Decorating for Halloween is fun and fake bats are often used to make your home look creepy. If you should happen to have real bats make a nuisance of themselves in your home, it can turn into a problem. A Five Star Termite & Pest Control outlines why you should be concerned about bats roosting on your property.
Interesting Facts About Bats
Bats are shy, gentle, intelligent and fascinating little creatures that are often times misunderstood. Bats are not mice that fly and aren’t even closely related to rodents in any way. They are so unique in fact, that they are in a category all by themselves. They are in the group ‘Chiroptera’, which means hand-wing. Bats are the second most diverse group of mammals and are the only mammals that have powered flight-making them the only mammal that can fly. They can see almost as well we can and they are not blind. They are beneficial in the food chain. The insect population would be completely out of control without bats. They can eat 1,200 mosquitoes in one hour! They communicate through echolocation. Their echolocation ability is so advanced that it is thousands of times more effective than any system humans are able to build. Bats do not “carry” rabies. They are however able to catch the disease just like other mammals, in fact, less than one-half of one percent of bats actually contract the disease. The fact is more people will die when coming into contact with pets rather than bats.
How Dangerous are Bats in Your Home?
Bats are nocturnal, emerging at dusk and large colonies can be noisy and unnerving as you see swarms of them entering or leaving your home. People will most often complain about bats when they discover them living in the attic or the chimney. They can swarm around your home or become stuck inside where they will cause problems. The droppings or guano they leave behind causes odors that can be offensive. Bats eat so much and have a high metabolism that produces a lot of waste. Each bat in a colony can poop up to 30 times a day! Guano can grow fungus that leads to lung disease and can damage wood and metal as it is corrosive. The weight of massive amounts of guano can actually cause roofs to collapse. Guano can also attract other animals or insects to your home.
How to Keep Bats Away from Your House & Yard
It is illegal to kill certain species of bats and most are protected by state or federal laws. It’s also illegal to use chemical or baits to kill them. novice attempts will can lead to disaster- or if bat poison is used- this will lead to dead bats rotting in your attic or walls. Bat removal needs to be left to the professionals. An inspection of the building will need to happen to determine where they are getting in and out. One-way exclusion methods will be setup, allowing them to leave but not return. After its been determined that all the bats have left, you will seal the entry points they were using to keep them out permanently.
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Getting rid of bats is no easy task and it needs to be done the right way to avoid getting into trouble with the law. Bats mate in the fall and hibernate in the winter making now the best time to make sure they aren’t finding shelter in your home. If you’re experiencing problems with bats, contact A Five Star Termite & Pest Control today.
