Where Have All The Bats Gone - Bats Dying Off In NY. And Vermont
73
Thousands of Bats Dying
My husband got a call from a friend that lives in Vermont and he asked if we had noticed the bats are gone. He said they had a disease and were all dying from it. How many times I would be sitting out back and the bats would start coming out and I would curse them and sometimes scream and run. Wishing them to go away.
So the next two nights my husband and I sat outside to watch for the bats. There were NONE!
We live in New York. Upstate. I can tell you there are no bats. I have also noticed the mosquitoes are real bad. You would not believe all the bites I have already.
We are going to a cook out today at my son's. They live just across the boarder in PA. I am going to pay real close attention as it gets dark. I want to see if the bats come out over there.
First it was honey bees. Now scientist are saying it is bats that are dying by the thousands here in New York and Vermont.
Scientist are finding many dead with a white ring of fungus around their nose. White Nose Syndrome is what they are calling it, has spread in an alarming rate. Their hugest concern at this point is they have no idea what it is and how to deal with it.
This significant loss in bats is as scarey as the loss we suffer with the loss of honey bees. Bees help to pollinate fruits and vegetables and with out large populations of bats agriculture would suffer. Bats feed on insects that damage dozens of crops, like wheat and apples.
White Nose Syndrome was discovered in four clusters of caves last winter in the Albany area and has spread to more then a dozen caverns up to 130 miles away.
Where Have All The Bats Gone
The first sign there was trouble was in January 2007, when a cave explorer reported a large number of dead bats lying around a mouth of a cave west of Albany NY. Within a short time people started calling and reporting bats flying around in broad daylight.
My husband and I was telling a friend who lives just over the boarder from us in Pa. about the bats dying off and being diseased. He told us he and another guy saw a bat flying around his property one afternoon. They knew this was not normal so they shot the bat. They did not think to turn it in to be checked. I would have.
Scientist are saying it could be possible that some caver could have brought the disease to the cave in Albany on the bottom of his boot from another cave in another country.
Take some time. Go out around dusk. See if you can see bats. Are they disappearing from your area too? If they are maybe you should report it to your local Fish and Game Dept.
Also if you spot bats flying around in the daytime or if you see any lying dead you should report it.This will help officials keep track of how far the disease is spreading.
DO NOT TOUCH THEM!
Up Date From Pa.
Well we went to my son's for the cookout and guess what? There were NO bats. That is right. NO bats in Pa. either. This thing is really spreading. I was the only one there with a can of Off and everyone was using it. Spraying their selves and the kids. People were getting eaten alive by bugs. Even the ones that said they do not use bug spray came back in just a little while and asked if they could use my spray.
Please be careful. Who knows what these bugs carry. There were not just mosquitoes. There were other bugs we had never seen. Little things, like gnats but they were yellow.
Please if you have any info or you are not seeing bats in your area you should report it.
CommentsLoading...
Susan, you are fast! Thank you. I to have notice a ton more large bumble bees. Carpenter bees too. I sit on my back porch with a can of wasp spray.
Tina
Tina - this has been going on in Missouri for about a year now. We have many many cave areas here and they have closed many of them off due to thus nose fungal thing. Syd had her 4th grade camp and when it was starting to hit the news and they did allow them to go into the caves. This year - Maddy had 4th grade camp and they were not allowed in the caves.
What could this mean? Do you know what would happen if the bats become endangered?
Kelly, they are endangered. The bats are dying by the thousands. Scientist do not know what to do. They still have not figured what to do about the honey bees.
Tina
Tina, we have 6 different species here in Arizona, their decline is largely due to habitat. Don't forget that they eat skeeters and other bugs and farmers as well as other groups deploy pesticides on fields and the bat eats those bugs that have been sprayed. Surprisingly they are detecting DDT levels in some bats, a chemical supposedly outlawed strange that all these years later it still shows up? They are doing what they know best at government levels, lying their asses off, 50
Wow! It's a bad deal for everyone whenever our ecosystems get jacked up. I'd like to find out what happened.
It's really going to have an impact in ways we can't for see I'll bet. I've been wondering where this will go. I guess we can only wait and see.
We've always had bats here in Michigan too in the summer and I'm not seeing them this year. I've heard of white nose syndrome too. There isn't a lot of farming or pesticide use in the area where I live because it is too hilly to farm, so I don't think it's that. Who knows though.
Tina I just did a wee bit of research as your hub really has been on my mind. Apparently it has been discovered here in Ontario too. For any Canadians that may read your hub :
Natural resources is asking the public to report unusual bat behaviour, such as flying during the day, and any bat deaths by calling 1-866-673-4781. The ministry cautions against touching bats, living or dead, because they may carry rabies. This is taken from http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/792484--ba
It also says : White nose syndrome was first discovered in bats in Albany, N.Y., in the winter of 2006, and has since spread to 11 states, from New Hampshire to Tennessee.
What have we done to our bats. It is always the fault of humans. Are we destroying their caves (yes), their food sources (of course), what? This is awful - but let's keep spraying. It is awful that man has thought himself greater than nature (so I have been told - but no,I say it is rank stupidity), now every living creature is suffering - ourselves included.
Thanks for this very necessary reminder.
Dusty, I have not heard of them using DDT. I thought it was outlawed too. The white nose syndrome they do not know if it is a symptom from what is going on. Like maybe the bats are getting too weak to clean their selves and the white nose is the outcome of that. Wouldn't it be weird if the bats have the same thing that is killing the bees
Susan, thank you for coming back with that info. I do believe I wrote in my article that it was found in 2007 in Albany. Anyway that is the date that was in the info from MSNBC. The alarming thing about it is why are WE just now hearing about it? What else have they kept from us?
Very Interesting Hub Gr82beme, and a bit Scary if this is true all over. I live on the Jersey Shore, and yes, this year the BUGS are Terrible! We attributed it to this Hot Spell so early in the Season. We began using "Skin So Soft" by Avon when we are out doors, bugs don't seems to like it...but it's a bit greasy...Anyway Thanks for this informative Hub.
b. I love the shore. I used to live in the villas. Wildwood. When I was younger. We take our grandsons camping in Cape May NJ.
I have tried Skin So Soft. it does not work on me or my grandsons. I know people who swear by it too.
Take a look tonight. See if you notice any bats
Thank you for stopping by
Tina
Glad to say we still have plenty of them down here in South Florida. Scary situation up there.
Wes, I know. Me too. I do not like bats. We get them in the house but I hate mosquitoes more
Wow, This is scary. No telling what is happening. I guess we'll know more in time. Thank's for the alert.
I seen on the news tonight how over flooded land where mosquitoes larva that had laid dry in the grounds along the flooded Mississippi is the reason for the mosquitoes the water makes them hatch...As for the bats I have noticed it I made a comment last summer about no bats and I live in the Hudson Valley an hour from Albany...I live on a lake full of bugs I know I would have bats...Ok so another when all of those fish were found dead and now you hear nothing about that anymore...How do we know someone isn't going after our eco system and killing important parts of it and the government just doesn't want us to know it is happening...Kinda makes you think...
Kelly, I know I will be following this story. I am going to make a few bat houses and see if I get any in it
Barb, I think you are right. They say it may be some kind of virus.
It's great that you wrote your hub.It's a shame the poor bat population is so affected. I hope something will be unearthed by scientists to help the bats.
Tina, I haven't lived in an area where there should be bats for about three years but I have friends and family who do. I'm going to ask about what's happening to the bat populations in those areas. This is actually quite scary. It's indicative of a huge unbalance in nature. I wonder if there's anything that can be done to stop or reverse it?
Barb, thanks for stopping by Where have all the bats gone. I feel sorry for the people who live where it is flooding. They will get eaten alive!
Bk, you are so right. We will lose crops and be eaten alive by mosquitoes.
Tina
Wooded, you are right. Could you imagine if the bats died off there in Florida? You do not even have the cold weather there to kill off some of the insects that bats eat.
Tina
always, I hope people will report this if they notice bats in their area dying are disappearing. That is the reason for this hub.
Tina
Wendy I did not think of that. Good point!
Tina
ch, it better be soon. We are now just hearing of this? It started back in 2006 or 2007.
Mo2, from what I have read, they do not even know what is causing it, there fore can not fix it
Tina
Great Hub as usual, you really are good at finding challenging subjects. Really didn't notice thier absense till I read your Hub, I've look all over counties near Houston, Sadly it appears,something has been killing them off. We will realize thier inportance for sure, especially as you so well brought out about the increase in mosquitoes, I'm afraid were going to see swarms in many other flying insects soon, but maybe this too will soon pass! 10 Hugs too you for sharing these important issues.
The mosquitoes are getting really bad around here and have not seen one bat this summer. Usually I can sit out in my back yard and see them but not this year. Just wanted to give you an update on this as I am still very interesting in this matter. I was at an outdoor concert this past weekend and it was like an all you can eat buffet for the mosquitoes.
Amez, there will be a lot of crops lost also from the bats dying off
Susan. lol
you are so right. They will out number us and eat us alive!
Very interesting. I currently live in North Carolina and I've observed the bats here quite regularly, so it hasn't been such an issue here yet. I can still find an occasional honeybee as well, though I've noticed their population has decreased significantly enough to deplete their frequency. Last year was my first time growing veggies and I actually attracted a nest of honeybees on our front porch (they sure did enjoy pollinating my cucumbers!) so I know it's been only this year now.
Where about in upstate are you? I was born in Schenectady and lived most of my life up in Plattsburgh. :D
Coming to think of it, I have not seen any in London in the four years I have lived here. It is another calamity we will have to deal with.
have a place in middleburgh ny havent seen bats in years so sad we r killing everything and everyone here
Hi, Tina, sorry I haven't been over, where you been? lol seriously though, this is a bad thing to happen, I only hope that it is a certain area that this is happening too, as you say, bats are a very important animal, each and every creature has a role to play, and if one disappears then it will mess up everything, take care nell
Chris, thanks for stopping by
I live in Troupsburg NY, it is near Corning
Alladream, yes, I am afraid you are right
dennis, yes it is. We got eaten alive this summer. Bugs were real bad
Nell. hey girlfriend! How have you been? You forgot about me. See out of sight, out of mind.
Glad to see you.
I kind of see it as Wendy. It is probably something we will never get the answer to and it could be our government just as well as terrorists. Who can you trust? Hearing about 12 year olds Perry was responsible for getting dangerous shots just shocked the daylights out of me. So now what will they be looking to get from that? ADD from immunizations...what next? I am pretty far south of you and I have seen no bats either, was telling my husband about that because we have a bright nightlight that draws them after the mosquito and I have been eaten up this summer. Great hub, thank you for bringing this to our attention.
Wow, that is awful! Very interesting hub. We have a lot of bats here in the Southwest (Nevada).. and I think there are still a lot in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. I just hope this white nose disease doesn't travel here! We have a lot less bugs here than when I used to live in Wisconsin. Great hub!
I think people were trying to wipe it off in the past. If they continue to do it, our next generation would only see the bats on the book.
Just Ask Susan Level 8 Commenter 11 months ago
This does not sound too good at all. I will be watching for them here as well. Thanks so much for alerting us. I did have a very large bumble bee fly into my house just yesterday. Up and very very useful!