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This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_02D6_01CE7C0D.B0D08E00 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable What DOES eat mosquitoes? From: James W. Wolford=20 Sent: Monday, July 08, 2013 1:06 PM To: NatureNS ; Fred Scott=20 Subject: [NatureNS] re bats vs. mosquitoes? THANKS, FRED! from Jim et al. Begin forwarded message: From: fred scott <fwscott@eastlink.ca> Date: July 8, 2013 11:59:47 AM ADT To: Hugh Broders <Hugh.Broders@SMU.CA>, "James W. Wolford" = <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>, Nature BNS <nature@blomidonnaturalists.ca> Cc: Mark F Elderkin <elderkmf@gov.ns.ca>, Andrew Hebda = <HEBDAAJ@gov.ns.ca>, Donald McAlpine <Donald.McAlpine@nbm-mnb.ca> Subject: RE: re bats endangered -- good for other insectivores?? Hi all, Hugh is quite right. The idea that insectivorous bats in North America = feed on mosquitoes is a myth derived from a gross misunderstanding of a = single old paper that provided the numbers of mosquitoes eaten in one = night by a captive big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus). It would normally = prey on much larger insects, but made do with mosquitoes because that = was all it was offered. Also, it is a much larger animal than the little = brown, long-eared and tricolored bats in NS. In fact the vast majority of the feeding time of insectivorous bats is = spent well above the zones where mosquitoes are found. Even when bats = forage within a meter or two of the forest canopy, there are no = mosquitoes there because there are no sleeping warm-blooded animals in = the air=97they are all down in the foliage. The bats will take a = mosquito if they come across one, but to seek them out they would have = to dodge and flutter through cluttered environments under trees and = shrubs, or within a foot or two of the grass on fields or meadows, and = it wouldn't be an energetically efficient way to forage, especially for = such a small protein package.=20 It is also wrongly believed by many that swallows and swifts eats = large amounts of mosquitoes, but they normally feed high in the open = air, well away from any zone where mosquitoes would be hanging out. = Mosquitoes normally rest on vegetation until some disturbance or signal = that could mean a blood meal stimulates them to take wing and seek it = out. Cheers, Fred ------=_NextPart_000_02D6_01CE7C0D.B0D08E00 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <HTML><HEAD></HEAD> <BODY=20 style=3D"WORD-WRAP: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space"=20 dir=3Dltr> <DIV dir=3Dltr> <DIV style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000"> <DIV>What DOES eat mosquitoes?</DIV> <DIV=20 style=3D"FONT-SIZE: small; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; = COLOR: #000000; FONT-STYLE: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: none; DISPLAY: = inline"> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt tahoma"> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV style=3D"BACKGROUND: #f5f5f5"> <DIV style=3D"font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A = title=3Djimwolford@eastlink.ca=20 href=3D"mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca">James W. Wolford</A> </DIV> <DIV><B>Sent:</B> Monday, July 08, 2013 1:06 PM</DIV> <DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=3Dnaturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20 href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">NatureNS</A> ; <A=20 title=3Dfwscott@eastlink.ca href=3D"mailto:fwscott@eastlink.ca">Fred = Scott</A>=20 </DIV> <DIV><B>Subject:</B> [NatureNS] re bats vs. = mosquitoes?</DIV></DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></DIV> <DIV=20 style=3D"FONT-SIZE: small; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; = COLOR: #000000; FONT-STYLE: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: none; DISPLAY: = inline">THANKS,=20 FRED! from Jim et al.<BR> <DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Begin forwarded message:</DIV><BR = class=3DApple-interchange-newline> <BLOCKQUOTE type=3D"cite"> <DIV style=3D"MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style=3D"COLOR: #000000; FONT: 12px = helvetica"=20 color=3D#000000 size=3D3 face=3DHelvetica><B>From: </B></FONT><FONT=20 style=3D"FONT: 12px helvetica" size=3D3 face=3DHelvetica>fred scott = <<A=20 = href=3D"mailto:fwscott@eastlink.ca">fwscott@eastlink.ca</A>></FONT></D= IV> <DIV style=3D"MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style=3D"COLOR: #000000; FONT: 12px = helvetica"=20 color=3D#000000 size=3D3 face=3DHelvetica><B>Date: </B></FONT><FONT=20 style=3D"FONT: 12px helvetica" size=3D3 face=3DHelvetica>July 8, 2013 = 11:59:47 AM=20 ADT</FONT></DIV> <DIV style=3D"MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style=3D"COLOR: #000000; FONT: 12px = helvetica"=20 color=3D#000000 size=3D3 face=3DHelvetica><B>To: </B></FONT><FONT=20 style=3D"FONT: 12px helvetica" size=3D3 face=3DHelvetica>Hugh Broders = <<A=20 href=3D"mailto:Hugh.Broders@SMU.CA">Hugh.Broders@SMU.CA</A>>, = "James W.=20 Wolford" <<A=20 href=3D"mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca">jimwolford@eastlink.ca</A>>, = Nature=20 BNS <<A=20 = href=3D"mailto:nature@blomidonnaturalists.ca">nature@blomidonnaturalists.= ca</A>></FONT></DIV> <DIV style=3D"MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style=3D"COLOR: #000000; FONT: 12px = helvetica"=20 color=3D#000000 size=3D3 face=3DHelvetica><B>Cc: </B></FONT><FONT=20 style=3D"FONT: 12px helvetica" size=3D3 face=3DHelvetica>Mark F = Elderkin <<A=20 href=3D"mailto:elderkmf@gov.ns.ca">elderkmf@gov.ns.ca</A>>, Andrew = Hebda=20 <HEBDAAJ@gov.ns.ca>, = Donald=20 McAlpine <<A=20 = href=3D"mailto:Donald.McAlpine@nbm-mnb.ca">Donald.McAlpine@nbm-mnb.ca</A>= ></FONT></DIV> <DIV style=3D"MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style=3D"COLOR: #000000; FONT: 12px = helvetica"=20 color=3D#000000 size=3D3 face=3DHelvetica><B>Subject: </B></FONT><FONT = style=3D"FONT: 12px helvetica" size=3D3 face=3DHelvetica><B>RE: re = bats endangered=20 -- good for other insectivores??</B></FONT></DIV> <DIV style=3D"MARGIN: 0px; MIN-HEIGHT: 14px"> </DIV>Hi = all,<BR><BR>Hugh is=20 quite right. The idea that insectivorous bats in North America feed on = mosquitoes is a myth derived from a gross misunderstanding of a single = old=20 paper that provided the numbers of mosquitoes eaten in one night by a = <SPAN=20 style=3D"TEXT-DECORATION: underline">captive</SPAN> big brown bat = (<SPAN=20 style=3D"FONT-STYLE: italic">