Contact:  Holly Niederriter, Division of Fish & Wildlife, 302-735-8651; or Melanie Rapp, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.

Bat spotters wanted to help scientists in locating bat colonies

DOVER (Oct. 7, 2010) – DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife is seeking bat spotters to help scientists in locating bat colonies – groups of bats living in barns, attics, churches, schools and other buildings. Wildlife biologists are looking for bat colonies to study statewide bat populations, breeding activity and the overall health of the bats that inhabit our state.

Bats are very valuable to Delaware by reducing mosquito populations and agricultural pests. As the primary consumer of night-flying insects, a single little brown bat can eat up to 1,000 mosquito-sized insects in an hour.  Bats are mammals; they have hair, give birth to live young and produce milk to feed their new-born pups.

To report a bat colony roosting site, the public is asked to use an online application that can be found at www.dnrec.delaware.gov/fw/bats. Click on the reporting form. In addition, bat spotters can also call wildlife biologists at 302-735-8669 to report bat colony locations.

In 2009, volunteer bat spotters reported 30 colony sites throughout the state. 

“We are doing everything possible to protect our state’s bats and are asking Delaware residents to report the locations of colonies in their area,” said Holly Niederriter, wildlife biologist with the Delaware Bat Program. “We are studying bats to learn as much as we can about the numbers of bats that live here and whether our bats are being affected by white-nose syndrome, a bat disease that has hit populations hard in other states.”

White-nose syndrome has not harmed humans, pets or livestock, but has caused mortality at bat hibernation sites from Canada to Tennessee. Since the disease was first identified in Albany, N.Y. in 2006, more than one million bats have died, most of them in states notable for having caves and mines where bats colonize when hibernating.

The disease is characterized by a white fungus on the nose, wings, tail and ears of a bat. Bats typically groom the fungus off when they leave their hibernation sites at the end of the winter, making it more difficult to detect the disease in spring and summer.

“Only bats that overwinter communally are known to be affected by white-nose syndrome,” continued Niederriter. “These would include some of the more common bats, such as the little brown bat, big brown bat, and tri-colored bat.”

For more information, contact Holly Niederriter or Erin Adams at 302-735-8651.

Vol. 40, No. 344