South Congress bat (John Bumgardner/KXAN)

Bat-tling West Nile in Central Texas

Flying creatures eat some mosquitoes, but not many

Updated: Friday, 24 Aug 2012, 4:26 PM CDT
Published : Thursday, 23 Aug 2012, 5:24 PM CDT

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Bats eat bugs, right? But the bats here in Austin might not eat that many mosquitoes.

Mexican free-tailed bats - like the ones under the Congress Avenue bridge - usually dine on bigger insects like moths, according to Bat Conservation International officials.

Rabid bat found at San Marcos High School

They do occasionally chomp on mosquitoes, but experts say you should not count on that pest control as a way to rid an area of West Nile.

Amazingly though, that bridge is home to 1.5 million bats that eat 10,000 to 20,000 pounds of insects each night.

Back to school around the country

Opinions that are derogatory, attack other users or are offensive in nature may be removed. KXAN is not responsible for the content posted in this comment section. We reserve the right to remove any offensive or off-topic remark or thread. To mark a comment for review by a moderator, click "Report Abuse."