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Mosquito Control in Austin Can’t Be Left to the Congress Avenue Bridge Bats Alone!

Posted by Mosquito Squad

August 24, 2017

Did you know the largest urban bat colony in North America calls the Congress Avenue Bridge home? In the deep, dark, cool, un-disturbed crevices underneath the bridge you can find these Mexican Free-tailed bats living the good life. From March through early autumn the colony leaves the safety of the Congress Avenue bridge every night to forage for food. The resulting black cloud moves across the night sky creating a site to behold.

The colony grows from an average of 750,000 bats up to 1.5 million bats by mid August. When the bats leave the bridge to feed it takes up to 45 minutes for them all to come out. It is estimated that the bat colony devours 10,000-30,000 pounds of insects per night. Ten thousand to thirty thousand pounds is hard to imagine. Try to think of the largest hippo you have ever seen? With large hippos weighing in at just over 4,000 pounds, it would take 7 of them to equal the weight of the insects that these bats eat each and every night.

While the bats are a favorite nightly event for locals, they also have quickly become one of Austin’s strangest and most sought after tourist attractions. “Keep Austin Weird” is exactly right.

Fifteen Tons of Insects Eliminated Every Night

While it is true these bats do assist as a kind of natural mosquito control in portions of Austin, it is impossible for them to clear every yard, deck and patio. With spring floods resulting in a record mosquito infestation, you’ll find the mosquito problem persists, despite these bats best efforts. If your yard has not fully benefited from the feasting of the Congress Avenue Bridge bat colony, consider allowing Mosquito Squad of Greater Austin to help with a barrier treatment.

NaturalMosquito Control in Austin

Bats are the definition of a natural solution to mosquito control, but since there are still plenty of mosquitoes in your yard, you might want to go with an alternative natural solution. Mosquito Squad of Austin’s natural mosquito treatment is made of essential oils, eliminating adult mosquitoes on contact. Our naturalbarrier treatment continues to work for approximately 14 days eliminating about 70% of the mosquitoes from your yard. For even more effectiveness, our traditional barrier treatment will last up to 21 days with its timed-release micro-encapsulation.

We are thankful that our beloved city of Austin is home to such a massive number of insect devourers. While they certainly eat plenty of insects, there are plenty more to destroy. Mosquito Squad of Greater Austin is happy to finish the job by taking care of the rest of your yard’s mosquito control.

Give us a call now to begin enjoying a mosquito free yard this summer. Call (512) 456-9954, fill out a contact form.