Are you Living with Bats?

Are you Living with Bats?

Everyone loves Batman. He fights crime, saves the girl, defeats the evil doers. He’s awesome.

Not everyone loves bats as much. These creatures can wreak havoc in a residential dwelling, spreading diseases and destroying attic and crawl spaces.

The worst part is, most people in Florida don’t even know they’re living in their house. They attribute some noises here and there to the house settling or a sound coming from the outside. By the time they figure out what’s going on, it’s become a massive infestation.

Inside and Out Property Inspectors would rather you not have to find out the hard way that these winged animals of the night are taking up residence in your storage space. So, here’s how to know the Joker’s arch rival is hanging out.

Exterior Signs

Bats come and go through the same entry and exit points for the most part. Check the exterior of your home for stains around holes in the siding or roof or cracks and crevices near the roof line.

Also check for milky white stains from urine on windows and exterior walls.

Mouse like droppings that are found under eaves and overhangs can also be a good indicator.

Guano

Bats, like every other living creature, poop. A lot of bats poop a lot. Large accumulations of guano, which resembles other small critter feces, is a sure sign that you’ve got a problem.

Guano usually piles up under the exit of the roost, and has a shiny, speckled appearance. Please remember to never handle animal feces, especially the bat variety, with unprotected hands and without respiratory protection.

Don’t Write Off That Noise

Keep an ear out around dusk and dawn. Scratching, squeaking, crawling and chewing sounds heard during these times are evidence of an infestation.

Wait until after dark, when most bats are out of the roost to visually inspect the attic area.

More Than a Nuisance

Besides being an unwelcome guest in your home, bats can cause serious medical conditions in humans if they are not removed quickly.

Rabies is the obvious danger, with bats being one of the primary carriers of the disease. Being scratched or bitten by one could lead to devastating health effects.

Along with that danger, long term exposure to the fungal spores found in bat guano can cause a respiratory disease known as Histoplasmosis. Causing flu like symptoms in healthy people, its generally not deadly. But, for those with immune deficiencies, this disease can kill.

You Found Them, Now What?

For those living in Florida, bats are a common source of headache and mischief. Many professionals exist for the sole purpose of removing them. However, if you decide to take this on yourself, here’ a few things you can do.

• Identify all potential entry and exit points. They will have stains around them from the bats’ oily skin and droppings beneath them.

• At night, while most of the roost is gone, seal all of these points of entry and exit. Doing so will prevent the bats from being able to get back in at the end of the evening.

• Install one way “check” valves over an hole that cannot be filled with caulk or some other filling material.

• Bat removal in summertime should not be attempted. At this time, baby bats are in the roost and cannot fly. They will remain in the house and either die and decompose, causing problems, or find a food source and grow to adulthood, recreating the problem.

Inside and Out Property Inspectors are committed to keeping you and your family safe here in Florida, and that includes from the presence of bats.

If you’re unsure if you have a problem, and want a professional opinion, contact us now or schedule an appointment today.