Life on Land icon

Batting Bugs Naturally

2017, Milliken, Colorado, USAbatting bugs colorado student action project

Devyn Wood
Roosevelt High School, Milliken, Colorado

When Devyn was a child, she lived in Washington State where there were hundreds of bats living near her home.  After moving to Colorado, she noticed there were few, if any, bats in the area of her new home.
Understanding the connection between bat populations, insect populations and insecticide use, she decided to build bat houses and install them around her watershed.  The project requires (1) determining locations to install bat houses; (2) building bat houses; and (3) installing bat houses. As the season permits, tracking of bat species can also be undertaken to determine how many bats are in the area.  Devyn will be using a bat-detection device to monitor the newly built bat homes for increase in population and species.  These results will be available in the fall of 2017.