White Nose Syndrome: The Killer Disease of Bats
by Robb Russell, Anytime Animal Control

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WNS: Destructive Bat Disease Coming Soon To A State Near You
by Robb Russell, AnimalControl-USA

One of the biggest mysteries puzzling some of the top minds in the wildlife management industry is a little known bat disease to much of us across the United States today. WNS, short for white nosed syndrome is the most serious threat facing bat populations in human history, and tens of thousands of bats are dying in hibernacula in the shelters they occupy while hibernating over winter.


White-nose syndrome (WNS), is a fungal infection that causes a high mortality rates in bats, which has been determined to be a fungus found on the muzzles, wings, and ears of infected bats is a member of the Geomyces genus.One commmon charateristic, is bats affected with WNS often have traces of the white, fungus substance found around their noses. Many have theorized a loss of their winter fat stores, pneumonia, and the disruption of hibernation by bats and their feeding cycles caused by warm and variable winter weather patterns. Another suspect being considered is bat flies which are small parasites that live in bats hair and suck blood from bat which may be responsible for the spread of this pathogen. The use of pesticides to control mosquitoes causing white nile virus has also been considered a contributing factor.

White-nose syndrome (WNS) first was reported during the 2006-2007 winter in a few hibernation caves near Albany, New York, where more than 8,000 bats died. During the 2007-2008 winter at least 18 additional caves and mines in New York, Connecticut, Vermont and Massachusetts. Some Widlife biogists believe the 2008 mortality could reach as high as one half-million bats . In February 2009 was confirmed in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Central West Virginia, and as far away as Southern Virginia.

Bats just like the honey bee are very important pollinators and are major contributors to our food chain and their loss will have a diverse affect on many members the animal kingdom. One of the most notable will be an abundance of mosquitoes since one bat alone is resposnible for eating as much as 6000 mosquitoes nightly and with the loss of nearly one half million bats to  date will result in an adverse, exponential growth in their abundance.

Experts have predicted the disease to continue to spread and eventually cross the Appalachian mountains and grow both westward eventually into Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Tennessee and into the all Southeastern United States.

For more on WNS and its affect on bats please visit the following sites:

http://www.batcon.org/index.php/education/article-and-information/latest-news/121-a-race-against-white-nose-syndrome.html

http://www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html