Are bats being vampired to death?

• Position: Ectoparasites - Brief article

Bloodsucking pests like bat fleas and bat flies may not sound very appealing to the rest of us but, to University at Buffalo (N.Y.) biologist Katharina Dittmar, they are among the most successful creatures evolution ever has produced. "From a historical perspective, they have been around forever; they don't die out," marvels Dittmar, an assistant professor of biological sciences. Relatedly, perhaps, is White Nose Syndrome, which has killed tens of thousands of bats in the Northeast. Some say this scourge parallels the Colony Collapse Disorder that has devastated honey bee colonies in recent years. 'We don't know yet if bat flies are vectors of disease, but it's very likely."

"Every other parasitic organism transmits pathogens. Bat flies are adapted to bats and only bats. They're ectoparasites, meaning they are blood-sucking creatures, living in the fur of bats, so they are like little...