Bats are amazing animals that are vital to the health of our environment and economy. Although we may not always see them, bats are hard at work all around the world each night – eating thousands of insects, pollinating flowers, and spreading seeds that grow new plants and trees. Step outside around dusk and take a few moments to look for bats in your neighbourhood!
Bats may not be your favourite species, but you have to admit — they do a great job controlling insect populations. Did you know that 1 bat can eat over 1000 mosquitoes in 1 hr?!
That’s reason enough to join the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) in their #HelpTheBats campaign designed to help endangered bat populations fight white-nose syndrome … the disease that’s wiping out entire bat colonies.
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a disease caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans. This fungus grows on the exposed skin of bats as they hibernate during the winter in caves and mines. The cool temperatures of these hibernating sites allows the fungus to grow and spread throughout the site and on the bats themselves. The disease shows up as a fuzzy white substance on their ears, wings and muzzles. However, this isn’t the only damage this fungus causes. Internally the bat’s muscle tissues and blood vessels are affected and the bats end up dying as a result of dehydration (they lose water and electrolytes from their wings) and starvation (they wake up from hibernation more frequently using their fat reserves which can’t be replaced as flying insects are not available).
The results of WNS are devastating with some Canadian populations down by 90 percent in only three years! Researchers predict that 99 per cent of these bats will disappear and become extinct in some areas of Canada by 2020. These beneficial small mammals need our help.
You can do your part by putting up a bat house in your backyard.
Here is a resource for a bat house kit made from long-lasting cedar including easy to follow instructions.
AN ORIGINAL GIFT IDEA for friends and family members!
You can order it directly from Canadian Wildlife Federation for $24.97 Cdn
http://shopcwf.ca/products/bat-box
Stuffed animal ‘bats’ (and many others) are available for ‘adoption’ at http://shopcwf.ca/collections/adopt-an-animal/products/little-brown-bat-adoption-kit and would be a great addition to your bat box gift.
This is what we are giving our children and their families for Christmas. There are plans to install additional ones for various locations on Greystones properties … look carefully on your hikes, or during your stay, and you may spot one or two!
If you’re handy with wood and so inclined, here is a link to BUILD YOUR OWN BAT HOUSE: www.eparks.org/pdf/batbox.pdf
International Bat Week October 24 – 31
CWF invites you to celebrate by hosting your own “BAT PULL.” Bats need to eat lots of different insects to stay healthy. Plants native to Canada support a huge variety of insects Canadian bat species love to munch on.
INVASIVE PLANTS, like the ones listed below, do not support the insect populations bats feed on.
To “Be a hero to bats,” we invite you, your friends and family to conduct at “BAT PULL” of invasive plants!
Sometimes, even bats need a superhero.
Thanks for stepping up to play the part!
Invasive plants you should be looking to pull out during your “bat pull”:
- European Buckthorn
- Glossy Buckthorn
- Scotch Broom
- Purple Loosestrife
- Phragmites (not easy to pull as they have underground roots like bamboo)
- Japanese Knotweed
- Garlic Mustard
- Tartarian Honeysuckle
- Wild Parsnip – CAUTION: can cause severe skin irritation (call the Township or County for help if you have these! Do NOT remove them yourself.)
- Giant Hogweed – CAUTION: can cause severe skin irritation (call the Township or County for help if you have these! Do NOT remove them yourself.)
- Ragweed (Goldenrod)
- Common Burdock
- Orange Daylily
- English Ivy
- Mullein
- Himalayan blackberry
- Lilac
- European Alder
- Russian Olive
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Here’s a great BLOG by Karen Vanderwolf to learn more about bats: http://blog.cwf-fcf.org/?author=5
