Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: https://www.theintell.com/story/new...ia-rise-after-white-nose-syndrome/5598847001/
Bats are making a comeback, and that will mean fewer mosquitoes. Here's how you can help
James McGinnis
Bucks County Courier Times
Sep. 19, 2021
Carey Friel lowers gloved hands to the ground at Nockamixon State Park in Bucks County as a small, injured baby bat slowly crawls toward her.
"So sweet, it just curled right up into my glove," said Friel, leader of the Nockamixon Bat Project. "These are wild animals, but the trust is there.”
Bats — nature's only flying mammal — appear to be making a long-awaited comeback in Pennsylvania, and that's good for the environment and public health, scientists say.
The return of bats to Pennsylvania will mean less pest insects and bugs that can damage crops, forcing farmers to use more pesticide.
Bats eat tons of insects — about 25 percent of their body weight with each feeding.
One bat colony of 100 little brown bat eats more than 250,000 mosquitoes per year, according to the Penn State Extension.
Less insects could mean less cases of encephalitis, Zika virus, and fewer cases of heartworm in pets. All are spread by mosquitoes.
Laura Lee Muller, a Pennsylvania Bat Rescue volunteer, releases a rescued big brown bat into the wild during an event held in honor of International Bat Night on Saturday, August 28, 2021 at Nockamixon State Park in Quakertown.
At the turn of the century, Pennsylvania was home to tens of thousands of bats feasting on flying insects. Then, white-nose syndrome wiped out much of the species.
Pennsylvania Game Commission biologist Greg Turner was among those trying to save the bats, which were, essentially, starving to death. Sadly, white-nose syndrome caused the bats to use up more energy than they could conserve for hibernation.
"It was mass mortality," said Turner. "Once in a while, you would stumble on a site where you would just see thousands of them dead in a small area."
Now, researchers at the University of Michigan are finding bats resistant to the fungal disease. Genetic variations in some bats suggest a "very rapid — though not unprecedented — evolutionary adaptation," researchers said.
In Pennsylvania, bats also seem to be adapting to white-nose syndrome, Turner said. Bats are selecting colder places to ride out the winter. And, they are putting on more weight.
"The sites where the bat population is growing are colder sites — locations the bats had never used before," said Turner. "The average weight of a Little Brown bat was 7.5 grams. Now, we’re finding an average of 10 grams, and the heaviest bats we’ve weighed are about 14 grams."...
Bats are making a comeback, and that will mean fewer mosquitoes. Here's how you can help
James McGinnis
Bucks County Courier Times
Sep. 19, 2021
Carey Friel lowers gloved hands to the ground at Nockamixon State Park in Bucks County as a small, injured baby bat slowly crawls toward her.
"So sweet, it just curled right up into my glove," said Friel, leader of the Nockamixon Bat Project. "These are wild animals, but the trust is there.”
Bats — nature's only flying mammal — appear to be making a long-awaited comeback in Pennsylvania, and that's good for the environment and public health, scientists say.
The return of bats to Pennsylvania will mean less pest insects and bugs that can damage crops, forcing farmers to use more pesticide.
Bats eat tons of insects — about 25 percent of their body weight with each feeding.
One bat colony of 100 little brown bat eats more than 250,000 mosquitoes per year, according to the Penn State Extension.
Less insects could mean less cases of encephalitis, Zika virus, and fewer cases of heartworm in pets. All are spread by mosquitoes.
Laura Lee Muller, a Pennsylvania Bat Rescue volunteer, releases a rescued big brown bat into the wild during an event held in honor of International Bat Night on Saturday, August 28, 2021 at Nockamixon State Park in Quakertown.
At the turn of the century, Pennsylvania was home to tens of thousands of bats feasting on flying insects. Then, white-nose syndrome wiped out much of the species.
Pennsylvania Game Commission biologist Greg Turner was among those trying to save the bats, which were, essentially, starving to death. Sadly, white-nose syndrome caused the bats to use up more energy than they could conserve for hibernation.
"It was mass mortality," said Turner. "Once in a while, you would stumble on a site where you would just see thousands of them dead in a small area."
Now, researchers at the University of Michigan are finding bats resistant to the fungal disease. Genetic variations in some bats suggest a "very rapid — though not unprecedented — evolutionary adaptation," researchers said.
In Pennsylvania, bats also seem to be adapting to white-nose syndrome, Turner said. Bats are selecting colder places to ride out the winter. And, they are putting on more weight.
"The sites where the bat population is growing are colder sites — locations the bats had never used before," said Turner. "The average weight of a Little Brown bat was 7.5 grams. Now, we’re finding an average of 10 grams, and the heaviest bats we’ve weighed are about 14 grams."...