Beneficial bats help control insects in the garden

CORVALLIS — With a swish of his cape, Count Dracula ruined the reputation of bats forevermore. Maybe.

In the 125 years since Dracula came on the scene and spooked us into believing bats are bad, we’re beginning to get a grasp on the truth: Their voracious appetite for insects turns them into a living pesticide that saves farmers billions of dollars a year and helps rid our backyards of insects like mosquitoes, moths, grasshoppers, flies and beetles. Some species are critically important pollinators for crops ranging from bananas to agave.

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