October 5, 1997

Imported Cuban Bats Spurned Their Special "Hotels"

There was a time in old Punta Gorda when folks earnestly cultivated bats in their belfries. The reason is aptly explained by the number of Florida mosquitoes and the attempt 74 years ago to control them with "bat towers."

There were two bat towers -- or "bat hotels" as they were dubbed by local wags. The structures were built in 1923 by Dr. David N. McQueen, county health inspector; and Harry Dreggors, president of the Smith & Dreggors Fish Co.

Dr. McQueen owned a vegetable farm southwest of the Shreve and Henry streets intersection. Dreggors owned a citrus grove farther west on Henry St. where the Punta Gorda utility department is now located.

Punta Gorda Isles had not yet been built. Beyond the Dreggors grove there was nothing but marshy "sand flats" -- ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes of heroic dimensions.

Shortly before the Civil War, local fishermen and cattlemen developed a brisk trade with Havana, Cuba. When Col. Isaac Trabue persuaded the Florida Southern Railway to extend its line to the south shore of upper Charlotte Harbor in 1886, farmers expanded the Cuban connection.

An important commodity obtained from Cuba was guano -- the droppings of bats. It was very high in nitrogen and unexcelled as fertilizer -- but expensive.

After the First World War, state health officials emphasized the dangers of mosquitoes which transmitted malaria. The disease was a scourge in the low, flooded lands around Charlotte Harbor.

McQueen and Dreggors hit upon the bat hotel scheme which they believed would get rid of mosquitoes and simultaneously create a free source of guano.

Each man -- with the technical assistance of Bill Huckeby, a Cleveland sawmill operator and citrus grove owner -- built slotted 40-foot towers to provide homes for bats.

Each tower was comprised of a tall pine log at each corner, tapering slightly toward the top for stability. The roof was pyramidal and wooden shingled. The upper 10 feet was slotted like over-size Venetian blinds through which bats could enter. A maze of rafters braced the structure and provided roosts.

Remainder of the tower was enclosed to within five feet of the ground. The lower portion was left open so guano could be removed. The towers were well engineered for they withstood the devastating hurricane of 1926 when scores of smaller buildings in the area were destroyed.

With all in readiness McQueen, Dreggors and Huckeby went to Cuba for a colony of bats. Local farmers climbed around in caves to capture several boxes of "bull bats" -- a large species that feeds mainly on mosquitoes.

The bats were released inside the towers, and all went well for the first year. The mosquito population was noticeably smaller, and the guano was a welcome byproduct.

At first, boys would hike out to the towers to see the bats, but their curiosity was quickly satisfied. The rain of bat droppings made visits inside the towers unpleasant -- especially if the bats were disturbed.

Unfortunately the bats did not reproduce as in their homeland. Perhaps the towers were not as cool and dark as the bats' normal caves. They flew away one by one, nobody knows where.

Within a few years, all the flying animals were gone and the towers demolished to make way for Punta Gorda Isles - -which is just as well because owners there take a dim view of bats.

Scores of bat towers were built in the 1920s in response to a statewide campaign. Today, just one remains --as a historical display -- at Sugarloaf Key south of Miami.

Folks who have not been spooked by old Dracula movies may get acquainted with the only animal that flies by visiting the Adventure Museum in Punta Gorda. The current exhibit features live bats that are quite cuddly.

Be sure to get acquainted with Princess. She likes to be petted and never bites any thing but insects.

By Lindsey Williams, columnist for Sun Coast Media Group newspapers

cutline -- tower

Photo courtesy of Bucky McQueen

Punta Gorda's two "bat hotels" were spurned by imported Cuban bats and finally demolished.