Missouri Department of Conservation explains why bats are critical, debunks myths

Oct. 27—While they may be associated with vampires, demonized as the origin of the new coronavirus or considered harbingers of bad luck, bats play a vital role in Earth's ecosystem.

In North America, bats are flying exterminators that eat insect pests like June beetles, mosquitoes and flies. A single bat can eat an average of up to 600 mosquitoes per night, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.

"Missouri bats are insect eaters, and they serve a very important role here," said Jessie Ballard, a naturalist with the department. "There are new estimates that say that some bats can eat up to 1,000 insects in one night."

But their role in the ecosystem doesn't stop at pest control.

More than 500 species of flowering plants rely on bats in other parts of the world as either major or exclusive pollinators, according to Bat Conservation International, a global conservation organization dedicated to ending bat extinctions.

"Agave, which eventually turns into the alcoholic beverage tequila, is actually pollinated by bats," Ballard said. "Basically, almost every tropical fruit that you can think of has been impacted by bat pollination. Here in Missouri, they're not pollinators, but they eat insects that can damage crops."

The myths about bats are many. They don't all carry rabies; less than half of 1% of bats do. They do not suck people's blood or fly into women's hair. Those accusations stem from decades of misinformation, Ballard said.

The Missouri Department of Conservation's Shoal Creek Conservation Education Center held a virtual "Bats of Missouri" program earlier this month to debunk such myths and promote ways to help endangered species.

"For a long time, everyone thought every single bat carried rabies," Ballard said. "They painted the bat as this vicious animal when it's really not. It's something that's super important for our ecosystem. At one time, they were considered evil and were something in the religious world that was associated with Satan. We're just trying to get as much information out there that bats are a positive thing. ... They're really such a unique and special mammal that we have in Missouri."

More than 1,000 species of bats exist where it takes up a quarter of the number of mammals on Earth. There are at least 14 species of bats in Missouri, including the big brown bat, the little brown bat, the red bat and the hoary bat.

Another common myth is that bats are blind. Bats utilize echolocation to navigate and find insect prey. The bat emits sound waves from its mouth or nose, which produces an echo when the sound wave hits an object, to help them pinpoint where things are, even in total darkness.

Ballard said the bat's sonar technique has inspired technology in Navy submarines and research with the blind.

Endangered

Bat populations have been on the decline for the last 50 years due to human interference, deforestation, water pollution and pesticides. Ballard said a couple of species of bats in Missouri are particularly vulnerable because they're cave dwellers and are susceptible to white-nose syndrome, a fatal fungus disease that's visible on bats' muzzles, ears and/or wing membranes.

The fungus thrives in cold, wet environments like caves and appears to affect only bats that hibernate. It's believed to have been introduced to North America from Europe. Ballard said the fungus can spread throughout a cave system from people who unknowingly carry it on their shoes, clothes or equipment.

"Populations have been rapidly declining, and the Indiana bats and gray bats here in Missouri are especially on our radar because they're more cave-specific," Ballard said. "Not only are these bats dealing with those man-made things, but because they're cave dwellers, white-nose syndrome is a huge component of what's happening with them and their endangerment."

Ballard suggested people like to explore caves disinfect hard surface gear with bleach or household cleaner each time they leave one cave and go on to another to reduce the risk of disease exposure.

Once white-nose syndrome reaches a cave, about 90% of bats will die in that cave system, and in some cases, entire colonies will be wiped out, Ballard said. An estimated 6.7 million bats have died since 2006 because of an outbreak of white-nose syndrome, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.

"The biggest thing that we can do to help with bats is keeping out of places like caves, especially when there are maternity colonies, also known as nursery colonies — ones that are going to be raising their young," Ballard said. "It only takes one instance of a person going into a cave for that colony to drop all of their babies for the year, and then they don't reproduce after that. They're one and done, and then they wait until their next cycle."