When bat meets broom

The Globe's Beth Daley told an important story yesterday in relating how bats in the Northeast are at risk extinction because of white-nose syndrome. But alas, Daley missed another source of peril for the winged creatures who eat their weight in insects.

The common house broom.

One of those critters had the misfortune of finding its way into our home after midnight -- you know the time that Bela Lugosi emerged from the coffin and turned into a blood-sucking, um, bat.

Awakened from a deep sleep, I reached for the broom that has done battle several times before in the man versus bat contest that is supposed to be rare in urban climes.

I recalled the words of health officials who say you really should capture the creatures live so they can test it for rabies, And then I did what any normal human in that situation would do when confronted with the sight of a flying creature in the kitchen.

I swung. Hard. Again and again. Eventually bat met broom. The ordeal proved too much for both bat and broom, which snapped. Literally.

As the victor, I scooped up the limp bat and send it out the window I had left screen up in the hope it would avail itself of an exit on its own terms.

Almost as ignoble a departure as that which awaits the broom at the next trash pickup. But there is a future for a seemingly forgotten staple of housekeeping

Try doing combat like that with a Swiffer.