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Big Brown Bat

Big Brown Bats in North Carolina

The big brown bat is one of the bigger bat species and also likely the most widely dispersed throughout North Carolina They are known to withstand conditions that other types of bats cannot, which is why they’re commonly found in cities and suburban environments alongside wooded areas. They prefer eating beetles over other insects, using their powerful jaws to chew through the beetles’ hard exoskeleton, however, they also eat moths, flies, wasps, and flying ants. Colonies range from 20 to 300 individuals and big brown bats can live a long time in the wild. That said, most die off during their first winter due to malnutrition throughout hibernation.

Big Brown Bat Habitat

Big brown bats have been found in a variety of habits including meadows, deserts, mountains, forests, suburban areas, and cities. They will hibernate in caves, mines, walls, attics, or other buildings. They enter into hibernation in November, often less than 50 miles away from their summer roosts. They hibernate in small groups and come out in the springtime.

Big Brown Bat Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

The big brown bat is nocturnal and will roost in several places during the day. They eat a number of insects but prefer beetles and are significant predators of agricultural pests. The average life expectancy is a bit over 6 years. The main threat of big brown bats is the fact that they roost and hibernate in buildings. Especially in the winter, they will enter homes and buildings for warmth in your attic or walls. Big brown bats are carriers of disease and it’s important to exercise extreme caution if you come across one. If you notice a bat has made its way into your building, never approach it or attempt to handle it yourself. Always contact a bat exterminator company.

Fox Squirrel

Fox Squirrels in North Carolina

Fox squirrels are found throughout the eastern and central United States and have also been introduced into cities in the western U.S. Fox squirrels spend most of their time in trees during the day, foraging for food. These squirrels are omnivores, eating everything from plant matter to insects and birds. Like other tree squirrels, fox squirrels will enter homes, building nests in attics, walls, chimneys, rooflines, and inside garages. Fox squirrels carry diseases such as tularemia and ringworm that are transmissible to people.

Fox Squirrel Habitat

Fox squirrels prefer open, savannah-like habitats, where trees are widely spaced and the understory is open. Fox squirrels need large trees with cavities or holes in them for building nests to raise their young. They are most common in oak-hickory forests but are also found in live oak, mangrove swamps, and pine forests. Because of this habitat preference, fox squirrels do well in urban and suburban settings. These pests will enter homes and attics, causing damage to wiring, gardens, and lawns.

Fox Squirrel Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Fox squirrels sometimes cause damage around homes and gardens, where they feed on immature and mature nuts, fruit, and a variety of other plants. During the fall, squirrels dig holes in gardens or in turf where they bury nuts or other seeds. This storing of food, which they may or may not ever retrieve, raises havoc in the garden and tears up a well-groomed lawn. Squirrels sometimes gnaw on telephone cables and may chew their way into wooden buildings or invade attics through gaps or broken vent screens. They also have a tendency to strip bark to feed on the juicy inner bark layer (cambium), causing injury to trees. If you are having an issue with fox squirrels, it is best to consult a professional wildlife control company for removal.

Gray Squirrel

Gray Squirrels in North Carolina

Gray squirrels are small to medium-sized rodents with bushy tails that are commonly found outdoors, climbing trees and foraging for food. Also known as tree squirrels, they get their common name from the fact that they are found in wooded and urban areas, nesting in trees to avoid predators. Gray squirrels eat a range of foods consuming roughly one and a half pounds of nuts and seeds a week. They also consume tree bark, tree buds, berries, and some types of fungi found in the forests.

Gray Squirrel Habitat

Squirrels utilize two types of nests: tree cavity dens and leaf nests called dreys. Leaf nests are usually used during summer and are found in the top fork of a tree or in the crotch of a limb. The number of active nests per squirrel is thought to be about three, depending on the density of squirrels in the area. Most squirrels are capable of constructing a nest in one day. If they have access, they will build nests in attics or structures. Once inside, these rodents will gnaw on electrical wiring in walls and attics causing shorts and possibly even fires.

Gray Squirrel Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Squirrels do not hibernate and use their nests for resting and shelter, especially during the cold winter months. If you notice a squirrel’s nest on your property, do not attempt to remove it yourself. Squirrels may bite or attack if provoked, especially if their young are present. Squirrels may carry bacterial diseases that can be spread to humans through bites or by coming into contact with their feces. Signs of a gray squirrel infestation include noises in attics, chimneys, walls, or vents. Holes on siding, damaged bird feeders, and chewed wires and insulation are evidence of squirrel nests in the attic. If you are having an issue with gray squirrels, it is best to consult a professional wildlife control company for removal.

Little Brown Bat

Little Brown Bats in North Carolina

True to their name, little brown bats weigh less than half an ounce and are one of the smallest types of bats. They are found in many places, but are more typically found in the northern U.S. and are common in North Carolina. They are not territorial and tend to live in colonies of thousands of bats. These colonies congregate at nesting sites, known as roosts. These bats use a system called echolocation to seek out their insect prey.

Little Brown Bat Habitat

Little brown bats are found throughout North Carolina They can migrate hundreds of miles to get from summer habitats to their hibernaculum, which is the name for a roost occupied during the winter months. Little brown bats tend to choose caves, trees, rocks, woodpiles, and buildings as roost sites, making it potentially dangerous for suburban homes.

Little Brown Bat Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Little brown bats feed on insects. They use a process called echolocation, which is similar to the sonar used on ships, to determine the location and size of their prey. These bats need to eat at least half their body weight in insects to prevent becoming malnourished. Little brown bats are nocturnal and their peak activity is a few hours after dusk. Little brown bats are known to roost in buildings, making it important to know how to prevent them. Bats can spread diseases including rabies. They aren’t typically aggressive but will bite if handled. If you notice a bat has made its way into your building, never approach it or attempt to handle it yourself. Always call a bat removal.

Meadow Voles

Meadow Voles in North Carolina

The meadow vole, which is also called the “meadow mouse” or the “field mouse,” is the most widely distributed vole in North America. Voles resemble rats and mice but have shorter tails and heavier, cylindrical bodies. Voles are poor climbers and usually do not invade homes or other buildings. Meadow voles eat plants, especially grasses and seeds, and are prolific breeders. These rodents build extensive runway and tunnel systems, causing extensive damage to turf and landscape plants.

Signs of a Meadow Vole Infestation

Signs of a meadow vole infestation include the presence of surface runways in grassy areas, which appear as well-worn trails through the vegetation. You might also notice gnaw marks on tree bark, roots, and tubers, as well as small, round burrow entrances. Additionally, finding droppings and damaged plants or crops can indicate their presence. You can locate the runways by pulling back overhanging ground cover. Fresh clippings of green grass and greenish-colored droppings about 3/16 inches long in the runways and near the burrows are further evidence of voles.

Habitat, Diet, Life Cycle & Behaviors

Where Do Meadow Voles Live?

Meadow voles are commonly found in grassy fields, meadows, and areas with dense ground cover. They create extensive burrow systems underground and are known for building intricate networks of surface runways. These rodents prefer habitats with abundant vegetation, providing food and protection from predators.

Although meadow voles spend considerable time above ground, scurrying about, they spend most of their time below ground in their burrow system. Meadow voles dig short, shallow burrows and make underground nests of grass, stems, and leaves. A protective layer of grass or another ground cover usually hides their runways.

Diet

Meadow voles primarily feed on grasses, herbs, and seeds. They also consume bark, roots, tubers, and bulbs, particularly during the winter months when other food sources are scarce. Their feeding habits can cause significant damage to crops and garden plants.

Life Cycle

The life cycle of a meadow vole includes stages from birth to adulthood. Female meadow voles can produce several litters each year, with each litter containing 4 to 6 young. The gestation period is about 21 days, and the young are weaned by two weeks old. Meadow voles reach sexual maturity in about one month and typically live up to one year in the wild, though some may live longer in ideal conditions.

Behaviors, Threats or Dangers

Meadow voles rarely come in contact with humans and therefore pose no major public health hazards; however, they are capable of carrying disease organisms, such as plague and tularemia. Meadow voles are a significant pest to homeowners as they forage for food in gardens and landscape, causing extensive damage to orchards, tree plantings, and field crops. Vole damage to tree trunks normally occurs from a few inches above the ground to a few inches below ground. Meadow voles can also ruin lawns, golf courses, and ground covers.

If you suspect a meadow vole issue, contact your local rodent exterminators.

How to Get Rid of Meadow Voles?

To get rid of meadow voles, start by eliminating their food sources and habitat. Keep grassy areas mowed short, remove dense ground cover, and clear away debris. You can also use traps and rodenticides, which should be used cautiously and according to label directions. For extensive infestations, it is advisable to consult a professional pest control service for effective and safe removal.

Meadow Vole Prevention Tips

Preventing meadow vole infestations involves maintaining a well-kept yard. Regularly mow lawns and remove weeds and tall grass. Clear away brush piles, woodpiles, and other debris that can provide shelter. Protect young trees and shrubs with tree guards to prevent girdling. Creating a gravel or mulch barrier around gardens can also help deter these pests.

FAQs

Is a Meadow Vole a Rat?

No, a meadow vole is not a rat. Meadow voles are smaller and have stockier bodies, shorter tails, and partially hidden ears, distinguishing them from rats. While both are rodents, they belong to different families and have distinct behaviors and habitats.

Do Meadow Voles Come into the House?

Meadow voles typically prefer outdoor habitats with dense vegetation and are not commonly found indoors. However, in rare cases they may enter homes searching for food or shelter, particularly if their outdoor environment becomes inhospitable. It is more likely to encounter them in gardens and fields rather than inside homes.

Opossum

Opossums in North Carolina

There are at least 103 species of opossum, but the Virginia opossum is the single species found in the United States. About the size of a large house cat, opossums are considered beneficial mammals because they eat a variety of insects and snakes, causing many property owners to consider them beneficial. Opossums are nomadic, seldom staying long in any one place, and utilizing abandoned burrows or crawl spaces. They may sometimes become a nuisance to homeowners when foraging for food and shelter.

Opossum Habitat

Possums do not dig dens or burrows underground, however, they will live in those that have been abandoned. They will wait for another animal to abandon their home before moving in, and actually prefer to live in trees for the protection they provide. They may enter attics, walls, and crawl spaces of homes if they have access. The presence of an unusual and foul odor in your home may point to there being a possum living in your walls

Opossum Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Opossums pose no major threat to humans or pets. Their teeth are not meant for attacking or even preying on animals; their teeth are good for chewing and holding. They do not attack humans and instead will play “dead” when danger is perceived. Opossums don’t dig holes, destroy gardens, bite, sting, or stay in one place for very long. However, opossums can carry various parasites and diseases. They are not the cleanest of animals and carry a strong odor if they access attics and crawl spaces in homes. If opossums are an issue, it’s best to have them removed humanely by a professional wildlife control company.

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