As usual, the news media ran negative reports about bats. This one concerned the vampire bat, and it’s possible  spread into the lower part of the United States and putting the public in fear. In response to these negative reports Bat Conservation International has released a press report with information that  the media failed to report as I previously posted . See the response below. I have also linked to some web sites concerning bats and vampire bats.

Some Fact about bats and rabies: According to CDC less than 6% of bats have rabies.

The good things about bats out weigh the bad and with the media spending so much time on the negative things and only telling the bad thing that bats are known for  they do little about promoting the good of these animals. Ask a person what they know about bats and their common response is “that they carry rabies and they are dirty.” Then ask that same person if they know that the bats are dying from White-nose Syndrome and the response is “what’s that?” When is the last time a major network has done a story on bats and WNS? Keeping the public informed is part of their public duty.

Yes ,we all know that bats can possibly carry rabies, and that the vampire bat may one day cross the border into the US, but do we know that the little brown bat may one day in our life become a thing of the past?. Or, that bats are the leading consumer of night time insects helping the local farmer by eating insects that effect their crops and saving billion of dollars in added cost.? By having bats, harmful pesticides are not needed to control these pests, making crops safer to eat.

Maybe the media can spend some time on that! Our local station, WMUR out of Manchester NH did a short story on us,  (P&S Country Crafts) and on  the importance of bats as you may have read about or saw. The response we had was overwhelming. Can you imagine what the response could be and the pressure that could be put on congress for research
money for White-nose Syndrome and perhaps a cure, if Good Morning America, or ABC Nightly News, or any other major network news did a story too? Right now most of the research money comes from private donations and the US Department of Fish &  Wildlife.

I am sure that if Congress can find money for shrimp and tread mills  at a cost of $750,000 of tax payer money they can find money to save the bats. As  stated by one biologist, “the loss of the little brown bat or any other bat species could change the world as we know it”.

We met Elena at a recent craft fair and she offered to share some pictures of her trip. She used a Canon DSLR Rebel XS with the attached fixed lens and managed to get some great pictures, we hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

One of the photos shows the opening of a cave referred to as Cueva Ventana. The red bat is an insect eater, while the small gray one eats mainly fruit. At nightfall, the boas come out and prey on the bats. Also attached is a photo of a snake catching a bat amidst the swarm of others.  Enjoy!

Elena Vanassea-Torres,

You can see more of Elena photos at www.evtphoto.com

opening of a cave referred to as Cueva Ventana

Boa snake feeding on a bat

http://visitingnewengland.com/blog-cheap-travel/?p=1402

These pictures of a family of Hairy Woodpecker where taken this past Saturday Morning as they feed at our back yard feeder filled with sun flower seeds. I hope you enjoy these pictures as I enjoyed watching them. As I could see the family consisted of a adult male and female with a younger female.

Without the rain, the crop don’t grow, the insect don’t thrive and the Mexican free-tail bat have a hard time finding food. So each night the leave their roost from under a bridges and head out seeking out their nightly dinner.

So what does all this mean, if the drought last a extended time the domino effect could be grim for both the bats and farmer who rely on each other to survive. The farmer for its crops that he needs grow to support himself and family and the Mexican free-tailed bat who relies on the farmers crop for food and estimated 1,000 tons of insect they eat each night.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/28/us-bats-drought-texas-idUSTRE76R0F320110728

Accidentally brought into the United States  in the 1980′s from Asia the Tiger Mosquito first brought discomfort to the south. With the recent hot spell it has caused the Tiger Mosquito to flourish.   Researchers have shown with only a slight increase in temperature the Tiger Mosquito multiplies like overzealous bunnies.

First reported in 1985 in Huston TX, it is believed to have arrived in old tires from Asia bound for recycling. In just one year they were already in Florida and heading north.  Within 20 years making homes in Pennsylvania   and the upper mid west the Tiger Mosquito is now firmly entrenched and heading east and north. To make it even worse with the recent decline in bats and an increase in summer temperatures the Tiger Mosquito is flourishing  making not only the nighttime unbearable but the daytime too.

What makes the Tiger Mosquito so unique is it does not need a lagoon to bear it’s young , but just a small amount of water.  Preferring smaller pockets of water such as tree holes, a cup of water or even old tires used for swings filled with water are perfect breeding areas for the tiger Mosquito.  You can say basically any small container that can hold rain water will make a good breeding home.

We usually associate mosquitoes with dusk and early morning but the Tiger Mosquitoes  prefer the day time as much as the night time making the mosquito misery a 24 hour fight. In some places the Tiger Mosquito has displaced the most common mosquito found is those areas.

The Tiger Mosquito is also known for the disease it can carry : LaCrosses  encephalitis, yellow fever and dengue fever. So when you add it up they are one nasty little insect for a mosquito that is smaller than most.  Being small does not affect  it’s bite and it’s bite is more  irritable than most mosquito bites. If you are hoping to kill the Tiger Mosquito before it bites you it is also known for being very fast, so the chance is slim you will get it before it gets you.

Unlike other mosquitoes where in some cases you simply just drain a swamp or water hole and rid it of mosquitoes, with the Tiger Mosquitoes an y man made item that can hold water is a potential breeding ground for them.  There is hope however: the one thing a Tiger Mosquito larva does not like is dry heat. No moister no Tiger Mosquito so where the lack of rain in some areas may not be good for some things it will keep the Tiger Mosquito in check making one less thing people may have to worry about. Unfortunately  in some areas this may be short lived with wetter weather always in the future.

You can help:: one option is by putting up  bat houses in the hope of attracting bats. When  you think of it,  a single bat can eat up to 1000 mosquitoes in a given night and this can help by keeping the Tiger Mosquito in check along with other night time insects. So having a bat house with just a few bats can make your summer just a little more easier to tolerate.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/heat-wave-super-mosquitoes-invade-14139345

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/mosquitos-insects-bugs-bites-health-west-nile-virus-summer-13825020

http://abcnews.go.com/video/video?id=8098068

http:/ http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/dengue-fever-cases-hit-florida-11250235/abcnews.go.com/video/video?id=7903024

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/07/0730_wiretigermoz.html

Come see us at the Hebron Fair , Saturday, July 30, 2011 from 9:00am to 4:00pm we will be located at site 59. This will be the 59th year that the  Union Congregational Church of Hebron has sponsored this fair.

The fair held at the Hebron Common’s at the North End of Newfound Lake, this is a rain or shine event and is free Admission. There will be over 90 crafts tents, with music, food and rides for the kids.

http://www.nh.com/nh/events/fairs/28708/hebron-fair

http://www.wmur.com/chronicle/index.html