Aside from accessing the overall health of the bats, some were also banded. “Oh look,” said Smeal, “there’s one with a band.”

Dr. Reeder fears that some of the little browns are already harboring the fungus on their wings.

“The fungus is still a mystery,” Calvin Butchkowski, a wildlife biologist who has been working with bats for several years, admitted. “We just don’t know the full impact of white-nose syndrome. It has the potential for the little browns to become endangered. There’s a lot of issues to deal with. Is it pesticides that are making bats susceptible to it? We don’t know, but it really is quite a dilemma.”

Jan Smeal is hoping their little bat colony is fungus-free. “We’re really thrilled they have chosen our barn.”

-- Connie Mertz is a hunter and nature enthusiast from Danville. Contact her at: owcam@verizon.net