[NatureNS] Who are mosquito predators?

From: "Dave&Jane Schlosberg" <dschlosb-g@ns.sympatico.ca>
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Date: Mon, 8 Jul 2013 19:02:28 -0300
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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

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<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>&nbsp;</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>&nbsp;</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>&nbsp;</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 =
&lt;<A=20
  =
href=3D"mailto:fwscott@eastlink.ca">fwscott@eastlink.ca</A>&gt;</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 =
&lt;<A=20
  href=3D"mailto:Hugh.Broders@SMU.CA">Hugh.Broders@SMU.CA</A>&gt;, =
"James W.=20
  Wolford" &lt;<A=20
  href=3D"mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca">jimwolford@eastlink.ca</A>&gt;, =
Nature=20
  BNS &lt;<A=20
  =
href=3D"mailto:nature@blomidonnaturalists.ca">nature@blomidonnaturalists.=
ca</A>&gt;</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 &lt;<A=20
  href=3D"mailto:elderkmf@gov.ns.ca">elderkmf@gov.ns.ca</A>&gt;, Andrew =
Hebda=20
  &lt;HEBDAAJ@gov.ns.ca&gt;, =
Donald=20
  McAlpine &lt;<A=20
  =
href=3D"mailto:Donald.McAlpine@nbm-mnb.ca">Donald.McAlpine@nbm-mnb.ca</A>=
&gt;</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">&nbsp;</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">