I got a severe case of the heebie-jeebies when a friend told me that his house was infested with bats. I’ve never been phobic of any animal; the occasional mouse or rat has never sent me running and screaming into another room. But there’s something particularly (if unfairly) creepy about bats. Throughout human history, they have been used as a symbol of fear and disgust.
Although it’s rare for bats to directly harm humans, it’s a good idea to have them removed if you have a bat infestation. Left unchecked, a colony of bats will spread indefinitely into your house, causing unpleasant odors and increasing the risk of disease transmission. Here’s what you can do to get rid of a bat infestation.
1. Confirm that your home is actually infested. A single bat on in your attic or on your wall may not mean that your home is infested. It’s possible that you’ve simply encountered a straying or sick bat who will return to his flock or pass away soon. However, if you see several bats in your house, or if you’ve noticed large amounts of their droppings (guano) your home is infested.
2. Stay safe. It may seem melodramatic, but you need to block any access between the area of your home taht is infested and the area in which you live. Bats are among the few animals that still spread rabies in the U.S. Block access to the attic or basement where the bats are living. Do not allow children or pets to enter the area under any circumstances.
3. Contact a professional. Look in your local phone book for an animal control expert. This trained expert will come to your home and remove every last bat from your property. The animal control expert may even clean up some or all of the mess. In some cases, the animals are euthanized; others are taken to state parks and other protected areas. If you are concerned about the fate of the animals, ask the animal control expert about your local policy and the health of the animals.
Tips and Warnings
-Bats can and do carry human-transmissible diseases. Many wild bats are infected with mites, ticks and fleas. About one in two hundred has rabies, and their feces can harbor the fungal disease histoplasmosis. Do not handle wild bats.
-Understand that bats are a critical component of healthy, wild ecosystems. Bats tend to prey on mosquitoes and other insects that may harm humans. Bats themselves are beneficial to our world, but you do not want them intesting your attic.
– Save your money- do not purchase the ultrasonic noise-making devices designed to repel bats. These are inefffective and expensive.
-If guano accumulates in your attic or basement before the bat infestation is removed, consider using it in your garden or giving it to a neighbor. Guano is an extremely valuable fertilizer.
