Little brown bat
(Des Moines, IA) -- Temperatures are getting cooler, which means there's less insect activity, and that means bats will begin to either migrate south or find a warm winter home. Iowa Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Biologist Stephanie Shepherd says there are nine bat species in Iowa, and about half of them will stay here during the winter. There are three on the endangered or nearly endangered list, due to white nose syndrome. Those are the Indiana bat, the Northern Long-eared bat and the Tri-color bat.
Shepherd says the bat is an amazing creature, the only mammal in the United States that can fly. It also provides a beneficial service to farmers, by eating crop pests. The bat also devours mosquitoes.
This time of year, bats may try to squeeze into cracks and crevices, and make their way into homes. Shepherd says you can use thick gloves and remove the bat. She says another strategy is to close interior doors and open windows and allow the bat to fly out on its own.