Thousands of bats could actually be good for Ft. Bend County residents

SUGAR LAND, TX (KTRK) -- You don't have to travel to Austin, or even into Houston, to see thousands of bats take off nightly at dusk.

Bats are common across Southeast Texas but we found a large colony of them living in the Fort Bend County subdivision of Greatwood.

Eyewitness News video shows the bats have packed themselves tightly into crevices underneath bridges throughout the neighborhood.

"You don't have to go to Austin or anything to watch the bats. We can sit in our driveway and do it, " says Jim Kidda, whose home sits adjacent to one of the bridges.

The Fort Bend County health department says it's not aware of any problems associated with the bats. One, however, was located inside Campbell Elementary school in Greatwood on January 16. Tests are being run now by the state to make sure it did not have rabies.

Experts say bats should be no threat to humans as long as they are not carrying the disease. In fact, they say bats do an excellent job of keeping the insect population in check, devouring hundreds of bugs in just an hour's feeding. They will leave behind feces, which in some cases can cause respiratory issues in humans.