Crosscheck wrote:
Just saw this thread...sorry for the bump.
That bat box is pretty badass. Is that a standard design?
Are plans available on the intertubes?
This is the first I've heard of WNS...sounds pretty nasty. Is it a native disease or was it introduced to the population somehow?
the bat box is sort of standard...i've made some changes to generation 1 models to incorporate what i know of bat ecology. they are pretty similar overall to the more modern designs. lots of designs for different types are available online, but i would stay away from any not on bat conservation sites, like batcon.org. unfortunately, there is far more of a science to bat boxes than bird houses. i can send you my plans if you want.
we're still not entirely sure whether white nose was introduced from europe or it's native. it is an entirely new species of fungus (
Geomyces destructans) that is unique in that it's best growth is at about 55 degrees- the temperature of most caves. it is also extremely hardy, shown to survive on clothes after a one hour, high temperature dryer cycle. whether it is truly viable at that point is a point of debate.
based on the distribution map (last updated this week) you can see how it has progressed extensively fast and stuff. the bats do pass it to one another, but to my eye and data inference, cavers have transported it here and there on occasion. this is most easily seem in the newest sighting in oklahoma. it's a shame that WNS made it that far west...i hope it gets contained by the mountains.
one particular genus seems to be extra susceptible to it, the
Myotis, or mouse-eared bats. this is unfortunate because those bats made up a huge percentage of our bats in the northeast.
this picture is one of the first and most iconic pictures of white nose syndrome. these are our little brown bats (
Myotis lucifgus). recently, cavers and researchers in europe have found bats with the white muzzle, but the bats have been unaffected. it's such a new discovery, however, that we don't know whether it's just being introduced or it's been around and these bats have some resistance to it. sidebar: europe has almost no bats, and hardly any research at all with bats. i believe that most of them died in the world wars.
so i guess all in all, we don't really know if it is native or introduced, only that it just suddenly appeared and it's spreading worse than any pandemic ever.
X-pensfan wrote:
Good luck with your theory, it certainly makes sense to me. But why are they getting this fungus in the first place? Why now?
like i said just above, we're not sure whether something got introduced or this new fungus species just came around and fully evolved in the last couple years.
BS1970 wrote:
WNS sounds like a horrible problem, like everyone else though I don't know much about it because we don't have it here in North Carolina and in Florida. I really hope you get the grant and can help stop this. Just curious, are the boxes used to help with WNS, or just to help educate the public about bats in general?
Actually, parts of carolina do have it. you probably haven't heard of it because it isn't really talked about unless it's in scientific journal or something. this is mostly to do with the dozens of misconceptions of bats. and the misunderstandings.
the bat boxes just are a gesture of kindness really. give them a place to stay and eat and you're doing as much for the bats as anyone can do at this point. plus it's environmentally friendly insect control. less deet, less pesticide, and less insecticide means happier healthier people. they are, however, like anything visual and tactual, great education tools.
ironyisadeadscene wrote:
i want a bat box, but will a bat actually use it?
sure. if you have water in the vicinity and you have bugs, bats will be there. it might not be this year, it might not be next year, but there are very few cavities that bats don't use. if you site it correctly, you're in good shape. i can mail you a kit if you send me money for shipping and $5 donation for the company i work for.
ANNNNNNND this is post 300, making me a brawler. BOOSH FOR AWESOME POST