On this week's Good Growing podcast we sit down to talk with Dr. Joy O'Keefe all about bats! Dr. O'Keefe is an assistant professor at University of Illinois and a wildlife specialist with Extension who studies bats and how humans can work to co-exist with our flying fellow mammals. In this show we learn about the importance of bats, how to attract them to our yards, and how to deal with a bat in the house. All this and much more!

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Skip to what you want to know:

4:11 Welcome Joy!

6:24 What's so special about bats?

9:52 How can we attract bats to our landscapes?

13:16 How can we deal with a bat in the house?

19:56 Should we be alarmed when we encounter a bat?

23:21 Handling bats and is rabies a concern?

25:19 Let's say you got bit by a bat. How soon should you get a rabies shot?

27:21 How have humans impacted bat populations?

- 27:35 Habitat Loss

- 29:31 Invasive Species

- 30:04 White Nose Syndrome

- 32:19 Wind Energy

34:20 How many bat species do we have in Illinois?

36:59 How has COVID-19 impacted bat research

39:16 Do bats prefer certain tree species for roosting?

42:07 Why do bats come out at night?

44:26 Do bats eat anything other than insects?

45:27 What is the link between Count Dracula and bats?

48:25 Why do bats swoop at our heads?

Contact Dr. O'Keefe https://nres.illinois.edu/directory/jmokeefe

Check out the Good Growing Blog: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing

Subscribe to the weekly Good Growing email: https://groups.webservices.illinois.edu/subscribe/113369

Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.