The Bats and Bees

Last year, it was honey bees. Across the US, bee colonies were mysteriously deserted. Scientists call it “colony collapse disorder” and a year later are still arguing about the cause. It seems to be starting up this year in France.

This year, bats in Eastern New York and Vermont are dying from an unknown malady.

It’s called “white nose syndrome” because many of the dead bats are found with whote rings around their noses. In some caves, 90 percent of the bats hibernating there have died.

This is more bad news for the environment because bats, like bees, are important pollinators. As important is the role bats play in controlling insects. Fewer bats equals more bugs, an uneasy realization in this age of global warming when tropical, insect-borne diseases are moving northward.

Is is global warming? Overuse of pesticides? Or merely better reporting of local phenomena?

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