Abstract:
Bats are prodigious consumers of agricultural and forest pests, and are, therefore, a natural
asset for agricultural productivity, suppressing populations of such pests. This study provides baseline information of diet of 143 bats belonging to eight insectivorous bat species
from agricultural areas of Rwanda while evaluating the effectiveness of bats as pest suppressors. Using DNA metabarcoding to analyze bat fecal pellets, 85 different insect species
were detected, with 60% (n = 65), 64% (n = 11) and 78% (n = 9) found to be agricultural
pests from eastern, northern and western regions, respectively. Given the high percentages
of agricultural pests detected, we submit that Rwandan insectivorous bats have the capacity
for biocontrol of agricultural pests. Rwandan bat populations should be protected and promoted since they may foster higher crop yields and sustainable livelihoods.
