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DNREC :  Skip Navigation LinksDivision of Fish & Wildlife : Bat Program

 
Bat populations at risk from devastating disease affecting hibernation sites

 

A closeup photo of a little brown bat afflicted with White-nose Syndrome, a deadly fungus. Photo by Ryan Von Linden.White-nose Syndrome and monitoring
bats in Delaware for the deadly disease

Delaware environmental officials are closely monitoring the state’s bat populations for any occurrence here of White-nose Syndrome (WNS), a disease that has caused mass mortality—in some cases as much as 100 percent attrition—
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among bat colonies at hibernation sites in northeastern states. While WNS has not been detected in Delaware, as many as 1 million bats so far may have died from the disease, most of them in states with caves and mines that bats colonize in hibernating.

Only bat species that overwinter communally are known to be affected by WNS, but those include some of the more common bats, such as the little brown bat, the big brown bat, the northern long-eared bat, the small-footed bat and the tri-colored bat (formerly known as the eastern pipistrelle). WNS was first discovered three years ago near Albany, N.Y. and has since been found to have killed bats in nine states.

Neither the spread nor cause of White-Nose Syndrome has yet been proven. The namesake white fungus found on bats’ noses (as well as their wings, ears and tail) could be the cause, Little brown bats affected by White-nose Syndrome. Photo by Nancy Heaslier/USFWSbut not all affected bats have the fungus, which itself may travel on spores for hundreds of miles with bat migrations. WNS could also be triggered by some kind of intrusion that thwarts the bats’ immune system and hinders their ability to fight off the fungus or other pathogens.

There have been no reported human illnesses attributed to WNS, but research continues across a wide spectrum of science, medicine and academia to discern if there is any risk to humans in contact with affected bats. 

Public input sought in Delaware for WNS

Meanwhile, Delaware wildlife biologists are collecting information to aid in assessing the status of White-nose Syndrome and the disease's effect on bat populations in the states such as Delaware that have no caves or underground mines.

Public input is enthusiastically sought in gathering this information, said wildlife biologist Holly Niederriter of DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife. “Although we don’t expect to see any of the symptoms associated with hibernating bats – such as fungus on the face, wings or tail, or unusual winter behavior – we could see an increased number of dead or sick bats or depressed population sizes in Delaware,” Niederriter said.  

  • White-nose Syndrome Fact Sheet
  • Online bat reporting form
  • Bat species found in Delaware
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    The public is asked to use the online bat reporting form if you should see a large number of dead bats (five or more) in one location, or see a similar number of bats flying in the middle of the day or clinging low on structures. Seeing one or two bats out during the day or clinging to the side of a house is not unusual, and need not be reported.

    The online form also enables documenting of Delaware’s summer bat colonies and where they are located. If you have observed, or know where large numbers of bats (50 or more) are roosting, please use the reporting form to document it. In Delaware, bats are more likely to use barns, attics, bridge beams and abandoned buildings for roosting and raising their young.

    For more information on white-nose syndrome, please visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service web site.  

    What to do if you find a dead bat:
    If you have access to a computer, please view the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service video for disposal of dead bats. The same instructions on the video are provided below. You may dispose of the bat or bats in the trash, but if you would like to help F&W examine Delaware bats please deliver them (again, only after following instructions) to 4876 Hay Point Landing Road, Smyrna during regular business hours (Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.) or call 653-2880.

    Instructions for handling dead bats:

    • Wear disposable gloves or cover your hand with a plastic bag
    • Using a trowel or shovel, scoop up the dead bat
    • Place the dead bat in a plastic bag
    • Add some household disinfectant or cleaner to the bag and seal it.
    • Place the first plastic bag and your gloves into another plastic bag and seal that.
    • Clean your hands thoroughly with an alcohol-based cleanser.
    • Clean your trowel or shovel with a disinfectant.
    • You can then either bring the bat to Fish & Wildlife (or put it in the freezer then call the division) or you can dispose of it with your trash

      • Related links:

     

     

     

     

     

     

    A big brown bat suspended from a cave roof. Photo by Greg Stihler

    Bat Facts

    • Bats are the only mammals that fly.
    • The name of their order, Chiroptera, means "hand-winged."
    • Their wings have the same basic structure as our hands.
    • All of Delaware's bats are insect eaters, taking prey on the wing.
    • A bat can consume up to 25 percent of its weight at a single feeding.
    • Bats can see quite well, but hunt for food using eco-location
    • Most bats mate in late summer or early fall, although some breed in winter.
    • The young, born in summer, are naked, blind, and helpless. They are nursed by their mothers as other mammals, and by six weeks of age, most are self-sufficient and nearly adult size.
    • Most bats, including the smaller species, usually bear a single young per year; the larger species may have up to four. There is only one litter per year.
    • Some bats overwinter in large groups in caves and mines, others overwinter singly under tree bark or leaf litter.
    • Bats are true hibernators. Throughout winter, they eat nothing, surviving by slowly burning fat accumulated during summer.
    • Delaware doesn’t have caves or mines and most of our summer “cave bats” migrate from other states.

          

    Bats have long been misunderstood and feared. A number of misconceptions or myths exist about them. Some of these include:

  • Bats are prone to rabies
        - Not particularly; you’re more likely to contract rabies from a dog or raccoon than a bat
  • Their droppings are a dangerous source of tuberculosis and other diseases.
  • They are aggressive and often attack people.
        - If you have a lot of insects flying around your head, bats may swoop closer than we like to get the food but their incredible eco-location and flight skills keep them from hitting you.
  • They are dirty and ridden with lice. They are actually very clean.
        - They fly best when they are clean and parasite free.

    • Other (non-WNS) Threats to Bats
    - Loss of habitat; wind energy (bats killed by turbine blades), flyways, cave visitation that disturbs their routines and depletes their energy reserves during hibernation,  direct vandalism,  environmental contamination, loss of water supplies (in west).

    Cool Facts
    - There are more than 1,100 kinds of bats
    - The smallest mammal in the world is a bat (bumblebee bat of Thailand weighs less than a penny)
    - Flying foxes (the largest bats, but which don’t occur in Delaware) have wing spans as large as 6 feet
    - Bats are typically faithful to birth place and hibernation location. 

     

     

     

     
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