Methods for the exclusion of blood-sucking bats in human buildings

Poma M.G.G.; Poma F.C.G. · Boletin de Malariologia y Salud Ambiental (2022) · DOI: 10.52808/bmsa.7e6.626.031

Resumen

Bats are the only mammals capable of flight, and they are also a diverse group, within which 1,116 species, 202 genera, and 18 families have been identified. Geographically, they are distributed throughout almost the entire world, with the exception of the North and South Pole. There are at least three species of blood-sucking bats, which only inhabit the American continent: the hairy-legged vampire (Diphylla ecaudata), the white-winged (Diaemus youngi), which prefers to consume bird blood, and the vampire bat. common (Desmodus rotundus), the only one of these species that feeds on the blood of mammals, including humans, this being the most important species from a health and economic point of view. Importantly, a variety of new zoonotic infectious diseases in recent years have been linked to bats. Despite being carriers of various diseases, they also have a positive side that indicates their importance in nature, noting that due to their high sensitivity to climate change, they are considered good indicators of the state of forest conservation. In addition, they contribute to the structural and functional diversity of forests by being seed dispersers, plant pollinators and pest controllers. Therefore, the purpose of this work is the use of physical methods for the exclusion of blood-sucking bats that inhabit the San Remo zoning, in the La Molina sector in Lima, Peru. After an initial diagnosis, physical barrier methods were implemented, such as meshes, curtains or PCV tubes that prevented bats from staying in zoned homes, finding a reduction in infestation rates.

Instituciones: Universidad Peruana Los Andes