Tag Archives: roosting bats

Bat Management

bat_caughtOf all the different ways to manage bat problems, one town in Australia is trying to discourage bats from roosting in neighborhoods by allowing residents to seriously trim back the trees lining city streets.  The hope is they will deter the bats from living in the trees and encourage them to move to a more suitable location in the wild.  Unfortunately, they may discover that the bats may end up moving into attics, chimneys, walls or eaves instead of seeking shelter in a more natural setting.

Bats aren’t the truly terrifying creatures that swarm around people’s heads or go for blood.  But, their presence in our homes, apartments, office buildings, out buildings and industrial spaces aren’t good for them and it’s certainly not good for us.  The mess they make with guano (or bat droppings) is smelly, foul, and attracts other vermin or bugs.  They can carry ticks or mites that drop off and infest the area.  They damage walls, soffits, eaves and other building materials, and leave a large greasy smudge around the areas where they access the building.  And, yes, they are a common carrier of rabies.  The problem is, their teeth are so small that a person may not even know they’ve been bitten.  So, health officials strongly suggest you never touch a bat with your bare hands, and if a person wakes up in a room with a bat, they should seek medical attention immediately.  Rabies is fatal unless managed properly, so don’t take a chance around bats.

Bats In The Attic

bat_wings        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

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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.