It may look like a scene out of a scary movie, but it happens right here in Reno. Thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats pour out of an underpass on east McCarran near Greg Street.
"Right now when the sun goes down, the bats come out in the thousands and spread out in the area of the University Farms, and they consume tons of insects every single night. Eating tons of insects is a big accomplishment.”
Chris Healy with the Nevada Department of Wildlife says don't freak out, the bats help control the insect population, so we don't use as many harmful pesticides. But a lot of people say they've never seen bats in Reno.
"They do a great job of keeping insects down, pests down, but they do it at night, so people don't ever really see them."
Healy says bats are generally friendly, but never try catch or touch one as they can carry rabies. Bats are migratory and are only around our area in the spring and summer months, and they could even be living in your neighborhood.
"If you neighborhood is near a stream or irrigation ditch, or farming area, we have a lot of them in the Truckee Meadows, the odds are you might see some bats."
