This Is Why You See Cotton Balls Outside Houses In Wisconsin

Certain pests use changing weather as an opportunity to invade your home. Cotton balls can help keep the worst of them at bay. Let’s make sure your home stays filled with family—rather than bats! If you pass by a house and catch a whiff of peppermint, eucalyptus, cinnamon, or cloves, it’s not just for fun. It could be cotton balls soaked in these scents to keep pests away.

From creatures that slither to the ones that fly, the changing of seasons bring out the worst of them, making the nights feel even more menacing with their eerie presence.

Types Of Bats In Wisconsin

• Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus)
• Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus)
• Northern Long-eared Bat (Myotis septentrionalis)
• Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis)
• Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus)
• Silver-haired Bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans)
• Tri-colored Bat (Perimyotis subflavus)
• Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus)

Wisconsin's bats typically seek shelter in caves, trees, and buildings during hibernation, with some species even roosting in attics or barns. However, due to habitat loss and diseases like White-nose Syndrome, bat populations have declined in recent years.

Scents Can Keep Bats Away In Wisconsin

It's important to note that bats are difficult to drive away from the places they typically choose to inhabit.

Bats will go back "home" throughout the year. If your home is that spot... good luck! Maybe these tricks can keep them away. getbatsout.com reports that a few smells may keep bats away.

Bats have a strong sense of smell and are repelled by certain natural scents. You can use essential oils like peppermint, eucalyptus, cinnamon, or cloves. You can soak cotton balls in the oil and place them around your porch.

Other methods to use that may have better results include:

Using one-way exclusion device: One-way exclusion devices allow bats to escape but not to re-enter. These “one-way doors” can be placed over entry points, such as holes in the wall or roof

Bat-proof screens: These are an inexpensive way to keep bats out.

Bright lights: Bats are nocturnal, so bright lights can deter them. You can install lights and leave them on continuously.

If all else fails... call an expert!