Press Releases
10/24/2023
Connecticut Celebrates Bat Week from Oct. 24-31
An Annual, International Celebration of the Role of Bats in Nature
(HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) celebrates Bat Week starting on October 24, as part of an international conservation awareness effort focused on the week prior to Halloween.
Across Connecticut, bats are on the move; three species of tree bats are moving south for the winter, while the six cave bat species are moving to where they will spend the winter hibernating underground. Bat Week continues a year-long celebration of bats in Connecticut, which started with the launch of the Bats Count! Bat Cam in June, a cooperative effort between the DEEP Wildlife Division and the White Memorial Conservation Center in Litchfield.
“Halloween is a great time to celebrate how vital bats are and our cooperative efforts to conserve them here in Connecticut,” said DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes. “Despite the many myths and misconceptions around these creatures, bats are crucial for healthy ecosystems and provide tremendous economic benefits to agriculture and forestry by controlling insects.”
Unfortunately, populations of cave bats in Connecticut and across North America have suffered astonishing losses since 2006. The disease known as white-nose syndrome (WNS) has killed millions of bats across 40 states and eight Canadian provinces. WNS is caused by a cold-loving fungus native to Europe that thrives in caves and mines, and which grows on the muzzle and wings of bats, fatally disrupting their hibernation. The resulting death toll highlights one of the most serious conservation challenges we face: WNS has killed over 90% of northern long-eared, little brown, and tricolored bats - all three of which are found in Connecticut - in North America in fewer than 10 years. It is especially frightening given the environmental and economic value of bats:
Bats are the single greatest predator of night-flying insects. A single colony of big brown bats can eat roughly 1.3 million insects every year — nearly 9,000 insects per bat.
- Bats are estimated to contribute at least $3 billion annually to the U.S. agriculture economy through pest control and pollination.
- This value does not include the broader ecosystem benefits of keeping insect populations in check, which has ripple effects in many areas, such as the forest products industry.
- This insect control also lends to public health benefits through the reduced need for chemical pesticides whose residues can remain on the produce we consume.
- In parts of the U.S., particularly the Southwest, bats play a key role in pollination.
The importance of bats and the rapid population decline have prompted state and federal governments to take protective actions. In Connecticut, the six species most affected by WNS include the big brown, little brown, northern long-eared, tricolored, eastern small-footed, and Indiana bats. All of these species, except the big brown bat, are now listed as endangered under the Connecticut Endangered Species Act. The decline of the northern long-eared bat has been so severe it was listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as federally threatened in 2015 and relisted as federally endangered earlier this year. The Indiana bat, federally endangered since 1967, was on the brink of recovery prior to WNS, and is once again in serious decline. Tricolored bats have been proposed for federal listing as “endangered” and little brown bats are being reviewed as a candidate for federal listing.
In response, biologists and researchers are working to address several key areas, including disease management, conservation, and recovery; surveillance and diagnostics; data management; and outreach and communications. Many of these efforts have been supported by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s State Wildlife Grants program, a critical source of funding for addressing urgent wildlife disease issues.
Since 2007, the DEEP Wildlife Division has been an active participant in the WNS response. Each year, DEEP biologists monitor bats to document mortality, survivorship, and reproductive success. DEEP also participates in region-wide monitoring programs to best direct conservation resources. For more information on white-nose syndrome and related conservation efforts, visit www.whitenosesyndrome.org.
Coinciding with Halloween, Bat Week (www.batweek.org) is celebrated each year from October 24-31 to help raise awareness about the importance of bats.
Some fun facts about bats:
- Bats are the only mammal capable of true flight; they are not flying mice.
- Bats are adept fliers who do not try to get caught in people’s hair. Bats that fly near people are after insects like mosquitos or moths.
- Bats have good eyesight but rely on echolocation to navigate at night; they are not blind.
- Bats’ healthy wings are essential for flight, so bats take care in grooming themselves; they are not filthy or covered in parasites.
- There are more than 1,400 species of bats in the world and only three are known as vampire bats. These three species are only found in Latin America and act as parasites of birds and cattle.
“Learning more about bats this week, particularly the important role they play in healthy ecosystems would be a great Halloween ‘treat’ for this troubled and misunderstood group of animals,” said Brian Hess, DEEP wildlife biologist. “Efforts to conserve bats, the only known species to be affected by WNS, are vital as we work to reverse their decline.”
What you can do to help bats throughout the year:
- Report bats seen outside during the winter to deep.batprogram@ct.gov or call the Wildlife Division at 860-424-3011. Be sure to include the date, location, and any digital photos of the bat.
- Help the DEEP Wildlife Division and White Memorial Conservation Center in Litchfield count and observe bats living in barn at White Memorial from late spring to late fall through the Bats Count! Bat Cam. Learn more at https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Wildlife/Bats-Count.
- Reduce pesticide use—let bats and birds take care of the insects.
- Protect roosting and hibernation sites.
- Minimize outdoor lighting at night. Bats rely on the darkness to sneak up on their prey and avoid detection by predators.
- Consider putting up a bat house. Providing bats with a safe place to roost is a great way to support their recovery while keeping them out of your home. Find plans on how to build your own bat house.
- Spread the word about Bat Week!
Want to learn more about bats? Check out DEEP’s Connecticut Fish and Wildlife Facebook page (www.facebook.com/CTFishandWildlife) for interesting facts, photos, and videos about bats during Bat Week or visit the DEEP website at https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Wildlife/Learn-About-Wildlife/Bats-in-Connecticut.
Photo credit: Paul Benjunas/CT DEEP Wildlife Division
Bats are the single greatest predator of night-flying insects. A single colony of big brown bats can eat roughly 1.3 million insects every year—nearly 9,000 insects per bat.
More at: www.ct.gov/DEEP | Follow on Facebook at CTDEEP, CTFishAndWildlife | Follow on X/Twitter @CTDEEPNews
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Contact
DEEP Communications
DEEP.communications@ct.gov
860-424-3110