Fresh Bat Poop?!

Geonerd · May 23, 2016

Bridge-Bat Poop?
This evening I went to observe the nightly exodus of Free Tailed bats from beneath a local bridge here in Tucson. These guys eat tons of insects each night and there are significant amounts of 'pellets' covering the ground. A minute's effort with a broom and dustpan would have earned me several cups of the stuff.
I assume I can rake a few teaspoons per plant into the soil, or brew a 'tea' by dissolving the stuff in a bucket of water. Does anyone have experience with "fresh" bat poo? Are there any 'gotchas' to beware of?

Thanks

HotandHeavy · May 23, 2016

bat guano has a great rep. i'd say go for it...

10-3-1

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/benefits-bat-guano-fertilizer-71115.html

Grass Snake · May 23, 2016

Maybe you should just pay an arm and a leg for the same stuff at the store.

robbyjoe01 · May 23, 2016

Age it like all shit

Geonerd · May 23, 2016

Yea, I'm probably overthinking the situation! :rolleyes:

The bridge is less than 1/2 a mile from home and there are many pounds of the stuff begging to be swept up.
It almost seems too good to be true...

Gonna head out tomorrow morning and get me some!

D3monic · May 23, 2016

Not sure if it needs to be composted or sterilized in any way but def worth collecting. I use to love seeing the clouds of bats coming out the mountain caves at dusk.

Noah Yates · May 24, 2016

Just be very sanitary when dealing with it. And make sure not to breath in any guano dust. I have read that bat guano harbors particularly dangerous pathogens.

solid7 · May 24, 2016

robbyjoe01 said:
Age it like all shit

Not true. Rabbit, sheep, and goat is fine, without ageing. I've got eggplant seedlings started right now in straight rabbit poo.

It really depends on how you use it. A little bit here and there - and it doesn't take much - as a top dressing is fine. Any more than just a scant smattering, and you'll want to age it. For example, if I were using bat guano in a 1 gallon pot, I would use about 2-3 Tbsp, at the very most.

Geonerd · May 24, 2016

Noah Yates said:
Just be very sanitary when dealing with it. And make sure not to breath in any guano dust. I have read that bat guano harbors particularly dangerous pathogens.

I'm sure not going to be rolling in it like this guy!

https://youtu.be/Lh-935V0FXo?t=5m

I feel fairly safe using a broom to gently brush it into a dustpan. Histoplasmosis won't grow in the thin, dry layer of pellets that accumulate on the concrete. Rabies doesn't concentrate in the poop and is also deactivated by desiccation.

Grit · May 25, 2016

Geonerd said:
I'm sure not going to be rolling in it like this guy!

https://youtu.be/Lh-935V0FXo?t=5m

I feel fairly safe using a broom to gently brush it into a dustpan. Histoplasmosis won't grow in the thin, dry layer of pellets that accumulate on the concrete. Rabies doesn't concentrate in the poop and is also deactivated by desiccation.

Neoprene gloves and N95 approved respirators are both inexpensive, why not minimize the potential risks?

solid7 · May 25, 2016

Grit said:
Neoprene gloves and N95 approved respirators are both inexpensive, why not minimize the potential risks?

Spoken like a true germophobe...

You could just apply that line of thinking to like every situation, every day. But why would you? Only one reason... Who knew it was possible to be "bat shit crazy" even before initial exposure?

mrgrowguy · May 25, 2016

Geonerd said:
I'm sure not going to be rolling in it like this guy!

https://youtu.be/Lh-935V0FXo?t=5m

I feel fairly safe using a broom to gently brush it into a dustpan. Histoplasmosis won't grow in the thin, dry layer of pellets that accumulate on the concrete. Rabies doesn't concentrate in the poop and is also deactivated by desiccation.

I LOVE how he has gloves on, but at the end of the video he wipes his forehead/hair with the glove still on. LOL

.

Geonerd · May 29, 2016

Finally made it out to thje bridge this evening.

The stuff is incredibly easy to collect. With a light breeze, I was able to stay upwind of what little dust was generated as I shoveled the poops.

A rich vein of Black Gold! :dance:

With harvester.

2 minutes of work ...

What does it look like? Little poops! (What else!)

smileyguy697 · May 29, 2016

Different guano from different regions has different npks.. Must be from their diet but some are high nitrogen and others are phosphorus.. So basically a crap shoot of wether or not your going to give them large amounts of nitrogen which could cause flowers to drop. Just my 2 cents

Geonerd · May 30, 2016

These guys eat bugs, supposedly making a high N fert.

solid7 · May 30, 2016

I hope you don't leave that laying about where it can be found by your nearly blind Italian grandmother.

Maybe skip spaghetti night for awhile...

Student of Spice · May 30, 2016

solid7 said:
Spoken like a true germophobe...

You could just apply that line of thinking to like every situation, every day. But why would you? Only one reason... Who knew it was possible to be "bat shit crazy" even before initial exposure?

http://www.cdc.gov/features/bats/

He is not crazy with his thinking, a n95 mask would not hurt especially when harvesting the guano and an increased risk for it becoming airborne. There is mysophobia then there is weighing risk v reward and taking intelligent precautions. I would wear a mask if I chose to gather bat guano, but I chose to minimize unnecessary risks. Just like wearing a helmet when riding a bike, not being educated on and not eating wild mushrooms, or looking both ways when I cross the street, you wouldn't have to.....but eventually you will get hit by a bus :cheers:

solid7 · May 30, 2016

Student of Spice said:
http://www.cdc.gov/features/bats/

He is not crazy with his thinking, a n95 mask would not hurt especially when harvesting the guano and an increased risk for it becoming airborne. There is mysophobia then there is weighing risk v reward and taking intelligent precautions. I would wear a mask if I chose to gather bat guano, but I chose to minimize unnecessary risks. Just like wearing a helmet when riding a bike, not being educated on and not eating wild mushrooms, or looking both ways when I cross the street, you wouldn't have to.....but eventually you will get hit by a bus

Fair enough.

It wasn't really a topic for this thread, but how many people keep cats in their homes? Cats may possibly be one of the most dangerous domesticated animals in the world. Do you wear your special helmet when you clean the litter pan? If so, it may only be a matter of time before you "get hit by the bus". Oh, wait, that's crazy talk, because we all like cats, and God knows that if we like it, it's not dangerous... That's different...

http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/pets/cats.html

Check out the part about "plague". Oh, and even though the CDC says that Toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma gondii) doesn't show symptoms in healthy people, a little Google search shows that there is anecdotal evidence that points to something potentially more sinister.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3515034/

This extensive study was conducted to help determine the effects on those who were infected with TG.

So while I appreciate your attempts to make me look like some sort of a bumpkin, I'm just wondering if you apply the same thinking towards your general exposure with the feces of every carnivorous animal that you encounter?

Student of Spice · May 30, 2016

oh no i agree, cats are horrid creatures and i do not love cats lol. So yeah i don't go playing in any carnivorous animal feces. Sorry if talking about wearing a mask makes you feel like a bumpkin.

solid7 · May 30, 2016

Student of Spice said:
oh no i agree, cats are horrid creatures and i do not love cats lol. So yeah i don't go playing in any carnivorous animal feces. Sorry if talking about wearing a mask makes you feel like a bumpkin.

Well, since you put it that way, you're OK by me.