I was along the shoreline of Doctors Lake recently at dusk and several bats were engaged in an aerobatic display as they gobbled up bugs and mosquitoes in the failing light.

That's when bats are at their best, using their airborne sonar-like sensing ability to catch insects in flight. University of Florida researchers say that during the course of a night a free-tailed bat, common to Florida, will eat 500 to 1,000 flying insects.

One way to get some of that non-toxic pest control action around your yard is to put up a bat house to encourage these night-flying insect predators to do their eating near where you live.