Bad news for bats: Lethal white-nose fungus is now in the Pacific Northwest

Sad news out of Washington this weekend for the Conservation Medicine world!

Lethal white-nose fungus affecting bats is now in the Pacific Northwest → this has a huge negative implication for farmers. Why?

“In a single summer, a colony of 150 brown bats can eat enough adult cucumber beetles to prevent the laying of eggs that result in 33 million rootworm larvae, according to a study cited by Bat Conservation International. Without bats, insects would be free to ravage farm crops and trees, among other things. Their value to U.S. farmers has been estimated at $3 billion a year.”

Read more here→ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/04/01/bad-news-for-bats-lethal-white-nose-fungus-is-now-in-the-pacific-nw/