I don’t know if you’ve ever been to a Halloween party, or a haunted house. But if you have, you’ve probably at some point at another been through what I call a haunted hallway. What that means is that there is an alley or hallway that is decorated like a haunted house. Meant to scare you in a short amount of time, these little rooms are jam packed with your worst fears. Now for many people these only occur during the Halloween season, and they end when you exit the hallway. For me, the hallway was year round, and it didn’t end until I faced my worst fear.
Now many of you are probably thinking, what does she mean? Does she have a permanent haunted hallway in her house? The answer is no. Or, at least not one of my own creation. My haunted hallway is the hallway in the back of my house that has bats living in the walls. I’m not sure if you’ve ever come face to face with a bat, but believe me when I say that it is the most terrifying experience I’ve ever had. Imagine, one day you are innocently doing your laundry when all the sudden a flying black mass, infected with all sorts of diseases, soars into your face. I know, not the most pleasant image. Now imagine that happening every time you walk down that hallway and you’ll understand where I’m coming from.
I’d been in contact with my local animal control specialist for months, trying to fix the problem in a way that would prevent them from coming back. Lucky for me, the man I hired was the right man for the job! He walked me through every step of the process and he answered every question I asked. He was able to get all the bats out and after words he cleaned up the spaces in the walls. He made sure that every nook and cranny was secured to keep this from happening ever again. I don’t know what I would’ve done without him!
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Bats In The Attic
As a local handyman for hire, Tyler sees a lot of weird things, and it’s not unusual for him to be called to a customer’s home to take care of some problem or other, and have it turn out to be something completely different. A “loose roof shingles” call may end up as a raccoon in the attic, accessing the space through a hole the raccoon tore in the soffit. In another service call, an air conditioner unit that only worked sometimes was actually caused by a squirrel chewing through the wiring. That one was sobering, because if Tyler hadn’t spotted the problem quickly, it could have resulted in a home fire or it could have electrocuted someone.
Once, Tyler got a call from a guy who didn’t want to tell him any specifics over the phone. He just insisted on having a handyman come over and investigate the attic. When Tyler got there, the man offered no further explanation other than he had heard odd noises at night coming from the attic. He was so hesitant to explain the problem, and he was obviously terrified.
Finally, Tyler put him at ease and the man confessed. “I think it’s the ghost of my grandmother.”
That was a new one. And, Tyler wondered, just what was a handyman supposed to do about a ghost in the attic?
The man went on to explain that he had inherited the house from his grandmother, who had passed away two years ago. He had lived among her things for a time, and finally got up the courage to pack up her keepsakes and stash them in the attic. He’d done that almost exactly a year ago, and now he was hearing noises above his head each night and sometimes in the early morning. He’d lost sleep over it, and was too afraid to confront the ghost in his attic. Apparently, his grandmother had not been a very nice or understanding woman.
Fortunately, Tyler didn’t believe in ghosts and good-naturedly climbed the stairs up into the attic. In the end, he almost wished it had been a ghost. He was not prepared to find hundreds of bats in the attic. His flashlight and movements disturbed the roosting bats in the attic, and they swarmed, hitting his head and face and shoulders in their panic. He’d never seen so many bats in an attic, and it was all he could do not to scream as he climbed back down the stairs and explained what was really going on to his client. The man was relieved it wasn’t the specter of an angry grandmother, but it was just bats in his attic. Tyler felt differently. He made it out to his truck, where he allowed himself a mild freak-out attack before calling Allstate Animal Control to get the bats out of the attic.
Bats in Weber County Utah
It’s no surprise to Weber County, Utah residents that bats live in the area. They are often to be seen in the night sky, flitting around silently, changing directions quickly as they chase after their meals. Bats in Weber County do their best to keep the mosquito population down as well as preying on all different kinds of bugs, flying or not. They’ve even been known to carry off crickets, centipedes and other large bugs. At most recent counts, Utah has eighteen species of bats, and Weber County bats do their best to keep the county from being overrun with bugs.
Usually bats will roost in places such as caves, mines, rotting logs, but often bats discover warmer, more convenient places in which to roost or even nest. Breeding season is coming up, for most bat species, and that’s the spring. They’ll happily roost or breed in attics, chimneys, abandoned buildings, inside building walls, behind shutters, under eaves, and anywhere else that provides a relatively protected environment close to food sources. You may not even know you have a bat or a colony of bats living inside your home or apartment until one makes its way inside your living room or bedroom or kitchen.
Do Weber County bats carry rabies? Usually, no, but the chances are high enough that you absolutely should NEVER touch a bat. If it bites a person or animal, seek medical attention immediately. Keep your animals up to date on their rabies shots. People who handle bats may not even realize the bat’s tiny claws have scratched them, so always seek medical attention if you have come into contact with a bat. And, if you come across an active bat during the day time, it may be sick or diseased. Keep children and pets away from it.
Discovering a bat or a colony of bats in your house or other buildings will come as a shock. You may have a very clean house with a well-kept yard, and yet still have a bat problem. The safest course of action is to contact us to send a professional to your home to remove the bat or bats. Trying to remove a bat yourself may result in being scratched or bitten by it as it will be terrified and try to get away or defend itself. Bats are protected under the law, as well, especially a nesting colony of bats, and our professionals know exactly how to handle the situation legally and safely. A professional will also be able to safely clean the bat droppings from your building and even install materials to prevent bats from returning to your building.
It’s fun and interesting to watch Weber County bats flying around at night, but make sure it’s at a distance. Up close and personal bat encounters can result in a trip to the emergency room. And, if you discover one or more bats in your building, contact us to remove the bats and keep you and yours safe.