In a home in Zoersel, Belgium a colony of 414 bats has been discovered.A colony this large is very rare in Flanders.
The house is located near 400 Ha of nature and forest reserve, which is the ideal hunting area for these bats. The bats are identified as Common Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus).
On average one of these bats eats about 300 insects a night, resulting in 22 million insects a year for the colony (about 500 kg).
The common Pipistrelle is one of the smallest bats in Europe. It is 3.5-4.5 cm long with a wingspan of 19-25 cm. Its brown fur is variable in tone. It is common in woodland and farmland but is also found in towns, where it roosts in lofts and buildings.
In 1999 the Common Pipistrelle was split into two species on the basis of different-frequency echo-location calls. The Common Pipistrelle uses a call of 45 kHz, while the Soprano Pipistrelle echo-locates at 55 kHz. Since the two species were distinguished, a number of other differences, in appearance, habitat and food, have also been discovered.