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Dr. Mercola
May 01 2008
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Why are Bats Dying?

batJust as news of the massive bee die off is fading from the news (although not actually ending), news of mass bat deaths are just starting to hit the headlines. The loss of bats could be an environmental catastrophe, as they are the world's greatest insect eaters -- devouring up to half their weight in insects every day.

The epicenter of the bat die-off is New York. Reports started with hikers noticing dead and dying bats littered outside the caves where they hibernate.

The loss of bats is now at the point where researchers are expressing fear that an extinction is underway. The ultimate cause is unknown, although the condition has been named White Nose Syndrome, due to the presence of fungus growths on the bats’ noses and faces. The fungus is believed, however, to be only a symptom rather than the underlying problem.

Theories for what is causing the bats to die include:
  • Virus and bacterial infections
  • Pesticides, either due to the toxins themselves or because they’ve killed off bats’ major food source, mosquitoes and other insects
Bat die-off could have a major impact on humanity, including outbreaks of mosquitoes (and their related diseases like West Nile Fever, malaria, and Eastern Equine Encephalitis) and destruction of crops (which could be overtaken by crop-destructive insects).

Dr. MercolaDr. Mercola's Comments:
Something is terribly wrong here.

Three of the world’s greatest pollinators -- the creatures that are actually responsible for spreading pollen so plants can grow -- are slowly disappearing right before your eyes. First it was the bees. Then the birds. Now the bats.

What’s next?

The current bat die-off is already being called the most serious threat to North American bats since the beginning of recorded history. In New York, up to 90 percent of the bats hibernating in four caves and mines have died since last winter, and more bats are thought to have died at 15 other New York sites, and also in Massachusetts and Vermont.

Biologists believe that up to half a million bats could ultimately be lost, which would have a major impact on the upcoming growing season.

Bats are Necessary for Crops to Thrive

The common image of bats acting as pests, flying in your hair or trying to suck your blood are, of course, just myths. One of the biggest fears many have about bats -- rabies -- is also completely unfounded, as bat rabies cause just one human death per year in the United States, according to Bat Conservation International.

In reality, bats are a great friend to the environment, helping to pollinate wild plants, disperse fruit seeds, and keep insect populations under control.

Bats are also used strategically by organic farmers as a natural means for pest control, as one small bat can eat up to 2,000 mosquitoes in one night. So you can imagine how mosquitoes and other bugs will multiply without bats to keep them in check.

Other Pollinators are Also Disappearing

As I said earlier, the problem of disappearing bats is magnified because other North American pollinators, namely birds and bees, are also on the decline.

According to a report by the National Audubon Society, for instance, the numbers of some species of birds have plummeted by 60 percent to 80 percent. And as of April 2007, 25 percent of all bee colonies in 27 U.S. states had died.

The growing absence of these necessary creatures is signaling a silent alarm bell about the state of our ecosystem. Even the U.S. Department of Agriculture is calling it an “impending pollination crisis.”

Something is throwing things off balance, and, little by little, nature is dying. Eventually, it will no longer be a gradual occurrence, but rather like when you put a stick into a turning bicycle wheel, everything will abruptly come to a halt, and likely fall.

What’s Killing Off the Bees, Birds and Bats?

Nobody knows for sure. And my guess is that it is not one thing but rather an accumulation of things such as:
In the case of bats, new pesticides that are designed specifically to fight West Nile Virus are also likely culprits. These pesticides kill mosquitoes, and bats need mosquitoes to survive. As a telling sign, bats that have been found dead appeared to have died from starvation, as their fat stores were largely depleted.

There is also a sign that something is altering their behavior, as bats have been found flying during the winter and during the day, while they should have been hibernating.

Can Life Go on Without the Birds and the Bees (and the Bats)?

Not for long, no. One-third of the U.S. food supply is dependent on the pollination from bees alone, and without bats or birds, the food supply as you know it would be long gone.

Is there anything you can do?

Well, on a local level, yes. I would suggest contacting your town’s city officials to protest spraying the area with pesticides to combat West Nile Virus. Next, if you have a backyard, consider putting up a couple of bat houses, a bird feeder, and a bird bath, then planting some flowers that attract bees, such as:
  • Basil, rosemary, sage and thyme
  • Lavender
  • Geraniums
  • Sunflowers
  • Verbena
  • Zinnias
  • Bee balm
  • Cosmos
These are small steps, but no contribution is too small when it comes to our one and only environment.
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Community Comments ( 56 )
 Comment on this Article
  
  
seg
 [ Joined on 11/06 ] [ Posted on April 16, 2008 ]
26 Points        
   
 
Savvy User
EVERY CREATURE ON THE FACE OF GOD'S GREEN EARTH HAS A PURPOSE - INCLUDING US HUMANS !!!!!!!!!!!!

The same problem that's slowly poisoning us humans are more aggressively killing other smaller more fragile creatures - pollution of all kinds (insecticides,pesticides,mercury,plastics etc), frankenfoods, cell phone towers name it....
If we continue at the current rate then i'm afraid it's only a matter of time before we self destruct....Signs of the times !!!!!!!
 [ Reply ]
Mercola
  
Charisse
 		[ Joined on 10/07 ]  [ Posted on April 16, 2008]
2 Points        
   
Apprentice User
  Mercola
I personally have installed "bat houses" in the trees at the back of my property...do you know that they eat like 1000 mosquitoes a night???each???  come to think of it...I haven't seen as many bats as when I moved in.....

Anyway...we don't have mosquito problems...because of the bats.....

it's insidious how all of this is happening...you don't really notice until someone draws it to your attention.....
Mercola
  
Aaltrude
 		[ Joined on 04/07 ]  [ Posted on April 16, 2008]
6 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
Your mention of cell phone towers made me wonder what part this technology may be playing in the demise of bats. It is quite possible that the cell phone signals could be interfereing with the bats navigation and food finding abilities. The article mentions that starvation is a possible cause of death and that they are hybernating near the entrance of caves rather than going deep inside.
Mercola
  
Dekalb
 		[ Joined on 06/06 ]  [ Posted on April 16, 2008]
8 Points        
   
Apprentice User
  Mercola
You are So right Seq!
Mercola
  
Pat Ormsby
 		[ Joined on 06/06 ]  [ Posted on April 17, 2008]
5 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
Aaltrude, I don't think it is interfering with their navigation in this case. Bats use sonar (sound). But it is interesting to note that it was first the bees, then birds, now bats. Flying things. We are filling our atmosphere with various pollution, including unprecedented levels of microwaves, we shouldn't be surprised to see flying animals get hurt early on. Microwaves are noted for harming the immune system as well as the nervous and endocrine systems. One friend who is particularly susceptible to microwave radiation had to leave Japan primarily because fungi flourish in the humidity, and he was being repeatedly infected. Just like the bats, it appears.
Mercola
  
Tachia
 		[ Joined on 09/07 ]  [ Posted on April 30, 2008]
8 Points        
   
Novice User
  Mercola

Yes, stop air, water, soil, food, etc etc pollution from these pesticides and restore nature to the way it was and should be!

Why do people hate nature and "tree huggers" so much when nature is the only assurance of producing and keeping life on this planet? Without it, there's nothing but mass destruction: "One-third of the U.S. food supply is dependent on the pollination from bees alone, and without bats or birds, the food supply as you know it would be long gone."

Mercola
  
Pat Ormsby
 		[ Joined on 06/06 ]  [ Posted on May 1, 2008]
4 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola

For anyone interested in a comprehensive overview of research on how bees are affected by EMR, including a time line and notes on vested-interest efforts to suppress this, see "Disappearing Bees: CCD & EMR" www.indymedia.org.uk/.../392060.html

The connection is really a lot clearer than I thought.

Mercola
  
georgeeby
 		[ Joined on 03/08 ]  [ Posted on May 1, 2008]
1 Points        
   
Novice User
  Mercola

yep, just wait till we run out of gas.  see http://dieoff.org

Mercola
  
samsara
 		[ Joined on 03/08 ]  [ Posted on May 1, 2008]
7 Points        
   
Apprentice User
  Mercola

Thanks for the link Pat O. I read one or two and the information makes me want to cry... all the efforts for green awareness, all the recycling efforts, and

our cry's for clean fuel will mean NOTHING if we have no FOOD...

Do you think the time will ever come when we will look at pictures of fruit and veg and sigh to our grandchildren saying..." yes, it had the most wonderful taste, I wish you could have tasted one before they were gone..."

How can we stop this? How do we reverse the mass use of cellphones and other disruptors? I think it would be very hard for people to give up the convenience of their cell phones, blackberries, and blue tooth toys...

But if people knew that these things are literally killing them and destroying their children's future, I wonder if it might work.

Mercola
  
Pat Ormsby
 		[ Joined on 06/06 ]  [ Posted on May 1, 2008]
2 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola

Thank you, Samsara!  I think what we need to do is start lobbying for places to be set aside free from artificial sources of radiation.  As more and more people begin to see how radiation is affecting them, there will be more support for this and a growing economic incentive to promote these zones as a healthy place to vacation or live.  Currently, by the time most people realize they've been made ill by radiation, they've been impoverished by their mysterious disease.  That is one reason no one has been able to establish such zones yet.  Another reason is a very well funded disinformation campaign by vested interests.  If it could be shown that people and creatures living in radiation-free zones were indeed healthier, the telcos would be in trouble and the military would face lawsuits.  We have to realize what we are up against, but not let it stop us.

  
  
samsara
 [ Joined on 03/08 ] [ Posted on April 16, 2008 ]
20 Points        
   
 
Apprentice User
Very interesting article. When will it stop? One theory was that the bats were dying off because of the spraying for West Nile. How unbelievable considering the Culex mosquito would have been their dinner....

Tampering with the delicate natural ecosystem is asking for trouble. We know that yet it is still being done.  One Entomologist I know of, was not well received because he wanted to introduce natural predictors for mosquitos rather than spray malathion....too many people were complaining that it wasn't acting fast enough and ruining their barbecues and sporting events. 

That says so much about how some people want instant gratification to serve there own needs rather than think of the long term cause and effect...

Sorry, ....that's my rant for the day.

 [ Reply ]
Mercola
  
New to Natural
 		[ Joined on 11/07 ]  [ Posted on April 17, 2008]
2 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
The irony is that by simply spraying for mosquitos, they will inevitably be back - and in large numbers.  So much for "outdoor sports!" 
Mercola
  
samsara
 		[ Joined on 03/08 ]  [ Posted on April 17, 2008]
6 Points        
   
Apprentice User
  Mercola
Hi NewtoNat,
Yes, that is exactly what happened. Skeeters came back in droves...and all the lovely dragonflies (and butterflies) disappeared.  You couldn't leave your bedroom window open at night because if it was your neighborhoods turn on the city spray cycle, you inhaled malathion while you slept. Not to mention your lovely organic garden, was not organic anymore.

As far as outdoor sports...citronella, cedarwood and clove essential oil prep's work wonders. There is also netted clothing that works too. WE must continue to investigate, question, explore natural options, and think of the long term ramifications of pesticide use, I am sure that outdoor activities
will still be apart of our lives...


  
  
HealthCoachSandraG
 [ Joined on 03/08 ] [ Posted on April 16, 2008 ]
16 Points        
   
 
Apprentice User
It would be interesting to see that the very pesticides invented to kill insects are killing the only real and effective method of insect control ...........bats.  That's Karma!
 [ Reply ]
Mercola
  
Starfire
 		[ Joined on 08/07 ]  [ Posted on May 1, 2008]
4 Points        
   
Novice User
  Mercola

Some may call it Karma (and I believe in it). In this case others may call it a CRIME! I didn't ask for pesticides and I have been active most of my adult life working against chemicals in our air, food and bodies. The people that deserve the Karma are those that perpetrate the crimes and those that sit back and do nothing to stop the criminals. These are the same people who, time after time, go to the voting booths, push a couple of buttons for some candidate that was groomed within our evil system, and belive the candidate (corrupt politician) is going to save us. They have to do more. Voting is a notion that is there to fool people into believing they have something to say about the political system.

An 80's song had a line that said, "we won't get fooled again." How I wish that were true. The reality is that we get fo