When bats remain outdoors, they are a beneficial species that keeps insect populations under control. When bats roost indoors, the problems they create quickly multiply.
Small and agile, bats find it easy to get into man-made structures. An uncovered vent or duct may be the perfect access point as is a chimney that does not have a cap. Even an apparently tiny gap or crack in an exterior wall can look like a welcome sign to a bat that needs a roost.
Indoor bat roosts lead to several problems for the property owner. The first is the extensive damage that is caused by the bats to the structure. The second is the risk of people developing potentially lethal illnesses through the close proximity of bats.
Having bats indoors is a hazard, but this doesn't mean that property owners can use any means necessary to evict their unwanted tenants. Instead, these protected species must be removed with considerable care by trained professionals.
DOES MY PROPERTY HAVE A BAT INFESTATION?
Several signs may indicate that bats have invaded where they are not wanted. Some property owners will notice new stains around a crack or other opening in their building's exterior. It may be possible to hear the sounds of bats moving around and communicating from behind walls or above ceilings. A strong odor of ammonia inside the building is another telltale sign.
Visual sightings of living or dead bats on the property is an additional warning sign. However, seeing bats around the landscape is not necessarily a bad thing, and it does not absolutely follow that bats are living in the structure.
The only way to definitively determine whether or not bats are living indoors is to have a professional perform an inspection. Bat exclusion technicians are specially trained to identify the clues that suggest the presence of bats. Their efforts may be focused in attics, chimneys, fireplaces, wall voids, shutters and eaves. These are the most common roosting places within buildings.
Bat exclusion professionals are prepared to deal with all of the critical steps that are essential to ending bat infestations. This means safely excluding the bats from the building, cleaning up all remnants of bat activity and performing crucial repairs. It is only with the completion of all of these tasks that an infestation can be declared to be truly over.
Thanks to their training and experience, bat exclusion professionals are able to confidently determine which pest species are infesting the property. This means that they can diagnose the problem and propose safe and effective treatment methods.
INSPECTING FOR BAT INFESTATIONS
Bat exclusion cannot begin until a thorough property inspection is complete. The technician will need to access all portions of the structure, including the attic and other storage spaces. This is because bats tend to roost in rooms that are little used, dark and cluttered.
Before the technician arrives, the property owner can assist the process by ensuring that doors are unlocked and all clutter that might prevent entry to certain rooms is removed. Bat problems may be obvious and easy to identify in some situations, but this is not always the case. Accordingly, it is wise for the property owner to be prepared for an extensive inspection process that will lead to accurate identification and more efficient treatment.
BAT IDENTIFICATION
At least three bat species are commonly found in Bucks County. Some of these are considered endangered, which means that they are protected by law. Bat exclusion technicians are capable of identifying bat species upon first encountering them.
This is a crucial first step because it is illegal to harm many of the bat species that live in the local area. Instead of destroying these animals, the technicians work hard to humanely remove them from the building.
That does not mean that the technicians actually handle the bats. They install bat exclusion equipment on the outside of the building adjacent to the entrance point. This equipment is designed to allow the bats to leave the building while at the same time making it impossible for them to return. Thus, the bats are unharmed and the infestation is prevented from continuing.
Timing is everything when it comes to the placement of bat exclusion equipment. That is, the equipment cannot be installed too early in the year when baby bats are being left behind in the roost while the mothers forage for food. Technicians know precisely when to time the placement of bat exclusion equipment so that no baby bats are abandoned.
Accordingly, it is possible that the inspection will occur at one point, but that there will be a delay before the actual bat exclusion can take place. In the meantime, the technician will take steps to minimize the amount of exposure the people in the building have to the bats and their waste products.
IS DIY BAT REMOVAL POSSIBLE?
Occasionally, property owners are tempted to deal with pest infestations without the help of a professional. These efforts frequently are futile. In the case of bat infestations, they could be dangerous and illegal.
Bat waste products have extraordinarily high concentrations of uric acid. This enables the guano to destroy construction materials, but the threat posed is two-fold. This is because exposure to bat waste products is toxic to people. Simply inhaling contaminated air is enough to make people dangerously ill.
This means that it is extremely unwise for people without specialized training and equipment to enter spaces that are infested by bats. Serious diseases may be transmitted not only by bat waste products but also through contact with the animals. A scratch or bite is all that is needed to transmit a sickness.
Moreover, various bat species are federally protected as endangered species. These animals must be treated with special care even if they are infesting a building. In virtually all situations it is required, not just recommended, that people hire bat exclusion professionals to clear up an infestation. Only these technicians are licensed and qualified to deal with bats roosting in buildings.
Property owners who are anxious to reclaim infested spaces and ensure the safety of their premises are encouraged to contact bat exclusion professionals as soon as they suspect there is a problem.
RECOVERING FROM BAT INFESTATIONS
At the proper time, bat exclusion professionals will install exclusion equipment on the exterior of the building. The next time the bats exit the structure to forage for food, they will discover that they are prevented from returning.
The bats are now out of the building, but the work of recovery has only just begun. Whether the bat infestation was of short or long duration, the animals certainly left behind evidence of their tenancy. This consists of staining on the building's exterior as well as a dangerous buildup of bat waste products where the bats were roosting.
Bat exclusion technicians are trained to clean up all of the stains and waste products that are the inevitable accompaniments to an infestation. Additionally, the technician will determine whether or not it is necessary to effect repairs to the formerly infested areas. Wood, brick, masonry and insulation are just a few of the materials that may need to be replaced.
Using industry-approved techniques and equipment, bat exclusion technicians are able to remove all signs that an infestation took place. This means that the area is once again sanitary and safe to occupy.
It is never advisable for property owners to attempt to do the cleanup without professional technicians. Bat guano frequently carries the fungus that causes a lung sickness called Histoplasmosis in people. Without the proper precautions, cleaning up after a bat infestation is dangerous.
Technicians also focus their efforts on the vulnerabilities in the building's exterior that made it possible for the bats to gain entry in the first place. Blocking these openings is extremely helpful for keeping bats and other pests out of the building.
Bat control can be complicated and potentially dangerous involving many procedures that are governed by state law. A licensed pest management professional should always be consulted to ensure safe and proper bat removal, decontamination, and prevention.
