Protect Bats, Babies, and Biodiversity! 
Stop Cycle of Increasing Pesticide Use with Ecosystem and Bat Decline,
Resulting in Higher Infant Mortality

Hello,

Shocking new research connects declines in bat populations with increased human infant mortality. The connection is increased pesticide use. The study by Eyal Frank, PhD, “The economic impacts of ecosystem disruptions: Costs from substituting biological pest control,” published in Science, concludes with a finding that “declines in insect-eating bat population levels induce farmers to substitute with insecticides, consequently resulting in a negative health shock to infant mortality.” 

BEYOND PESTICIDES ACTION:

>> Tell your Governor and Mayor to stop the cycle of increasing pesticide dependency tied to an imbalance in ecosystems degraded by pesticide use and other factors—resulting in a loss of natural insect management by bats and other wildlife that leads to rising pesticide use and increasing infant mortality and public health threats. 

Many farmers rely on bats as alternatives to insecticides to protect their crops from insects, but the invasive fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) has caused a serious decline in bat populations since 2006. Bats are also important in keeping mosquitoes under control. According to bat experts, 52% of bat species in North America are at risk of severe declines over the next 15 years. While there are numerous causes of fungal diseases, pesticide use can increase vulnerability by depressing the immune system. With the collapse of many bat populations from WNS found in caves that affect bats during hibernation, farmers turn to toxic chemicals to replace the ecosystem services bats usually provide. These chemicals, however, lead to ripples through the ecosystem and endanger human health.  

To determine the impacts on human health from these population declines, Dr. Frank collected data from WNS-affected counties on insecticide use and infant mortality from 2006-2017. In comparing these numbers, “after the onset of bat die-offs, farmers in the county increase their insecticide use by 31.1%, on average,” he states. “Infant mortality rates due to internal causes of death (i.e., not due to accidents or homicides) increased by 7.9%, on average, in the affected counties. This result highlights that real-world use levels of insecticides have a detrimental impact on health, even when used within regulatory limits.” These rates correspond to an additional 1,334 infant deaths—for every 1% increase in pesticides, a 0.25% increase in the infant mortality rate is documented. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) says, “The infant mortality rate is an important marker of the overall health of a society.” Although infant mortality in the U.S. has been decreasing, 43 countries have infant death rates lower than the United States.  

But, not only does decreasing bat populations lead to more pesticide use, leading to more infant deaths, but pesticide use also leads to decreasing bat populations. An extensive article by William Quarles, PhD, published in the IPM Practitioner in 2013, lays out much of the research that has been done on bats, pesticides, and WNS. Dr. Quarles finds that the immune system of bats in the U.S. is unable to prevent infection with WNS. He reviews studies showing that pesticides including DDT, organophosphates, and carbamates result in death or reproductive toxicity in bats. More recently, Pierre Mineau, PhD, and Carolyn Callaghan, PhD, find, “[T]here is evidence to support the claim that bats are being negatively affected by neonicotinoid insecticides in several different ways, indirectly through reduction in insect abundance and directly through impairment.” J.M. Oliviera et al. review research on pesticide impacts on bats, finding, “Pesticides toxicity leads to immunosuppression and makes the individual more susceptible to infections by pathogenic organisms.” 

The cycle of pesticide use causing decreasing bat populations causing more pesticide use is an engine leading to ongoing and increasing infant deaths. We can break the cycle of increasing pesticide dependency with organic practices that are in sync with nature and intended to protect and enhance biodiversity.  

Multiple crises impacting biodiversity, human health, and climate change threaten ecological balance. Bats are one of many species providing important ecosystem services, such as mosquito management and pollination, who are underappreciated until their services are no longer available.