WIMBERLEY, Texas — This weekend was supposed to be Austin Bat Fest 2020, but instead the organizers are planning for next year’s event. But even without a festival, many people still celebrate Texas’ bats, especially farmers.

What You Need To Know

  • A single bat can snatch up 8,000 bugs each night

  • Bats can eat three times their body weight

  • Bat waste also helps plants grow

Bats can actually help farmers. One Wimberley woman says these bats are great for her farm.

Kathleen Mooney started out in Austin but wanted to do something different, so her and her son decided to trade in the city life, for the farm life in Wimberley 12 years ago.

"We were sitting around Austin one day watching Charlotte's Web for like the 30th time and at the end, my son turned to me and said 'Mom why don't we move out to the country. We could start a farm call it EIEIO's and get a pig named Wilbur.' And I jumped up off the couch screaming, ‘I don't know about Wilbur but let's look around,’" said Mooney.

With a little help from her 4-year-old son at time the EIEIO Organic Farm started.

Kathleen quickly realized it was a lot of work.

"I have chickens to tend to in the morning. I have bunnies, I grow tons of crops, I make lots and lots of different condiments, I have two darling cabins, and I also now have a YouTube channel,” said Mooney. “You know that 4-year-old I told you about well he's 16 now which means college is on the horizon and I have start saving up for college."

But it was some unusual neighbors that really stepped in to help. The bats, they come out every night.  On a clear night you can spot these little guys coming out of their caves on radar.

"We've had two horrific floods and we lost our bat house in the second flood,” said Mooney. “But we don't really need a bat house because we have a creek.”

“And the bats always hang out with water because that's where all the mosquitoes are but they not only hang out at the creek, they take care of the whole field," said Mooney.

"They can eat three times their body weight in mosquitoes every night, so I love bats,” said Mooney. “They really help this single mom farmer."

And this organic farmer is thankful she doesn't have to use any chemicals or pesticides.

A single bat can snatch up 8,000 bugs each night.

“I love their poop. It's almost like having lightning hit your field,” said Mooney. “The nitrogen makes all the crops go crazy and everything is so abundant with bat guano dropped around the farm."

So while you can't see these bats, their effects can be seen all around her vibrant farm.