| How IOWA Bats Protect & Help: |
| Crops, Livestock, Forests & People in IOWA |
| For Additional Information see the chart “How Bats Help People around the United States & the World” |
| Insect Eaten By Bats |
Problems Those Insects Create |
| Emerald Ash Borer Beetle |
Have destroyed 60 million ash trees to date including trees in Iowa. |
| Mosquitoes: A big brown can consume 10,000 mosquitoes in one evening. This is based on scientific research that measured that a bat eats its weight in insects every evening. This weight is approximately 30 grams. A mosquito weighs .003 grams |
Spread diseases to people such as West Nile Virus, LaCrosse & St. Louis Encephilitis – all of which have killed people in the United States. See some Iowa News about Mosquito dangers
http://archive.news.iastate.edu/news/2010/sep/lyric |
| Gypsy Moth: Scientific research shows that big brown bats eat the middle and discard the wings. |
Since 1980, the gypsy moth larvae has defoliated close to a million or more forested acres each year. The moth was introduced into the United States in 1862. |
| Longhorn Beetle |
These beetles eat numerous kinds of trees |
| Tent Caterpillars: Researchers monitoring bats have found that bats will eat the caterpillars and the moths |
Found mostly in Deciduous Forests but also in Iowa parks and lands. They love to eat Wild Cherry, Oaks, Maples and Other Forest Trees |
| Corn Worms (Helicoverpa Zea): Researchers have found that this is a favorite insect of bats. |
“The most destructive insect to corn in the USA consuming corn, tomato & cotton. They eat “2 million acres of corn each year”
http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/cepublications/eb1455e/eb1455e.pdf |
| Spotted Cucumber Beetles |
Cucumber, squash, pumpkin, melon, legumes, tomato, fruits, ornamental plants, and others |
| Rootworms (Diabrotica Undecimpunctata) |
Have recently found that they are even adapting to Monsanto’s GMO corn crop! They cost farmers over 1 billion dollars a year:
http://gothenburgtimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3767:reining-in-rootworms&catid=1:local&Itemid=2 |
| Leafhoppers (Draeculace spp) |
At least one type can usually be found feeding on the each of the dominant plant species in practically every terrestrial ecosystem. |
| Green Stinkbugs (Acrosternum hilare) |
These bugs eat just about ANYTHING!Their favorites are flowering dogwood,white pine, Virginia pine, black cherry, evergreen, wheat. |
| Culicoid Midge: A single pipistrelle bat (Iowa’s SMALLEST bat) can eat up to 3,000 midges per night |
Causes Bluetongue disease (Europe,Africa, Southern, Midwestern USA including Iowa) can cause disease, infertility, weakness and death in cattle. |
| Horse Fly |
Can spread anthrax, Dermatophilosis, Vesicular Stomatitis: can cause disease, infertility, weakness and death in cattle in Iowa |
