Try to determine where they’re flying from, he said, so you can accurately report their roosting spots for future observation. Bats typically start flying around dusk, so try going outside as it’s getting dark and look toward the lighter sections of the sky so you can more easily spot them.

They’re likely already there, maybe roosting in an old tree or palm or man-made structures on the street, Ordeñana said. (Michael Durham / Minden Pictures/Bat Conservation International) (And while we’re on the topic, make sure your pets’ rabies vaccinations are up to date, because they can carry rabies too.) If you find one in your house or lying on the ground, cover it with a box or a bucket, keep children and pets away and call your local animal control agency. Rabies is a small risk, according to the Los Angeles County Public Health, but only if you do something foolish, like handle a sick or dying bat. Bats have excellent echolocation navigation systems that steer them far away from humans and other obstacles. Please note: No blood-sucking bats are flying around Southern California. are insect eaters, except for one Orange County dweller that prefers nectar. Almost all of the 14 or so species around L.A. Moths are the preferred food of the most prominent species around Los Angeles, the caramel-colored Mexican free-tailed bat. They do snack on mosquitoes, especially when they’re out in great numbers, but it takes a lot of them to pack the same caloric punch of one fat moth, Ordeñana said. Still, we shouldn’t expect bats to solve all our mosquito problems. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

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