I once had the disconcerting feeling of a bat flying just over my head in a dark hallway – it just brushed my hair and I barely managed to stifle a scream, so I can’t imagine what it must be like to have an entire colony of the creatures roosting in your attic. I remember that I tried to comfort myself with the fact that the bat was most likely as freaked out by me as I was by it.
According to The Pest Control Source, just one bat may be lost in your house and may be by itself, but if you are seeing signs (or smelling them) like bat droppings, bat bodies (a large colony emits a musky smell, or a dead bat could be trapped somewhere), evidence of bat wings rubbing against openings, and other clues of an infestation, then you have a much greater problem, and there are steps a homeowner can take. Pest experts discourage remedies such as using moth balls, since the amount of napthalene needed to drive away an infestation of bats would reach unhealthful levels for the human residents, and it is not legal to use pesticide to kill the bats. Bats are actually very beneficial creatures to have around, and eat huge numbers of mosquitoes and other annoying insects, but they are a lot more pleasurable outside than they are inside. The horror stories about vampire bats sucking blood from infants or sleeping people are just not true, but there have been cases where people have been bitten while they were asleep and not even realized it. Pets are liable to get bitten, too, because they naturally are inclined to fight with the intruders. A bat bite apparently doesn’t look like much – only a scratch – but the bat could possibly be carrying rabies, so it is imperative to seek a physician’s help as soon as possible. It is recommended to seek a physician’s help if you even suspect there has been a bat in the bedroom with a sleeping person or someone otherwise incapable of movement, just to be on the safe side. It is not necessary to capture the bat.
If you suspect you have a bat infestation, the first step is to call your local Animal Control Officer. They can give professional advice, and recommend steps to take. There is often a lot of clean-up involved, and bat guano can carry histoplasmosis, which is a nasty disease and not something that you would want to catch. Experts state that there are as many as 950 kinds of bats, but the most common in the US is the Brown Bat. Their young are vulnerable to falls and getting injured or killed, and by instinct the mothers seek out protective places to raise their young. But hosting a bat colony in your attic is farther than most people are willing to go to assist Mother Nature. To encourage them to leave your attic, you should block off any openings, leaving a window partially open so they can escape. A nice bat house should help entice the pesky creatures out of the attic and outside to roost. Bats dislike fiberglass insulation, so if you don’t have any up in your attic, try putting some there, and they also dislike the noise and constant air movement of a fan, so that often coaxes them to leave. Just don’t put that enticing bat house too close to your home, or the bats may decide they are better off living in your attic.
Sources of Information:
http://www.getbatsout.com/tenants.htm
http://www.howtogetridofpests.net/How_to_get_rid_of_bats.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Bats
http://www.batconservation.org/content/Batproblems.html
http://www.unitedwildlife.com/AnimalsBats.html#
