A Bat in the House - Do I have a Problem?

Note: Bats come out at night to feed on insects, not to investigate someone’s home. A bat found inside your home is a sure bet that you have a bat colony living inside your attic or upper walls and this bat got lost during its regular travels in and out of your home. Bats do not fly into buildings at night to look for flying insects to eat. Bats feed mostly around outside lights that are attracting swarms of moths and other flying insects.

Bat Removal - Exclusion

Once all possible bat entry points are sealed and all resident bats have exited the structure, the temporary one-way devices are removed and the openings behind them are immediately sealed. The bats are now gone and most likely will be living in someone else’s house.

Although exclusion is the best way to rid structures of bats, knowledge and timing are critical for effective bat proofing. In older construction, or homes with complex rooflines, there may be numerous gaps that could be used as bat entry points. These can be difficult to discover and even more difficult to access. If all openings are not found and sealed, bat problems will continue. Installing sealing materials and one-way devices can also be difficult because bat entry points are often high off the ground in difficult to reach locations requiring the use of large extension ladders and specialized climbing gear. We are highly trained and fully insured for this type of work.

Note: Falling is a much more common accident than being bitten by a rabid bat.

Bat Removal - Removing Bats From House

This is the only way to properly rid bats from a dwelling. Our bat exclusion technique involves identifying all current bat entry points and installing custom temporary one-way bat doors at these locations.

One-way bat doors are devices that allow bats to leave the structure, but prevent them from re-entering. All other openings large enough for bat entry are sealed-up at this time. This is the most critical part of the procedure.

Note: If bat openings are prematurely sealed-up that are currently being used by the bats, this will trap the bats inside the house. The bats will then seek new ways out of the dwelling. Some of the colony will start showing up nightly inside the living areas of the house and others will be trapped inside walls and between floors and die. Then, there is usually a foul smell from the dead bats followed by a fly infestation along with maggots emerging from some wall areas. This is why only an experienced bat exclusion expert should be doing bat removal work.

Health Problems from Bats

Histoplasmosis is a disease associated with bat guano and bird droppings. When their droppings accumulate, a fungus (Histoplasma capsulatum) can grow and produce spores that may cause histoplasmosis when inhaled. Where bat or bird droppings accumulate, in an attic for example, care should be taken to avoid contracting this disease. Clean up generally involves disinfecting the droppings before removal and wearing personal protective equipment, including a HEPA-equipped respirator or self-contained breathing apparatus . Removal of large amounts of guano or droppings from structures should be left to experienced professionals familiar with proper removal procedures. For more information on histoplasmosis and clean-up procedures see the following Web sites:

http://www.idph.state.il.us/health/infect/reportdis/histo.htm

www.cdc.gov/niosh/tc97146.html

Rabies

Rabies is a viral disease causing encephalitis (brain inflammation). Humans can become infected when bitten by a rabid bat. Rabies is found in bats more than any other wildlife species. Yet it should be noted that typically less than 5 percent of bats tested for rabies are found to be rabid. Transmission also can occur when an infected bat’s saliva (but not blood, urine or feces unless these are mixed with spinal fluid – as can happen when a bat is beaten or crushed) comes in contact with a person’s eye, nose, mouth, a scratch or wound. The incubation period (time from exposure to appearance of symptoms) varies tremendously with rabies. Symptoms could appear within a few weeks or be delayed as long as 2 years, but it is usually one to three months. The initial symptoms of rabies in humans may be flu-like and progress to confusion, anxiety, agitation, insomnia, delirium, hallucinations and other abnormal behavior. To be effective, treatment should begin as soon as possible after exposure. Once symptoms appear, rabies is almost always fatal. For further information on rabies, contact your local health department:

Rabid bats may exhibit no obvious abnormalities, so all contact with bats should be avoided, especially if a bat is seen flying outside in the daytime, flopping around on the ground or found indoors. Similarly, people should NOT be allowed to occupy a room in which bats are found, until it is certain that no bats remain in the room and that the room has been sealed to prevent their re-entry.

Any bat suspected of having physical contact with a person should be captured and submitted for rabies testing. Bats can be captured by using a net, heavy leather gloves, or by covering them with a box or can, then sliding a piece of cardboard or other stiff material under the container to trap the bat inside. Your local animal control office, veterinarian or health department can assist you with submitting the bat to a laboratory for rabies testing. If the suspect bat tests negative, rabies treatment can be avoided.

If a bat bites someone or has physical contact with a person, the contact area should be washed immediately with soap and water. Unfortunately, bat scratches and bites are very small and may go unnoticed. It may be impossible to know if contact with a bat has occurred. These situations occur when a bat is found in the same room with a sleeping person, infant or a small child or persons with diminished sensory or mental capacity, or persons under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Whenever a bat has physical contact with a person, or is suspected of coming in contact with a person, the bat should always be captured, if possible. Then, the incident should be reported immediately to a physician and local health authorities to assess the need for a rabies treatment.

Bat Control - Home Remedies

Popular home remedies for eliminating bats are just temporary, ineffective, and or, illegal. There are no pesticides registered for bat control. Moth balls or crystals (naphthalene) can be temporarily effective, but an attic requires three to five pounds to be used and changed every few weeks. This will cause your home to reek of moth balls for years. Bright lights may initially be effective, but are just temporary controls. In addition, ultrasonic and electromagnetic devices do not effectively repel bats, rodents or insect pests, despite advertising claims.