50 A Condo to Call Their Own The big and little brown bats
of Devil’s Lake have a new condo to call their own! For many years, these night-time creatures have lived in and around the Chateau. In 2010, in the interest and well-being of the bats, they were excluded from the Chateau’s attic and given 19 bat houses on the outside of the building to live in during the warm months. During the winter, these two bat species find a cave or abandoned mine to hibernate in.
Surveys, done in the summer
of 2010, showed that there are over 900 bats roosting in those 19 houses. To give the bats a more suitable home, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Devil’s Lake State Park built the bats a condo not far from the Chateau.
What does the condo look like on the inside? The structure is not wide open, but has eight bundles of baffles so the bats can roost. This condo can house over 1000 bats.
White-nosed Syndrome Since 2006, bats all over
the United States have been affected by a devastating disease, white-nosed syndrome (WNS). This disease affects hibernating bats and is named for the white fungus that appears on the bats’ muzzles and other body parts. WNS was first documented in New York in the winter of 2006- 2007 and has rapidly spread across the eastern United States and Canada. Bats with WNS show uncharacteristic behavior during the winter such as waking up early, flying outside in the day and
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clustering around the entrances of the hibernacula. WNS has killed more than a million bats in the Northeast U.S. and Canada. WNS has not reached Wisconsin as of 2011.
Why should we Care? Bats are some of the most
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important and beneficial animals in the world. In North America, bats are an important form of pest control. A single bat can eat over 1000 insects in one hour! Many bats, especially those in Wisconsin, feed on insects that are pests of agriculture and garden crops; not to mention they eat lots of mosquitoes! One little brown bat, a species most affected by WNS, will eat half its entire body weight in insects every night. That’s like a 150-pound teenager eating 300 quarter- pounders! During the warm months of the year (mid-April through mid-October) a single little brown bat will eat 1 pound of insects. If we multiply that 1 pound by the 1 million bats that have died, there are over 694 tons of insects that are no longer being eaten. That’s equivalent to 6 female blue whales or 17 fully-loaded semi trucks.
Bats are cool!
Bats are a pretty important part of the natural ecosystem.
In Wisconsin, the seven species of bats found in the state are all insect eaters. At Devil’s Lake, they help reduce the number of mosquitoes, making it comfortable for visitors to enjoy the trails and beaches. There are several bat hikes happening throughout the summer; check for dates and times at the Nature Center. You can go anytime to watch the bats emerge for the evening. Head down to the north shore bat condo just before sunset and watch the hundreds of bats head out to eat insects.
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May-October 2012:
OpenMonday-Saturday, 9am-5pm
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