The economic value of natural regulation of agricultural pests by bats has been estimated both by avoided cost models and by experimental predator-exclusion approaches. We review published studies globally from both complementary approaches. We further present an economic model for the avoided cost of bat predation on stinkbugs, the major economic pest of macadamias in South Africa, currently the world’s largest macadamia producer. We calculated both the direct (reduced stinkbug damage due to bat predation) and indirect (reduced pesticide use) avoided costs. We estimated the density of bats in a macadamia-growing region of South Africa to be 7.5–22.5 bats/ha, based on opportunistic data from the Merlin DeTEct (Inc.) avian-avoidance radar system. Current economic parameters for macadamia production, stinkbug injury coefficients and life history were obtained from the literature and from the Southern African Macadamia Association (SAMAC).We estimated the level of bat predation on pest stinkbugs in macadamia orchards from published dietary studies combined with both high and low published values for insect consumption rates relative to bat body mass. We found that the protected yield due to bat predation of stink bugs amounted to 0.53% (low consumption rates) to 1.29% (high consumption rates) of annual macadamia production in South Africa for 2015. Based on current macadamia prices, the approximate avoided cost values of these combined direct and indirect bat predation services varied between 9% and 23% of the current annual estimated cost of damage caused by stinkbugs to South African macadamia orchards (US$613/ha). Losing bats to disease epidemics, wind farms, human persecution or excessive or highly toxic pesticide applications could therefore significantly increase annual losses to the macadamia industry in South Africa caused by stinkbugs.

蝙蝠对农业害虫自然调节的经济价值已通过避免成本模型和实验性捕食者排除法进行了估算。我们通过两种互补方法对全球已发表的研究进行综述。我们进一步提出了一种经济模式，可以避免蝙蝠捕食臭臭虫，这是目前世界上最大的澳洲坚果生产国南非的澳洲坚果的主要经济害虫。我们计算了直接（避免因蝙蝠捕食而引起的臭虫损害）和间接（减少了对农药的使用）避免的成本。根据Merlin DeTEct（Inc.）禽避回雷达系统的机会数据，我们估计南非马卡达姆坚果生长地区的蝙蝠密度为7.5–22.5蝙蝠/公顷。澳洲坚果生产的当前经济参数，臭臭虫的伤害系数和生活史是从文献和南非马卡达姆坚果协会（SAMAC）获得的。比率相对于蝙蝠的体重。我们发现，蝙蝠捕食臭虫的保护产量占南非2015年澳洲坚果年产量的0.53％（低消耗率）至1.29％（高消耗率）。根据当前的澳洲坚果价格，可避免的近似成本这些组合的直接和间接蝙蝠捕食服务的价值在目前每年估计的臭臭虫对南非澳洲坚果园造成的破坏成本（613美元/公顷）之间，介于9％和23％之间。