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Bats
Bats provide some benefits to the midwest ecosystem. Bats consume vast amounts of insects, including some that are very damaging agricultural pests.
There are several bat species found in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The most common bats found are the Little Brown Bat and Big Brown Bat. The Little Brown Bat is very small, weighing from two-tenths of an ounce to just over one ounce.
These bats can be found in all parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Bats feed mostly on flying insects, including beetles, moths, and mosquitoes which they catch while flying through the nighttime air. they can eat up to one and a half times their body weight in insects each night. They can eat as many as 1000 mosquitoes an hour. If you add that up, it can be as many as 10,000 in a night.
Signs of bat problems:
Have you heard scratching noises from the bats, particularly at night or very cold or warm days?
Have you heard noises that sound like chirping coming from the walls, attic, or chimney?
Have you had bats in your living spaces anytime of the year?
Is there an accumulation of bat dropping (guano) on your outside decks, walls, or porches?
Is there an accumulation of bat guano in the attic or other parts of your house?
Can you smell a urine scent that comes and goes, particularly worse on hot humid days?
Have you seen bats flying away from your home at sundown?
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