Organic Foods: Alternative Pest Control: Bats

Organic food is certainly susceptible to pests as much as "conventional" food; the main difference is that certified organic food cannot use pesticides without possibility of their certification being stripped and not reinstated for up to three years. Instead, many organic farmers must depend on permaculture techniques or organic pest control: beneficial insects, small birds and companion planting are some methods employed in organic farming.

The USDA has an entire series of videos on YouTube which give information on environment, sustainable farming, organic farming, the importance of local food (economically and healthfully) and other subjects within the realm of the USDA. Granted, the USDA is interested in many parts of food production, but it's good to see them promoting different avenues of agriculture including organic, sustainable and elements of permaculture.

The following video discusses using bats as an organic pest control method. Merlin Tuttle, Bat Conservation International, says that "This is a Mexican free-tailed bat. And tonight this one bat is capable of catching up to 40 or more corn earworm or armyworm moths over surrounding croplands. Each one of those moths could be carrying as much as a thousand eggs. Many organic farmers are now relying heavily on bats in integrated pest management. They build houses for up to 2000 bats at a time in their orchards and several have actually ceased using pesticides as a result of having successfully attracted bats."

Bats also act in the same manner as other small birds, butterflies and bees in aiding pollination, small rodent population control and fertilization with their rich guano.  Some farmers build bat-boxes to encourage bats on their farms or otherwise encourage bat-friendly habitats which include clean water runoff from the farms themselves.

Treating the farm, homestead or urban garden in a manner that co-exists with the natural world truly is in the line of permculture in which organic food is best grown. Employing bats to encourage safe pest control while depositing fresh fertilizer could be the answer to replace even certain types of machinery along with the pesticides.

Along with bees and butterflies, bats can help boost an otherwise lacking landscape into one that produces enough natural, healthy food to feed an entire community as well as preserve natural resources with clean watersheds and healthy soil. Organic foods just gets better all the time!

Photo credit: USDA Video Still of Merlin Tuttle and the Mexican Free-Tailed Bat