry, but, wont tell me where that is!!!

gemmybob · Veteran Member

If there's bats in the area, just move on, they are dangerous dirty noisy critters. They carry dangerous virus that cross species, virus you can easily catch, including Lyssa virus. My wife caught a virus from coming into contact with their urine spray, that made her skin photo sensitive. That is, every time the sun shone on her skin, she came out in nasty rashes and bleeding blisters that were both painful and ugly. We thought it was incurable for a long time as the medical profession had no answers for us. It was an old retired Pharmacist that made a brew up on the chance it may work, lucky for her it did.
My recommendation is, enjoy them only at a distance only, 20 kilometers would be a great starting point.

As a foot note, most doctors in the northern states have been inoculated against rabies, in case of a Lyssa virus out break, be very careful when dealing with these nasty creatures.

-- Edited by gemmybob on Friday 29th of January 2016 06:01:28 PM

-- Edited by gemmybob on Friday 29th of January 2016 06:05:58 PM

jules47 · The Happy Helper

In Boonah, SE QLD, there were literally thousands of bats, of different species, roosting(?) in an area that was far too small for the numbers. They were ruining the trees and vegetation in the park (Jubilee Park) - the smell was horrendous, you could smell them as you entered the town from the Cunningham Highway. People who owned lovely homes above where the bats were "hanging" about were indundated with the smell, the poo, the pee and the constant noise. The value in their homes went down dramatically.

When they took off to head off south in the evenings, they were almost three kilometres wide, and took half an hour to pass us by!!!! That is a LOT of bats!

There was much controversy about the issue, and one Saturday afternoon a couple of guys took matters into their own hands and tried to burn the area down. They were caught by police. At least the matter had come to a head - and not long after there was a concentrated effort to deal with the bats. Trees were chopped down, and the area cleaned up. Most of the bats moved on, leaving a small colony I believe. Much to the relief of the locals.

bats boonah.jpg

Desert Dweller · Guru

Lots of Bat STORIES here , keep 'em coming. For friendly little guys they aren't too popular it seems. They're actually another wonderful species of Australian wildlife to be enjoyed by us all.

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

Something to read - http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/environment/factsheets/Pages/flying-foxes-questions.aspx

I guess a bit like -

if you swim in the ocean - beware of sharks;
if you walk in long grass in the bush - beware of snakes;
if you put your hand in a web - beware of a spider;
if you cross a busy street - beware of motor vehicles;
if you drive a motor vehicle - beware of other drivers;
if you leave a door/window unlocked in the city - beware of home invasion;
if you walk a city street at night - be aware.

The list could go on I guess - the secret of life is to just "be aware". hmm

But then again, as Amanda McBroom wrote

Its the soul afraid of dyin'

That never learns to live.

Cheers - John

Desert Dweller · Guru

Like we originally stated, bats cause mass hysteria in ordinary folk.

Izabarack · Guru

More chance of being bitten by a Zombie than catching a bat borne virus. Warnings about not handling bats if not vaccinated are valid but how many people a week catch bat cooties if they leave them alone. We have had a colony of microbats living in the bedroom wall for more than 10 years. They keep the insect population under control and we benefit. Gray Headed Flying Foxes are welcome here as they pollinate so many of the native trees; we need more native trees given the rate of tree cleaning.

I'm more concerned about Funnel Web spiders.

Iza

03_Troopy · Guru

We have a couple of palm trees in the surrounding neighbours places, that the flying foxes like to roost in. They eat the yellow fruit and crap all over the washing, the car, the van, the house and if it not removed very soon afterwards it sets like vinyl and is very difficult to remove. The bat crap also removes decals from your van very easily too, maybe a good one to post in hints and tips.

brickies · Guru

People that love bats me think they don't live next to them .

Cupie · Guru

Izabarack wrote:
More chance of being bitten by a Zombie than catching a bat borne virus. Warnings about not handling bats if not vaccinated are valid but how many people a week catch bat cooties if they leave them alone. We have had a colony of microbats living in the bedroom wall for more than 10 years. They keep the insect population under control and we benefit. Gray Headed Flying Foxes are welcome here as they pollinate so many of the native trees; we need more native trees given the rate of tree cleaning.

I'm more concerned about Funnel Web spiders.

Iza

An article about Microbats & Lyssavirus ...

http://www.warwickdailynews.com.au/news/microbats-blamed-for-viral-infection-in-horses/1878590/

Another about Flying Fox attack (Both these articles are rather dated)

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/flying-foxes-flew-into-a-frenzy-during-attack-on-woman/story-e6frg8y6-1226150272012

When someone else is holding then securely, they do have a rather 'cute' face.

...................................................................................................................

Just straying off topic as usual ..

I have dozens of golden orb spiders in my backyard despite SWMBO trying to get me to eradicate them. No Funnel webs though but lots of Redbacks.

From A Qld Museum fact sheet on Funnel Web Spiders ...

Funnel-web Spiders are one of the most feared spiders in Australia. Few people are unaware of the notorious Sydney Funnel-web and its frequent run-ins with the residents of the New South Wales capital. And for good reason: Funnel-web Spiders are the most dangerous spiders in Australia, potentially the world. There are 35 named species of Funnel-web Spiders that belong to the Family Hexathelidae, a family closely allied with Trapdoors and Tarantulas, all of which belong to a larger group: the Mygalomorphae. The mygalomorph spiders are a primitive group of spiders characterised by having parallel, rearward pointing fangs. Within the Hexathelidae there are three genera of Funnel-web Spiders, Atrax, Hadronyche and Illawarra. The three species of Atrax are known from the Sydney region (including the Sydney Funnel-web, Atrax robustus) into eastern Victoria; Illawarra wisharti occurs just south of Sydney but Hadronyche species are found across a much broader distribution along the east coast of Australia (Figure 1), with at least six species known from Queensland. Around Brisbane, Funnel-webs are found at the base of Mt Coot-tha, in Daisy Hill Forest Park and adjacent parts of Springwood, and have recently been discovered in Newmarket. Their distribution in Queensland is much more restricted than southern populations due to their tendency to inhabit moist, cool rainforest situations; unlike their southern counterparts where they also occur in drier eucalypt forests. Funnel-webs are extremely rare in lowland areas of Queensland within their distribution as shown in Figure 1.

.........................................................

Qld Museum Fact sheet on Golden Orb (weaver) Spiders

Golden orb-weavers (Nephila spp) are found throughout the warmer regions of the world in Africa, the southern United States, South America, and the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia. Five species are found within the Asia-Pacific region. They always have large female and tiny male spiders and use yellow silk in their webs. In Australia female Golden Orb-weavers are perhaps our most familiar spiders. They are conspicuous and suspend their spectacular yellow-tinged webs across open spaces. The web Golden Orb-weavers build their web in a classic wheel-shape with spoke-like threads radiating from a hub. An outer frame of stiff support threads connect the web to trees, wires, or other supports which may be spaced many metres apart. Lying across the supporting spoke threads are finer and more elastic threads that encircle the hub in parallel rows. These are armed with beads of glue to snare flying insects. The female hangs waiting at the hub with her front legs facing downwards. The hub is not central, but rather set closer to the top edge of the web. The web creates a sensory zone for the spider extending far beyond her slender feet. Spiders are ultrasensitive to vibrations transmitted through surfaces, so the web gives the spider a tactile reach of about 1 metre. The size and strength of orb webs is one of the remarkable feats of engineering in the animal kingdom. The largest orb webs are those built by Golden Orb-weavers. When an insect hits an orb web, the capture threads can stretch to 2.7 times their original length as they absorb the insects energy. Amazingly, even though an insect only contacts a few threads when it hits a web, these can be strong enough to hold strongly-flying insects. On rare occasions the web may accidentally entangle small birds. Accordingly Golden Orbweavers are sometimes referred to as one of the bird-eating spiders. However, this is a misleading name. Most of the web is flat, but there are some accessory lines such as the extra set of sparse barrier threads set away from the surface of the main web. These probably help protect the spider from predators such as birds. Directly above where the female sits, she hangs a vertical chain of silk-wrapped dead insects. This has been referred to as a food cache; insects are added to it when conditions are good and are used up when food is scarce.

Are Golden Orb Weaver spiders poisonous?

The venom of the golden silk orb-weaver is potent but not lethal to humans. It has a neurotoxic effect similar to that of the black widowspider; however, its venom is not nearly as powerful. The bite causes local pain, redness, and blisters that normally disappear within a 24-hour interval.

Now .. Back to Flying foxes .......

-- Edited by Cupie on Saturday 30th of January 2016 10:45:53 AM

Izabarack · Guru

How many die from bee stings each year? Might be useful to compare to death rates from Lyssavirus before hiding under the bed once the sun goes down.

On a more serious note, if the farmers stopped knocking down the trees, bats would not be invading the cities in search of somewhere to live.

Iza

jules47 · The Happy Helper

jules47 wrote:
In Boonah, SE QLD, there were literally thousands of bats, of different species, roosting(?) in an area that was far too small for the numbers. They were ruining the trees and vegetation in the park (Jubilee Park) - the smell was horrendous, you could smell them as you entered the town from the Cunningham Highway. People who owned lovely homes above where the bats were "hanging" about were indundated with the smell, the poo, the pee and the constant noise. The value in their homes went down dramatically.

When they took off to head off south in the evenings, they were almost three kilometres wide, and took half an hour to pass us by!!!! That is a LOT of bats!

There was much controversy about the issue, and one Saturday afternoon a couple of guys took matters into their own hands and tried to burn the area down. They were caught by police. At least the matter had come to a head - and not long after there was a concentrated effort to deal with the bats. Trees were chopped down, and the area cleaned up. Most of the bats moved on, leaving a small colony I believe. Much to the relief of the locals.

It was said that the major influx of bats in Boonah came from North Stradbroke (Island) after a large fire there.

Cruising Cruze · Guru

You would not talk like this if them gritters were holding house in your back yard with 80000 at the time

Phillipn · Guru

Desert Dweller wrote:
In recent times we've camped in a few areas where there are a lot of fruit bats (flying foxes). While staying in these places we've spoken to many people that seem to have the wrong idea about these animals to the point of hysteria in some cases.
We've done some research & come up with these FACTS.
1. Bat guano is no more acidic than bird poo if it gets on your cars paintwork (it is best removed promptly though).
2. Bats are very clean animals.
3. If they poo or wee in your pets water or food bowl your pet won't die.
4. If they pee in your eyes you won't go blind or get Hendra Virus.
We reckon they're cute little buggers even though they tend to be a nuisance to some fruit growers.
Cheers Keith & Judy

Desert Dweller, you are a crazy greenie.

Hey Jim · Guru

Hi Keith & Judy,

They eat my Mango's, eat the neighbors mullberry's and Mango's and take off so full they let fly over the top of our property. Poop all over the pool, allways get the driveway.

They are like B52 bombers and never miss.

Not before time, A proper cull to keep e'm in check. Just as bad as the rabbits. If it were your income getting the chomp, you would see it from our prospective.

They just love disco balls with three lights set at 30deg, 55deg. 68deg, Stuffs up their radar. biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin

Hey Jim & Lambie

Desert Dweller · Guru

Phillipn wrote:

Desert Dweller, you are a crazy greenie.

Thank you, we'll take that as a compliment.

dorian · Guru

AIUI, bats are responsible for ebola transmission in Africa, yet I don't recall anyone suggesting that the bat caves be fumigated. Is it because we value bats more highly than a bunch of n*ggers? If so, do we value bats more highly than chimps and gorillas? What do you do when one protected (?) species threatens the survival of another protected species? (n*ggers aren't protected, AFAIK.)

-- Edited by dorian on Sunday 31st of January 2016 08:23:22 AM

03_Troopy · Guru

Because flying foxes use sonar to detect objects, light won't upset their navigation system. Disco balls more likely just scare the flying foxes. Maybe an ultra sonic chirper will disorientate them?

Laser light show generators seem to have an effect on them.

Moorey · Senior Member

This is my second attempt. I think I pushed the wrong button and sent the original into hyperspace so if one day it lands in a not so appropriate section I will apologize ahead.

The problem with bats (and there is one) is man made. Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, Australian wildlife used to cull themselves during drought or seasons of low food yield by not breeding. With the arrival of settlers and food production, an abundant source of food was readily available for bats all year round. There has to be a solution to the reduction in numbers and relocation of these colonies as we cannot have a safe, clean and productive Australia with the present restrictions. Farmers Councils and residents should not be prevented from moving these colonies on. A solution has to be found where bats are restricted to food supplies in an attempt to move them to area of lower food yield thus allowing a natural culling process. The answers to this problem and the solution is not an easy or short term one but it is not helped with extreme views from parties for and against the status quo. Maybe one day these extreme groups will button up and allow the more leveled headed participants to input useful ideas and come up with a viable solution. I remember growing up in the Townsville area and did not have the numbers of bats that we are currently seeing flying over the City every night. (I won't get started on ibis's, minor birds or cat owners who allow there ferel cats to roam at night unchecked and not desexed).

I will now put my little soapbox away and go back to learning to play a guitar. My fingers remind me of my five daughters whenever we used to go camping continuing to call out are we there yet, NO.

Have a nice day

Dave