| There are many different species of bats. | | | | live up to 20 years, and they eat thousands of |
| However, you are not likely to spot many of | | | | insects a night. They are not lowly creatures, and |
| these, as several are rare of endangered. They | | | | should be treated with respect. |
| have good vision, and supplement it with | | | | Do not try to pick up a bat yourself, particularly if |
| echolocation in order to catch insects in the air. | | | | it is lethargic or looks sick - this is often how |
| Their flight is excellent, and they have great | | | | rabies is transmitted. A bat in a house can bite a |
| control in the air. Their wings are made up of | | | | person, and its teeth are so small, the person |
| what are essentially arms and very long fingers | | | | might not even wake or know about it. |
| with membrane stretched between. Bats use | | | | Some Bats are protected in many states and |
| their hind feet to hang upside down. Some bats | | | | should never be killed or harmed. Harming a |
| roost in trees and vegetation, but some bats like | | | | protected bat carries severe fines and possibly jail |
| to form large groups and live inside buildings. | | | | time! |
| The bats that roost inside buildings, often in large | | | | If you have a bat colony roosting inside of your |
| numbers, can cause a number of problems. Some | | | | building a bat control professional should be |
| people are uncomfortable living with many of | | | | contacted to assess the situation and give an |
| these creatures of the night. Even though bats | | | | estimate for a removal and exclusion program. As |
| are gentle animals, they do unfortunately carry | | | | with any animal living inside your home or office |
| diseases, and like all animals, produce waste. Many | | | | special care and proper knowledge is required to |
| buildings are befouled with the very strong odor | | | | safely and humanely remove bats from within the |
| of bat droppings and urine. Worse than the odor, | | | | structure. |
| these droppings are a bio-hazard to the building | | | | Bats are territorial and they will normally stay in |
| they are in. Fungus often grows on the droppings | | | | your area once they have been excluded. If the |
| the spores of which can cause lung diseases in | | | | building has not been properly sealed, the bats will |
| people. Bats can also carry a number of parasites, | | | | enter another opening in the same building. Bats |
| and of course are one of the animals known to | | | | only need an opening that is ¼ inch by |
| carry and transmit rabies. | | | | 1½ inch, the thickness of a standard |
| Bats may look large when they fly, but they can | | | | number two pencil. |
| squeeze into, and prefer to squeeze into, very | | | | Bat control is a unique field. It requires specialized |
| small gaps, usually of less than an inch, and as little | | | | training and techniques, attention to detail, and |
| as 3/8 inch. They usually stay year round, but | | | | extensive knowledge of bat biology and behavior. |
| sometimes migrate, and then the entire colony | | | | Effective bat control requires a full site inspection, |
| returns every year to the same area, and grows | | | | and 100% of the structure must be properly |
| larger and larger. These colonies can eventually | | | | sealed, including gaps as small as ¼" wide. |
| reach several thousand members. | | | | Once the bats are removed exclusion work must |
| Bat control work should not be attempted by | | | | be done to prevent the bats from returning to |
| amateurs. Most bat elimination systems ensure | | | | the roost site. If pesticides are used for bat |
| that all of the bats are safely removed from the | | | | control, the applicator would be in violation of the |
| building, and that they will never return. Many | | | | Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act |
| ignorant pest control companies attempt to do | | | | (FIFRA) and possibly subject to a $25,000 fine. |
| bat work, and they often resort to illegal, | | | | After the bats have been removed from a |
| inhumane, and ineffective methods to try to solve | | | | structure proper clean-up of the bat guano is the |
| the problem, such as the use of "bat poison", or | | | | next step. After a few years, the old guano that |
| simply sealing them in a building to die and stink | | | | has accumulated may develop and grow a fungal |
| without safely getting them out first. They are | | | | spore. If the guano is not properly removed |
| very valuable animals. They only give birth to one | | | | occupants of the building may subject themselves |
| or two young a year depending on species, they | | | | to possible contraction of histoplasmosis. |