Typically a forest dweller, the northern long-eared bat still may make its home in residences and commercial buildings throughout Bucks County. This protected species is fundamental to the local ecosystem, so it is never advisable to interfere with them, even if they are inhabiting a building.
Instead, the only sensible thing to do when northern long-eared bats begin living indoors is to call a licensed pest management professional. Thanks to special training and years of experience, it is possible for pest control technicians to make it impossible for bats to re-enter buildings once they leave for a night of foraging.
Excluding the bats from coming back into the building is a safe and proven method for ending infestations. Moreover, this strategy is legal and humane. Perhaps best of all, excluding northern long-eared bats from buildings while still preserving their population means that this essential species can continue to provide natural pest control services.
People frequently have the wrong idea about bats. Rather than being bloodthirsty and dangerous, these animals are gentle and shy. They do not want to be in close contact with people, yet they cannot resist good roosting habitat. When people leave gaps, cracks and other openings in building exteriors, it encourages the bats to look for a dark, secluded place to sleep. Accordingly, it is possible for people to invite bats indoors without intending to do so.
Once northern long-eared bats have come indoors, it is the responsibility of the property owner to appropriately respond. It generally is unwise for the property owner to try to deal with the infestation by themselves. This could result in harm to the bats and legal consequences for the property owner.
One call to a licensed pest control company is all that it takes to safely and effectively exclude bats from buildings.
WHAT DO
LONG-EARED
BATS LOOK LIKE?
This medium-sized bat species has a body length of about three inches with a wingspan of approximately nine or ten inches. While their stomachs are covered in pale brown or tawny fur, the back has medium- to dark-brown fur. This bat is relatively easy to differentiate from other species because of its unusually long ears.
WHAT DO
LONG-EARED
BATS EAT?
People derive many benefits from having northern long-eared bats in their environment. That is because these tiny animals have enormous appetites for bugs. In fact, many of the insects that form a large portion of the northern long-eared bat's diet are considered pests. These include flies, moths and mosquitoes in addition to beetles, caddisflies and leafhoppers. Practiced hunters, northern long-eared bats can catch their prey on the ground or in the air.
WHERE DO
LONG-EARED
BATS LIVE?
A majority of U.S. states and Canadian provinces have populations of northern long-eared bats. They will hibernate through much of the winter, causing them to seek out specific habitat. Some of the habitat conditions that they require include relatively high humidity, steady temperatures and little breeze. A cave or an abandoned mine is the perfect place to hibernate, but these bats also will use chimneys, attics and other portions of man-made buildings if the conditions are appropriate.
The large groups of bats that hibernate together through the winter begin stirring with the arrival of spring and warmer weather. In approximately March, the bats may change where they are roosting. They also are more likely to roost individually in the spring, summer and autumn. Roosting within trees, such as beneath the outer layer of bark, is common during these seasons. People also may see northern long-eared bats roosting in Bucks County in sheds, garages, attics and barns on a more-frequent basis.
DAMAGE CAUSED BY
LONG-EARED
BATS
Thanks to their small size, northern long-eared bats can squeeze into surprisingly small cracks and crevices. This means that any tiny defect in a building's exterior may look like an open invitation to curious bats.
Using their teeth, the bats can make a small opening somewhat larger. This may enable them to get inside a building so that they can roost somewhere in the interior, such as the attic, chimney or a wall void.
Making a fissure in the building's exterior larger can invite other pests indoors, but that is not the end of the potential complications. As the bats enter and leave, the exterior of the building becomes stained. Additionally, bat waste products will pile up all over the attic and anywhere else that bat activity is taking place.
With an unusually large percentage of uric acid, bat waste products are toxic and can cause the rapid deterioration of masonry, bricks, wood, sheetrock and various other common building materials. Unless the northern long-eared bats are quickly barred from entry, the damage to the structure can be considerable.
One of the reasons why professional pest control is recommended in these situations is that the services include a thorough cleanup of the formerly infested area. This arrests the damage and makes the building safer for people to inhabit.
It further is worth considering that bats can bring other pests, like bat mites, into buildings. These pests can be mistaken for species such as bed bugs, but they require different treatment strategies. This is just another reason why professional pest control intervention is needed in any northern long-eared bat infestation.
ARE
LONG-EARED
BATS AGGRESSIVE?
Members of this species mostly are active at night. This activity takes place in the open air and is generally not in the vicinity of people. Although bats may like to roost inside man-made structures, they do not want to have contact with humans.
Should northern long-eared bats and people encounter each other, the animals can react aggressively, especially if people swat at them. Northern long-eared bats can scratch and bite, which can transmit an illness to anyone who suffers an injury.
If a bat accidentally enters an area in a building that is occupied by people, it may panic. The best strategy for people to adopt is to open up any doors and windows that lead to the outside. Bats have keen echolocation senses that will enable them to find a way back to the outdoors.
DO
LONG-EARED
BATS CARRY DISEASE?
Unfortunately, these primarily beneficial animals can transmit a number of illnesses to people. One of these is rabies. Anyone who recently had an encounter with a bat is encouraged to seek medical attention. With their minuscule, excessively sharp teeth and claws, bats can injure people without the victim being aware. People who experience flu-like symptoms such as weakness, headache and fever many be exhibiting the early signs of rabies infection.
Even exposure to the waste products of northern long-eared bats can be detrimental to human health. A lung ailment known as Histoplasmosis may be spread by spores in bat guano. People who live or work in a building with a bat infestation all are vulnerable to this illness, which can be serious. Tell-tale symptoms include muscle aches, pain in the chest, fever, fatigue, chills and headache.
HOW TO DETECT
LONG-EARED
BATS
Signs of long-eared bats issue include:
• Unusual stains and smells in the building • Bat waste products collecting in the building's interior • Noises such as scratching and squeaking may be heard within the building • Cracks and holes on the building are stained • Bat droppings can be seen on overhangs and eaves • Windows stained with milky-white bat urine
HOW TO PREVENT
LONG-EARED
BATS
To help prevent long-eared bat problems the following steps should be taken:
• Ensure that chimneys have stainless steel caps in place • Use wire mesh on furnace vents • Install bat houses nearby for appropriate roosting • Change to yellow sodium bulbs in outdoor light fixtures to stop attracting insects • Keep doors and windows closed • Make certain that any open doors or windows are screened • Seal up the building's exterior • Place a supply of mothballs in attics, sheds, garages and other places where bats might roost
HOW TO TREAT FOR BATS
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.
