Going Batty
By: Ray Doughty
Updated: June 15, 2010
Mosquito season has homeowners going to war.
The biting bugs are invading yards nationwide and people on the quest for the best repellant are finding some surprising solutions.
Many are turning to bat houses.
Bats love eating bugs.
Bat houses start at around $60 and some stores can't keep them in stock.
Expert gardener Leslie Finical Halleck says the bat houses help, but may not be an ultimate solution.
"They are not going to solve your mosquito problem," she warns "By attracting a house full of bats to your garden you are not going to eradicate your mosquito situation, they will take care of some of it for you."
She recommends some of the chemical-free sprays and mosquito dunks that kill mosquito larva in standing water, as well as Horse Tail reed, a plant that attracts dragonflies, another mosquito predator.
The American Mosquito Control Association says bats feed mainly on moths, beetles and wasps.
Only one percent of their diet is mosquitoes, depending on what's available.
