White-Nose Syndrome (WNS)

The White-nose syndrome (WNS) diseases is caused by a fungus called Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd). This fungus appears in the form of white fuzz or powder around the snout of bats, hence its moniker. Because Pseudogymnoascus destructans grows best in cold, dark, damp locations, hibernating bats are prime collateral damage since they tend to inhabit caves and similar areas with cold, damp conditions.

White-nose syndrome fungal spores can survive on surfaces for an extended amount of time, and can spread rapidly among bat colonies throughout the country. One of the first discovered cases of white-nose syndrome occurred back in 2006, when a cave explorer took a picture of a bat in a cave outside of Albany, New York. Today, the disease in found in bat populations all across the United States.

Current Efforts to Find a Solution

Although various bat populations have been affected by this deadly diseases, the top three species that suffered the most include Northern long-eared bats, Little brown bats, and Tricolored bats. Unfortunately, there is no cure for white-nose syndrome, but efforts are continuing to preserve and protect our healthy bat colonies from becoming infected.

Currently, vaccines are being tested, and several experimental treatments are being implemented, to find a solution to this ecological problem. Furthermore, studies are being done to investigate and evaluate the spread of white nose syndrome, and learning how to make positive environmental and habitat changes for bats.

Nuisance Bat Problems

Bats are an incredible mammal, and offer numerous benefits to our surrounding environment and ecosystems. However, if you are experiencing nuisance bat problems, contact a Kentucky bat removal and control company for safe and humane service.

Louisville Bat Removal and Control Company To Call

Call 553-502-7622 for prompt and professional 24 hour bat removal and control in Louisville, Kentucky and its surrounding areas. We are DNR licensed bat removal contractors that offer safe and non-lethal, 24 hour bat extraction and exclusion services for residential and commercial properties. We also provide bat cleanup and minor attic restorations for bat damages too. Request a free estimate, anytime.

Louisville Bat Removal and Control 502-553-7622

Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus)

The Little Brown Bat is one of the most common species of bat found around Kentucky. Not only do they provide several economic and ecological benefits for our society, they are very interesting to learn about.

Continue reading to review some basic information about Little Brown Bats, including their scientific name and classification, as well as, their diet, range, habitat, and more!

The Little Brown Bat

Little Brown Bats are microbats, meaning they are nocturnal, generally small, and primarily retain an insectivorous diet of insects and other bugs. They can consume 50% of their weight in insects! And during gestation or lactation, they eat even more. Breeding season is generally around September and October, but females actually store the male sperm for springtime fertilization, making baby bats born in the summer. Gestation is generally 50 to 60 days, and once born, sexual maturity is reached between 6 and 8 months. Females generally give birth to just one bat pup a year, but sometimes two.

Physical Description

The Little Brown Bat, sometimes referred to as Little Brown Myotis, is scientifically named Myotis lucifugus. Myotis refers to a “mouse-eared” genus of bat. They are among the most common bats found in North America. Above, they are covered in shiny brown, sleek-looking fir, with a lighter patch of fir below. They are usually around 3 to 3 ½ inches in length and weighing only a fraction of an ounce, between 1/8 and ½ ounces. So needless to say, their name says it all because they are little for sure! Although small, their average wingspan will surprise you, as it is more than double their body length, averaging between 6 to 8 inches in width. But what’s even more interesting is that they can live up to 30 years or more, average between 20 and 30 years specifically.

Echolocation

Little Brown Bats use a system of sonar called echolocation, combined with their acute sense of hearing, to locate and hunt down prey. Echolocation is a natural built-in sonar system for bats. They send off sounds that make a mental-grid of their surroundings by bouncing off objects and returning to the bat. They also communicate with one another through a complex series of chirps, beeps, and high-pitches sounds; most of which are not detectable by human ears.

Range

The geographic range of the Little Brown Bat species includes 37 states, as well as, Southern Canada east of British Columbia. Part of this range includes Kentucky. They are often found roosting in the Northern parts of the state, also as their name suggests. Additional U.S. states include Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

If You Have a Nuisance Bat Problem…

Louisville Bat Removal 502-553-7622

Call 502-553-7622 for Louisville bat removal and control you can trust. We are DNR licensed and insured bat control contractors who use safe, non-lethal methods of wildlife extraction and exclusion. We serve both residential and commercial clients, and at the most competitive prices in town. Emergency 24 hour bat removal service is also available. Request a free estimate, today.

Bat Removal in Louisville, Kentucky

Tag Archives: Little Brown Bats

Valiant Efforts Being Made to Abate White Nose Syndrome in Bats