People have dozens of myths and misconceptions about bats. “People have learned more about other species, like birds, but bats haven’t always gotten proper conservation attention,” explained Leila Harris, UC Davis ecology graduate student. “Bats are not any more dangerous than other wild animals and it’s important to recognize that a lot of concerns or impressions of bats simply aren’t based on reality.” Humans are far more dangerous to bats than bats are to humans.

https://magazine.ucdavis.edu/debunking-bat-myths/

BATS ARE PLENTIFUL... at the moment, in front yard displays, on schoolroom windows, and along the aisles of those stores that sell Halloween decorations. But there are bats, as in actual bats, throughout our beautiful, bat-packed state. They're performing a host of essential roles in nature, too, including gobbling up tasty insects, which, in turn, helps both "our food crops" as well as the forests.

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Flap-Flap-Bat-Week-Is-Here-563804301.html?amp=y