Scientists tracking bats in Texas have discovered the flying mammals play a significant role in keeping agricultural pests at bay, according to UPI. A five-year study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture was inspired by another study showing radar could be used to follow bats' movements, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. In the 1990s, scientists realized that what appeared to be summer storms showing up on weather radar actually were clouds of bats coming out of caves for their nightly feeding. The study, now in its fourth year, has found bats in central Texas head for farms, not cattle ranches. The scientists also have determined bats fly at the same level as moths. "That was our eureka moment, where we connected the dots and put the two together," said John Westbrook, a meteorologist with the USDA. The study determined bats consume insects such as the corn earworm and the tobacco bullworm, keeping their numbers down and preventing their spread north.
