At least 2 bats died due to some glue rings placed around the trees to eliminate the processionaries
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himIn the district of Ludwigsburg, Germany, at least 2 bats have died from some sticky rings covered with glue attached to trees as traps for processionaries. The bats, who wanted to eat the insects stuck on top, got stuck in turn and died after a long agony.
In the fight against insects of different kinds but, in this case, especially processionaries, glue rings are also used to surround the trees. These, a bit like the common adhesives that are put in the pantries against food butterflies, are used to attract insects and fit them inside the glue to then remove everything.
The problem is that, attaching them to trees means putting other animals at risk as well. Among these the bats, as evidenced by the fact that took place in Germany.
In Ludwigsburg, the fight against the oak processionary moth took a very heavy turn: a community in the German district had about 70 trees sprayed with a biocide and then, not happy, to verify the effectiveness of the agent, the trunks were wrapped with rings of glue so as to understand if the processionaries continued to frequent the trees.
However, it has not been taken into account that many other insects attach themselves to the traps and that this also attracts birds and bats.
Some citizens of the area also told the incident on Facebook.
At least two bats paid for their journey in search of insects with their lives and, as can be seen from the photos where feathers appear, several birds also risked the same fate.
© NABU / Erwin Kocholl
© NABU / Martina Wonner
“The night hunters died in a sticky trap in a cemetery in the district of Ludwigsburg,” said Ingrid Kaipf of the German conservation group NABU Baden-Württemberg.
After some concerned citizens showed up at the scene, the glue rings were removed by volunteers on orders from the Lower Nature Conservation Authority. Obviously it was already too late, an attempt was made to save a bat that was still alive, albeit in agony, but unfortunately it was not possible.
In order to protect bats and birds, NABU asks you to refrain from applying glue rings during the breeding season of birds and bats (April to October) and to remove glue rings that have been applied during the winter at most. late by April.
Among other things in the German region Baden-Württemberg, where the sad episode took place, a kind of bat, the Bechstein's bat, is in way of extinction. And the two dead animals belonged to just that species.
“Since Baden-Württemberg is one of the main distribution areas for this bat and is located in Germany, the state has a particular responsibility for the protection of their habitats. Care and maintenance of orchards and near-natural forest management are essential for the Bechstein bat to continue to find a home in the Southwest, ”said Kaipf.
It is evident that these management systems of the processionary moth and other insects should under no circumstances be allowed.
Source: NABU / Facebook
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