About Bats
The only mammals that can fly, bats are fascinating creatures. A single bat can consume up to 1,000 winged insects in just one night of eating, about equivalent to its full body weight.
Nearly 1,000 different species of bats live around the world, but only 40 kinds live in the United States. While some bat species feed on nectar, others feed on small mammals and fish. Bats can be appealing to have around your home as many of the insects they feed on are often pests themselves, and controlled populations of bats can help to reduce the amount of insects. However, as soon as there are bats in the house, or bats in the attic, things can become problematic for a number of reasons.
Not only can bats be loud, scary, and disruptive, but their feces (bat guano) is a potential health hazard when its dust becomes airborne. If there is any activity that indicates there are bats in the house or bats in the attic, it is time to call in a professional for bat removal.
How to tell if bats have colonized your attic
Knowing you have an infestation is fairly obvious. At dusk and in the night it is very common to see bats flying in and out of your home. Bats also makes small sounds that could easily be mistaken for birds.Another clear sign that a bat colony has moved in is their guano. Bats tend to defecate when leaving and returning for the night, and therefore guano can be seen around a home a bat colony has taken refuge in.
The most effective test you can perform to find out if you have bats in the house or bats in the attic is to find a dropping (these look a lot like mouse droppings), and roll it under your finger. If the dropping flattens and turns to dust under pressure, it is bat guano. If it’s hard and rolls like a rolling pin, it is a mouse dropping.
Be advised, bat guano around your property is not only unsightly, but a potential health hazard.Bat guano easily breaks down into powder, and that powder can become airborne. If enough is inhaled, it can cause serious respiratory issues.
But that isn’t even the main issue that a bat colony in your attic will cause.
A bat colony can range anywhere from 50-100 bats, and they all will deposit massive amounts of guano and urine in your attic. This material can seep into the ceiling directly below, causing stains and odor in your home.
The guano and urine is extremely difficult to clean up, and not just because of the massive amount.As previously mentioned, breathing in guano dust can have serious health consequences, and bat urine will crystallize and form hard stalagmites which do not easily break down.
That is just one of the reasons bat removal should be done by a professional.
Professional bat removal and exclusion
Bat removal can be a tricky process as bats are very small and can find access points into your home or business with ease. At Lowell’s Wildlife Removal, we are experienced with bat removal, and will be able to supply you with all the information you might need to know, remove all bats from your home, and seal off all potential access points to ensure that you won’t be bothered by them again.
Bats often become a nuisance to homeowners because bats need heat to survive, and that makes attics the perfect place to colonize. Once a colony has moved in, it’s moved in permanently, and professional bat removal is the only way to get them out.
There is no such thing as a bat trap, but with professional expertise, bat removal can be accomplished through exclusion. It should be noted, exclusion work for bat removal should only be done September through April, when baby bats born in the preceding mating season are old enough to fly. Otherwise, the baby bats will be trapped and die in your attic.
First, all entry points are sealed, except for a 3 inch opening. A special bat excluder door that bats can get through going out but not in is then fitted to the 3 inch opening. It will take about a week for the entire colony to leave. Your attic will then be reinspected, and if all bat are gone, the last 3 inch opening will be sealed. Again, it cannot be stressed enough this work must be a an experienced professional, as bats only need an opening a size of a nickel to reenter your attic if it is not properly sealed off.