Bats Alive!

Now there is another reason to be grateful you do not live in Iowa. Aside from avoiding tornadoes and NOT having to plant elephant eye corn, you can also live free from bats in all the other forty-nine states of the Union. How grand. The average Iowa home that requires de-batting usually has as many as 150 bats, although some homes are hosting colonies of close to 1,000. However, don't believe for one moment that the Iowans are being driven batty. They are not! They do not even know the bats are in their belfries.

Experts Say Bats Living in Most Iowa Homes: Experts Say Bats Are Living in the Majority of Iowa Homes Without Owners Knowing It

"BADGER, Iowa Jun 6, 2005 — Bats live in the majority of Iowa homes without the owners even knowing it, experts with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources said. They live in chimneys, attics and crawl spaces, and usually don't drive homeowners batty if they remain in those uninhabited areas, said Mark McInroy, a DNR technician. Experts don't know how many bats live in Iowa or whether the bat population is changing."