Welcome the Least-Loved Critters
Bats, spiders, and toads—oh, my! It turns out that there are some garden “pests” that you should actually welcome with open arms. These creepy creatures can be great garden helpers. So, you may want to think again before sending ill will towards them!
Praise Snakes:
- Garter snakes are most common in North America and are no threat at all to humans, though they will bite if they feel threatened.
- Their backyard prey include slugs, grasshoppers, and small rodents, including the voles that chew bark off your fruit trees. They’re a great
- They also eat bullfrog tadpoles. But, in a twist of irony, adult bullfrogs can devour garter snakes—so many, in fact, that garter snake populations have declined in some areas.
Terrific Toads:
- When the Sun goes down, these amphibians go to work looking for mosquitoes, slugs, sow bugs, flies, beetles, cutworms, and caterpillars to eat.
- Worried about warts? Don’t be! Toads have gotten a bad rap as the supposed cause of warts, but warts are actually brought on by a human virus. The worst thing a toad can do to you is pee on your hand when you pick it up!
Bring on the Bats:
- Without bats, we would be up to our necks in bugs. From dusk til dawn, bats skim the skies with open mouths, devouring mosquitoes, wasps, flies, gnats, midges, moths, and beetles.
- Bats are in deadly danger, however. Millions have been killed by a fungal disease called white-nose syndrome. Insects may be celebrating, but gardeners and farmers are not.
Set Your Sights on Spiders:
- Spiders eat lots and lots of insects. Most of these super predators spin webs to help catch their prey. Their webs are even used by hummingbirds to glue their nests together.
- Even the house or “cellar” spiders are helpful. These creepy-crawlies create cobwebs that capture insects such as ants and roaches and even other spiders. They’re harmless to humans, so maybe cobwebs in the cellar aren’t so terrible!
- Did you know? Spider silk reflects UV light, which warns away birds but attracts bugs.
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Except the worst thing a toad can do to you is voiding on you. Transference of some decidedly-unpleasant secretions from glands on it's skin to your hand/fingers ( if you handle it which you would presumably be if it voided on you ) and neglecting to wash your hand prior to bringing it into contact with your eyes or mouth you might experience some irritation.
That said, I'm a big fan of garter snakes ( and most other snakes, for that matter), toads/frogs, most spiders ( especially keen-sighted ones though you can have my share of the bite-first/ask-questions-later yellow sac-spiders!
Bats are great but it's best to give 'em a wide-berth since some might be rabid. Besides if they're contending with human-avoidance they can't be eating mosquitoes. It's fun to watch 'em diving on flying insects around a rural light-fixture.
If you find that a bat has been in your house, especially in a sleeping area, you should go get yourself vaccinated for rabies. Rabies is commonly carried by bats and their teeth are so small that you may not realize you've been bitten. Many people have contracted rabies after having been unknowingly bitten by a bat in their sleep. I don't want to scare anyone and I don't want anyone to be afraid of bats, I just wanted to put this information out there.
I read the best way to get the Bat or Bird from house or garage is as the poster said: Open all windows; all doors; then move away; wait a while; the Bat or Bird will fly away; (esp. open screen-doors);; HH~
We had a bat get inside our house..no clue how but it was inside overnight. We didn’t know this until the NEXT night when it was flying around over our heads in the living room…both LARGE ceiling fans were on but these critters have echo location capabilities so no chance it would get hurt. Here’s where you need to know that fact…to get the bat out..simply open the door to the outside and move away. Sure enough, the critter immediately flew out. Problem solved…except…where was it overnight in our house…SPOOKY!
Bats are protected, so make sure if you have bats in your attic that you educate yourself about the laws and do not count on Wildlife Control Companies to share or be transparent about what they are & are not allowed to do. We own a bat removal company in North Georgia. There is a bat maternity season that runs from May-August and we have to be super cautious to make sure there is not a maternity warn and flightless babies before we remove bats.
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