A bat house can bolster the local population while helping with mosquito control. Photo: Steve Gonzales/Getty Images
We're approaching bat season, and you can level up your backyard by adding a bat box to your space.
Hosting bats takes patience and some strategic setup, but once your winged guests are settled, the benefits abound.
The big picture: Bats are under threat globally due to habitat loss. Giving them a safe place to roost helps protect these nocturnal MVPs — key pollinators that also spread seeds and devour pesky insects like mosquitoes, wasps and flies.
Zoom in: San Diego County is home to 23 species of bats, including the largest bat in North America — the Western mastiff bat. It has a wingspan of over 22 inches.
The most common bat locally is the Mexican Free-Tailed Bat, which can fly 100mph and is the animal world's fastest flier.
