The White Death

Little brown bat infected with a new species of Geomyces fungus that has coated its muzzle, ears and wings white. Credit: Al Hicks, NY DEC.

Lost amid all the AIG outrage this week was the report that White Nose Syndrome has killed off 90% of Connecticut's bat population this winter. This is nothing short of catastrophic. By way of comparison, even the Black Death killed no more than 60% of Europe's population. And it's not just Connecticut. Reports are coming in from Vermont, Massachusetts, and New York where casualty rates in the bats' caves are 90%, 95% and even 100%! The death toll has already surpassed one million!

And it's spreading. New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia and West Virginia all reported cases this year. It has crossed bat species lines.

The reason why this is such a big deal is that bats eat bugs. LOTS of them. Bats are Nature's bug zappers. Depending on the species, a bat will eat anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 mosquitoes and other insects every night during the warmer months here in the northeast. Think about it: one million less bats means 1 to 3 billion more mosquitoes and other bugs get to live each and every summer night. That means an increased likelihood of West Nile virus, though that's the least of our problems.

Think about what some of those other insects eat. If you guessed "plants," you're right. If the fungus spreads to the really big agricultural states, then it's going to mean more insects free to attack our crops. Farmers will be forced to counter the attack by using more pesticides, which carry their own health risk. Yes, there are farms here in the Northeast, but they certainly don't compare in size to other parts of the country.

Fortunately, the fungus seems content with cold climate dwelling bats, so far. But it's a new species (While the fungus is genetically a member of the genus Geomyces, it looks different from the known Geomyces species, according to microbiologist David Blehert of the U.S. Geological Survey - source), so I don't know if it's certain that there aren't more surprises in store. And biologists aren't sure yet if the fungus is what's causing the die off or an opportunistic invader of an already weakened host. "Bats with white-nose burn through their fat stores before spring, driving some to rouse early from hibernation in a futile search for food. Many die as they hunt fruitlessly for insects." (source) "Once beneath the outer layer of skin covering a bat's wing, the fungus multiplies, sometimes causing the wing to bulge to five to 10 times its original thickness." Researchers are working on a fungicide to treat the scourge.

Right now, polar bears are getting most of the attention in the MSM. They're used in the political arena to draw attention to melting ice caps and climate change. As much as I hate seeing any non-parasitic species threatened with extinction, polar bears are nowhere near as important as bats, bees or frogs. They're top-of-the-food chain predators. Humans have already displaced them in their role in Nature. Their extinction would be tragic, but not catastrophic. We NEED bats. While they lack the cuteness factor (Coke has made people forget that polar bears are carnivores who eat even cuter baby seals), it's important that people are aware of this. Not only is there a dire need for a cure, but we need to find out why this new species of fungus came into existence now. If it's a random mutation, then so be it. But if there's a man-made reason, then it needs to be eradicated.

\_/
DED