Many Wrightsville Beach residents spray pesticides to kill and repel mosquitoes, one of the region’s most pervasive summertime nuisances. But a Harbor Island resident and Eagle Scout is introducing a more effective and Earth-friendly solution for the buzzing pests: bats.
Bats can perform the same function at less cost to the environment, said Jared Rosbrugh, a member of Little Chapel on the Boardwalk Boy Scout Troop 232. A single bat can eat 1,000 mosquitoes every night, he explained.
Saturday, Aug. 8, Rosbrugh installed the first three of a planned five bat houses throughout Wrightsville Beach Park.
The houses provide a more natural habitat for bats, and draw them out of people’s attics or vents.
For Rosbrugh, 17, the project is more than a way to give back to the community. It is also about dispelling common bat myths and educating the public about their benefits, which are explained in an informational placard installed alongside the bat houses.
“Bats have a bad rep,” Rosbrugh said. “I want to get the message out there that they’re good, and not evil or bloodsucking.”
On Saturday, Rosbrugh stood on a ladder in Wrightsville Beach Park, using an electric screwdriver to attach a wooden bat house to the back of the softball scoreboard. His father, Jeff Rosbrugh, stood nearby, occasionally pointing out, “Jared, it’s not level yet,” but mostly allowing his son to work independently.
Rosbrugh found the bat house design on the Internet. Each box is roughly two feet tall, one foot wide and a few inches deep. Inside each box is wire mesh to allow bats to crawl into the warm, dry interior to sleep.
He made the boxes from cypress wood because it doesn’t rot, he said, and painted them black to blend in with their surroundings. His father taught him carpentry skills at a young age, but it was still challenging to get the measurements exact.
“It was a lot of cutting, making sure these were all the right length,” he said. “I messed up on stapling and putting them together a couple times.”
Later during the building process he invited a few fellow Scouts over to help him paint the boxes.
“We have to have workdays, where Scouts come and help out with the project,” he said. “We’re supposed to instill leadership within the troop.”
He then met with Wrightsville Beach Parks and Recreation program supervisor Katie Ryan to pick locations for the houses. Saturday, he installed two on the back of the scoreboard and one near the tennis backboard, and he’ll put the final houses up soon.
“It should help mainly the people in the park, and people around the loop,” he said. “As long as we spread them out it will have a bigger impact.”
The most nerve-wracking aspect of the project was presenting his plan to the Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen during the board’s April meeting, Rosbrugh said. But the aldermen were very supportive of his proposal.
“You can come put one at my house,” Wrightsville Beach Mayor Bill Blair joked.
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