Those little midgy flies that get in your face

I know I have speculated on this before, flies, the little midgy things that get in your face if you turn a light on when its dark, you know them!

I do a couple of bat surveys every year around this time both for a certain species called Daubenton's. I have surveyed at two sites over ten years at each each  and at both the number of bats seen every year has dropped and dropped. Why well I dont really know but I have my suspicions.

Whenever I detect a Daubentons I turn on a torch to see they hunting for insects just above the surface of a waterboby os some sort. In years gone by whenever the torch went on I was bombarded by those little midgy flies, but not any more the numbers are well down if they are there at all. The number of flies is definitely down or it appears that way to me.

Fine you might think, but what if the dropping number of flies means less bats and also less fly eating birds and other insects.

Granted lower fly numbers might not be the cause of less bats, perhaps there roost sites have been developed or improved but I cant help thinking no food no bats.

Does it matter, I think it does.