How to help Pennsylvania's bats

• Habitat loss and white-nose syndrome have taken a heavy toll on these key pollinators. They keep mosquito populations in check and devour crop-damaging pests, saving farmers money and reducing reliance on chemical pesticides.

Zoom in: Here are easy ways to help backyard bats thrive, per the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

• Grow native plants, especially light-colored flowers that stay open at night and attract moths.
• Leave dead trees (that don't pose a safety or property risk) as a place for bats to roost.
• Avoid using pesticides.
• Keep cats indoors, especially in the summer months when bats are feeding their young. (A good rule of thumb generally to protect birds, bats and cats.)
• Turn off unnecessary outdoor lights.
• Install a bat house for protection, and to keep them from roosting in your garage!

Stunning stat: The endangered Little Brown Bat can eat 1,000 insects in an hour, and a nursing mother eats roughly 4,500 insects every night, per the U.S. Forest Service.

Go deeper: Penn State Extension has tips on what to do if you find a bat in your home or another indoor space.

• Here's what the Allegheny County Health Department, which is seeing more bat-related calls, says to do if you come in direct contact with one.