First, as natural predators of insects, bats are extremely important to agriculture. Researchers estimate their value to farmers in the U.S. is roughly $23 billion per year, but these are tough times for bats. A malignant fungus known as "white-nose syndrome" has killed a lot of bats over the past 10 years. We talk about this menace with wildlife pathologist Heather Fenton of the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study and Georgia State University microbiologist Chris Cornelison. Next,