Buzz
When you sip your next margarita, take a moment to thank the unassuming bat. Long-nosed bats are the primary pollinators of agave, the plant essential for producing tequila and mezcal. (Tequila is derived exclusively from blue agave, or Agave tequilana, while mezcal can come from any agave species.) These plants bloom at night, luring bats with their sweet nectar, and in exchange, the bats assist in dispersing their pollen.
In April 2018, the lesser long-nosed bat was removed from the endangered species list, as highlighted by The Washington Post report. This marked the first time a bat species had rebounded sufficiently to no longer require endangered status. The recovery was partly due to tequila producers along the bat's migratory path between Mexico and the southwestern U.S. adopting more bat-conscious farming practices.
Although bats and agave share a mutually beneficial relationship, the connection between bats and alcohol production is less straightforward. Traditional agave cultivation for tequila and mezcal involves harvesting the plant just before it flowers—when its sugar levels are highest—since the plant dies after flowering. Rather than allowing natural pollination, farmers propagate agave using clones, or hijuelos, that sprout at the base of the plant. This practice deprives bats of their food source and harms agave plants over time, resulting in genetically uniform crops that are more susceptible to disease and require increased pesticide use.
Rodrigo Medellín, known as the "Bat Man of Mexico," has spent decades advocating for bat-friendly tequila, urging producers to allow at least 5 percent of their agave plants to bloom. His efforts, alongside the Tequila Interchange Project—a coalition of producers, scientists, and enthusiasts—resulted in the launch of three bat-friendly spirits in the U.S. in 2016: Siembra Valles Ancestral and Tequila Ocho (tequilas), and Don Mateo de la Sierra (a mezcal).
During a 2017 visit to the agave fields of Don Mateo de la Sierra, Medellín and his team found that the initiative was even more beneficial to bats than anticipated. The endangered Mexican long-nosed bat was also feeding on the flowering plants in the fields.
This weekend, toast to bats everywhere with a glass of tequila—just ensure it's a bat-friendly variety.
