White-nose fungus reported in Minnesota bats

White-nose syndrome has been reported in Minnesota, making it the 23rd state to report the fungus, which has killed nearly 6 million bats in North America and is spreading across the nation. The fungus was found "at Forestville-Mystery Cave State Park in southeastern Minnesota and at Soudan Underground Mine State Park on the Iron Range," Elizabeth Dunbar reports for Minnesota Public Radio. (New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation photo by Al Hicks)

"Minnesota is home to at least 50,000 hibernating bats that pollinate plants and help control insects that feed on farm crops and trees in Minnesota's forests," Dunbar reports. Gerda Nordquist, a mammalogist for the Minnesota Biological Survey, told Dunbar,  that a decline in bat populations could lead to problems with pest control in the state.

"Officials said the good news is that the fungus has only been found in four bats -- three little brown bats and one northern long-eared bat. It wasn't detected on any cave walls," Dunbar reports. "But the disease can spread easily from bat to bat, and the animals can fly over 200 miles. Officials said the closest sites where the disease has been found are in Ontario and Illinois. Because the fungus was also found in Iowa, it's possible that Minnesota bats mixed with infected bats." (Read more)