BAT REMOVAL AND BAT PROOFING

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You’ve most likely on this page because you have bats in your attic. Bats play a very important part in our environment and ecosystem. But when they get into your home or business, it can be a little frightening. Bats living in attics and walls are the most common bat calls we here at JOROBA PEST CORP receive from homeowners, businesses and apartment complexes. We will Bats are federally protected which means it is illegal to kill or trap them. The only way to evict bats from a structure in a “Live Bat Exclusion”.  We safely move the bats, use exclusion devices that allow the bats to exit but not re-enter the structure. then we can seal up any entry points once the exclusion devices have been in place for at least 4 days and the bats are no longer in the structure. Bat proofing also called exclusion is very important in removing current roosts and preventing new and/or returning infestations.

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HOW TO GET RID OF BATS IN YOUR ATTIC

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Since Bats are protected, there is a removal process. Here is our simplified step by step Bat Removal Process:

Step 1.  Find where the bats are getting in. During the day, look for any opening the your thumb can fit in. If the Bats have been there for a while, there will be black/brown staining at the opening. This is from their body oils. There may also be Bat droppings (poop!) on the wall below the opening, as well as an odor. You can also watch them leave the structure at dusk.

Step 2.  Bat-proof (seal up) all other openings. Once you determine which entrances the Bats are using, you will need to seal up all other potential openings so that they cannot use these to get back in. Entry points currently being used must stay open until maternity season ends.

Step 3.  Install exclusion devices. There is no, one size fits all exclusion method for Bats. Certain screening materials work well. There are also professional bat removal products, such as one way cones, available to purchase. The temperature must be above 50 degrees for the following four (4) consecutive nights.

Step 4.  Allow time for the bats to leave. Florida law requires exclusion devices be left in place, for at least four (4) warm nights, without rain or high winds to assure all of the bats have left.

Step 5.  Permanently seal the openings. Once the Bats have been successfully excluded, the exclusion devices can be removed. The removal process should take place during the day and the openings permanently sealed immediately. For entry points, foam should only be used as a backer. Foam is not a NWCOA approved method for sealing up holes.

Step 6.  Cleanup. If a colony of bats have been roosting for a long time, there will likely be an accumulation of Bat guano and an odor. It’s a good idea to remove bat guano from your attic and soffits. Bat guano can attract insects such as Ants and Cockroaches.

Step 7.  Bat Houses. Since Bats are beneficial, it’s a good idea to provide a Bat house nearby. . This should be done before the Bat exclusion begins. Once the Bats have been excluded, they will need to find a new home.

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BAT FACTS AND HABITAT

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Did you know there are 9 species of Bats in New York? There are tree bats, the other six are cave bats. Cave bats are: NORTHERM BAT, LITTLE BROWN BAT, INADIANA BAT, EASTERN PIPISTRELLE, BIG BROWN BAT, SMALL-FOOTED BAT. and the tree bats are: RED BAT, HOARY BAT, SILVER-HAIRED BAT.

Bats are the second largest order of mammals, 20% worldwide. Rodents are the largest order.

The world is a dangerous place for Bats. Bats provide a vital environmental and economic services, Bat populations are declining around the globe, largely as a result of human activity. Loss of habitat remains the most widespread peril worldwide

Because Bats reproduce slowly, with females of most species giving birth to only one pup per year, recovery from serious losses is painfully slow and tenuous at best.

Loss of habitat remains the most widespread peril worldwide. The forest many Bats use for roosting and/or foraging for food are disappearing. They are shrunken by timber harvests or cleared to make room for farm crops, mining operations, cattle pastures or cities.

Countless Bats are being driven out of roosts in caves and abandoned mines because of inappropriate guano mining or thoughtless tourism.

In North America, over 5.7 million Bats have been killed by White-Nose Syndrome, a wildlife disease that continues its spread across the continent. It’s caused by a cold loving fungus called Pseudogymnoascus Destructans. WNS attacks hibernating Bats, causing mortality rates that approach 100 percent at some sites.

The dramatic growth of wind energy throughout much of the world is also taking a huge toll on Bats. Scientists estimate that hundreds of thousands of Bats are killed each year in the United States by collisions with the spinning blades of wind turbines or rapid pressure change at turbines that can rupture blood vessels.

70% of Bats are insectivores (they eat insects). These Bats see black, white, gray and primary colors (red, blue, yellow). The other 30% are frugivores (they eat fruit) and see in full spectrum color.

Bats are the only flying mammals.

Bats are nocturnal (active at night)

A remarkable quality found in Bats is their ability to emit high frequency sounds, also known as echolocation. This is similar to sonar. They use this to detect and to catch insect prey, to avoid obstacles and to communicate.

Crevice dwelling Bats live in caves, crevices, abandoned mines and old buildings throughout the year. They will establish both a summer roost and a winter roost. Very few species live in structures. Foliage roosting bats roost in trees year round and may have several roosting trees within their territory.

For most species, breeding occurs in the fall. There are species, such as the Mexican Free-Tailed Bat that will breed in the spring. Females that breed in the fall will store the sperm over the winter and ovulate in the spring when they come out of hibernation. Baby Bats are called “pups”. In most species, pups cannot fly before at least 6 weeks old. It can be 8 weeks or more before a pup can fly in many cases.

Pups are born early to mid-summer. Baby Bats can weigh up to one third of their mothers weight. That would be like giving birth to a 40lb infant for us. Pups nurse for about 4 weeks or until they are able to fly. Interestingly, male Bats are not involved in raising the pups and for bachelor colonies during this time.

Knowing about bats helps when we are asked how to get rid of bats.

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THE PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH BATS

Bats can carry rabies, but more rabies cases are attributed to raccoons, foxes and feral cats. 

Bats can spread diseases such as White Nose Syndrome and Histoplasmosis.

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Bats are also a host to Bat Bugs. Bat Bugs are very similar to Bed Bugs. It’s important that whoever you hire knows how to look for Bat Bugs. When Bats are evicted from a structure and the Bat Bugs no longer have Bats to feed on, they will look for a new host in the structure which will be a pet or human (adults and children). If Bat Bugs are found, it will most likely require a pesticide treatment. Companies that only perform wildlife removal, usually do not have a Pest Control license and cannot legally treat for Bat Bugs. We are a fully licensed Pest Control Company and just as we can treat for Bed Bugs, we can also treat for Bat Bugs.