Abstract:
White-nose syndrome has killed hundreds of thousands of bats in the eastern United States. Those that are dying are insect-eaters, and the largest bat colony in the northeast is estimated to eat two billion insects per night. Losing these night-hunters would allow more damage to crops and contribute to mosquito-borne diseases like the West Nile virus. The disease has spread down the East Coast to Smith County, Virginia, which abuts North Carolina, and is expected to cross into the state.