Solution to Dying Bats Needed to Avert Uncontrolled Insect Population Explosion

Bats are dying in the Northeastern United States, and while it appears that a white fungus is the culprit, scientists are still uncertain about the real cause. The white fungus grows in the damp and cold temperature inside the caves the bats live in for the winter.

Somehow, the fungus causes infected bats to burn their store of food reserves in the body faster than usual, and they emerge from hibernation earlier than usual before the thaw. These bats then forage in a less-than-ideal environment that is cold and with hardly any food such as the insects they eat. With a starved body and a harsh environment, the bats die.

The disease is now known as white-nose syndrome because the fungus can be seen growing on the nose of affected bats. While it is harmless to humans, scientists predict that a scourge of insects like mosquitoes may be at the offing since fewer bats would be there to eat them even as the epidemic spreads to other parts of the United States. Wildlife biologist Alan Hicks says that "the cause for concern is that this is going to race across the country faster than we can come up with a solution."

Proposals like artificially reducing the humidity and temperature of the caves where the bats are found have been frowned upon due to unforeseen effects on the ecosystem. So far, there is no real solution and the population of bats is going down fast. The endangered Indiana bat, for instance has population numbers down to 35% in one cave.