On The Fly Pest Solutions: New England Bat Populations Struggling

Friday, January 10, 2020

New England Bat Populations Struggling

White nose syndrome and human interference

Bat populations across the United States and in Maryland have taken a huge hit in the past few decades. Many things have contributed to the decline in numbers, such as illness, human urbanization, wind turbines and coming into contact with pesticides. White nose syndrome is perhaps one of the biggest causes of the falling numbers of bats in the United States. The fungus latches on to hibernating bats and causes them to wake up before the winter is through.

Bats are native to Maryland, much like the rest of the United States. They are important for many things, such as keeping our ecosystem in check. They feed on things like insects and keep their population down. They are also the only mammal that can fly. In total, there are ten species of bats that call Maryland home.

For information on humane bat removal, visit On The Fly Pest Solutions.

For New England Bats, It's Been A Decade Of 'Carnage'

You’d think this would be the perfect place to find bats. It’s a dark damp cave. But during a bat survey here last winter scientists only found 10.

That’s because of white-nose syndrome. A disease caused by a fungus, which flourishes in caves, just like this one. The fungus gets on the muzzle and wings of bats, waking them up from hibernation, and depleting the fat they need to survive the winter.

It’s been more than a decade since the disease was first identified in North America. Learn more

Summary: Illness, human urbanization, wind turbines and coming into contact with pesticides all contribute to the declining bat populations. White nose syndrome is perhaps one of the biggest causes of the falling numbers of bats.

Maryland Bats

They are the only mammals that can fly. Contrary to popular opinion, they are not related to mice but are in their own separate order of mammal. There are ten species of bats that live in Maryland. The two most common bats are the little brown bat and the big brown bat.

The natural habitat for bats is in caves and hollow trees. When these places are not available, they will roost during the day in attics, behind window shutters, in church steeples and even storm drains. See more

Summary: Bats are native to Maryland, much like the rest of the United States. There are ten species of bats that live in the state.