What Do Bats Eat?

Key Takeaways

• What Bats Eat: Most bats in the U.S. eat insects like mosquitoes, beetles, and moths.

• How Much Bats Eat: A nursing bat can eat its body weight in insects every night.

• Why Bats Come Around: Bats are drawn to your property by insects, which are attracted to lights, standing water, and overgrown plants.

• No Vampires Here: Despite the movies, the bats near your home are looking for bugs, not blood.

• How to Reduce Bat Activity: To discourage bats, manage insect attractants like lighting, water, and landscaping.

The majority of bats in the U.S. are insectivores, meaning they feed on insects. At least 40 bat species rely exclusively on insects, including two of the most common species, the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) and the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus). These bats are highly efficient hunters, capable of consuming up to one-third of their body weight in insects within 30 minutes. Nursing females can eat even more, consuming close to their full body weight every night.

Common Insects in a Bat's Diet

Bats aren’t picky eaters when it comes to insects, but they tend to focus on flying species that are active at night. These include:

• Mosquitoes – A single bat can consume hundreds per hour.

• Moths – Including crop pests like corn earworm moths.

• Beetles – Such as white grubs and Asiatic garden beetles.

• Flying ants and mayflies – Found near water sources.

• Crane flies, midges, and gnats – Common in bat stomach content studies.

Bats use echolocation to find these insects, emitting sound waves and interpreting the echoes to locate prey in the dark. Their zigzag flight patterns at dusk are a telltale sign of this precision hunting.

What Other Types of Bat Diets Exist?

Although most bats in the U.S. are insectivores, bats globally have a more diverse diet.

• Fruit-eating bats (frugivores): Found in tropical regions, these bats consume fruit, nectar, and pollen, helping with pollination and seed dispersal. They are critical for plants like the agave (used for tequila) and cacti in the southwestern U.S.

• Vampire bats: Native to Mexico and Central/South America, these bats feed on small amounts of blood from livestock. They are not found in most of the U.S. and pose no risk to homeowners.

How Insects Attract Bats to Your Home

Bats are often just looking for a good meal. If your property has a large insect population, bats will see it as a reliable food source. Here are some common things that attract insects, and in turn, attract bats:

• Outdoor Lighting: Bright outdoor lights attract moths, flies, and other nocturnal insects, creating a feeding area for bats.

• Standing Water: Puddles, birdbaths, and clogged gutters can become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, providing a plentiful food source for bats.

• Dense Vegetation and Debris: Overgrown landscaping, gardens, leaf litter, and woodpiles offer shelter to the kinds of insects that bats prey on.

Do Bats Help with Pest Control?

Bats play an important role in controlling insect populations. Because many species eat large quantities of mosquitoes, moths, beetles, and other flying insects, they can naturally reduce the number of pests in an area. However, bats are not a reliable or controllable pest control solution for homes. If bats are roosting in or around your property, they can create other issues, including noise, odors, and potential health risks from droppings (guano). The most effective way to manage both insects and bats is to reduce the factors that attract them in the first place.

How to Reduce Insect Activity to Help Keep Bats Away

By reducing the number of pests around your home, you can make it a less appealing hangout for bats. Here's how to shut down the buffet:

• Change your lighting: Switch to yellow or “bug” outdoor lights to reduce insect attraction.

• Remove standing water: Eliminate standing water in gutters, plant trays, and yard debris to reduce mosquito activity.

• Keep your yard tidy: Mow your lawn regularly and trim back overgrown vegetation. This gives insects fewer places to hide.

• Seal entry points: Cracks and gaps in your home's exterior are open invitations for both insects and bats. A little caulk can go a long way.

• Call in the Pros: If you have a persistent insect problem, professional pest control can help manage the populations that are attracting bats.

Professional pest management can help address the root of the problem by reducing the insects that attract bats in the first place.

If you've noticed more bats around your property, it could be a sign of an underlying insect problem. By managing the pests that bats feed on, you can make your yard a less attractive habitat for them. An Orkin Pro can help you identify and control the insect populations that are drawing bats to your home. For concerns specifically about bats, call your local Orkin branch to find out what wildlife management services are available in your area.

More Wildlife Management Resources

Bats in the Attic
Bats can enter attics through small gaps and are typically removed using humane exclusion methods that allow them to leave but prevent re-entry.

Squirrels on Roofs
To prevent squirrels from running on roofs, trim tree branches away from the house, ensure there are no accessible entry points into your home, and eliminate possible food sources.

How to Get Rid of Raccoons
To get rid of raccoons outside your home, start by removing potential food sources such as open garbage containers.

How to Identify Voles vs. Moles
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