TRANSCRIPT:
Hello this is Dr. Tom Mullikin with SCDNR for Into the Wild.
Just after sunset on a summer evening, if you look up, you might see quick, darting shadows overhead. Those are bats - and they're some of the hardest-working wildlife in South Carolina.
We have more than a dozen bat species in our state. Most feed on insects, and a single bat can eat hundreds - sometimes thousands - of mosquitoes, moths, and crop pests in one night.
Across the United States, bats are estimated to save farmers billions of dollars annually by reducing the need for pesticides. That matters here at home, where agriculture remains a major part of South Carolina's economy.
So the next time you see those fast silhouettes against the evening sky, remember - they're not just part of the nighttime scenery. They're protecting crops, forests, and even your backyard from pests, one flight at a time.