For some time now, it has been common for a creature of the eerie flying type to occasionally visit the county library. But with the recent cold weather, the frequency and volume of the visits have increased drastically. You might say the Edgefield County Library has gone batty.

“For the past several years, we might have a problem with one or two a year,” said Natalie Saint, library manager. “But it was never a huge issue, not until it started getting real cold. We’ve had at least one or two a day since Christmas.”

It has been determined that the bats, which are roosting in the upstairs portion of the library currently used for storage, are the Mexican free-tail type. They are named such because their tails resemble that of a mouse instead of the usual web.

The library building is owned by the county and county officials are working on getting the bats out. At first, they sealed off some holes and that seemed to alleviate the problem downstairs.

County Building & Planning Director Mike Reid said, “We have to bring in people trained in eradication of bats. They can’t kill them because they are endangered species, but they know how to get them out. Lately we’ve looked on the Internet and in the phone book and found professional trappers.”

When the professionals looked at the building, they saw corking that had been put there some time ago in an effort to seal the building, so there might have been a problem in the past, said Reid. The professionals told Reid that this type bat migrates and it is unusual to see them in this location at this time of year. They hang out in colonies.

Once they are rid of the bats, the County will have to assess the damage.

 “Of course, the pellets will have to be cleaned up,” said Reid. ““Some ceiling tiles might have to be replaced.”

Reid said he’s heard of a couple of churches in the area that have had a real bad problem with bats and it was expensive to repair the damage.

Saint said the library has turned the bat problem into a learning experience.

“The kids were really fascinated by the bats,” she said. “We’ve encouraged them to check out books on bats and we’ll have a special Bat Story Time next Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. Our focus will be Stellaluna by Jannell Cannon, winner of the 2005 Bat Conservation Award. We will also be showing the Stellaluna movie.”

Saint has comprised the following list of Bat Facts:

1. Bats are the only flying mammals and comprise the second largest order of mammals in the world.

2. A bat’s grasp is strong enough to hold its entire body weight while the body hangs upside down.

3. Along with whales, dolphins and some shrew species, many bats use echolocation (sonar dependent on pulse sounds and echoes) to identify and track prey.

4. Diet: fruits, flowers, insects, frogs, fish, small mammals, reptiles and blood of vertebrates.

5. Just one insectivorous bat can eat 600 or more mosquitoes in a single hour.

6. Bats live between four and 30 years, depending on species.

7. In the United States, nearly 40 percent of bat species are listed by the USFWS as endangered species or are candidates for it.

8. Fruit and nectar-eating bats are among the most important seed dispersers and pollinators of tropical rain forest trees and plants.

9. Less than ½ of 1 percent of bats have rabies.

10. Bats are not blind.

11. Bat babies are called pups.