Bats may get a bad name from their association with rabies and vampires, but they are actually fairly safe and can even help control insect populations. Despite that, they are known carriers of several zoonotic diseases (meaning diseases that can be spread to humans from animals) and therefore should not be allowed to coexist with you in your home.
Bats are fairly common in Winston-Salem, Greensboro, High Point, Burlington, Kernersville, and the greater Triad area. People often mistake bat behavior as aggressive when they appear to dive bomb towards their heads at night. In reality, insects are hovering over the person as they walk and the bats are simply swooping in to eat some of them. You may even consider them as doing you a favor by getting rid of the bugs pestering you.
Bats in Homes
The idea of ‘bats in the belfry’ is typical behavior. They do prefer places like attics and clock towers because they are dark and secluded. Caves are another dark, secluded area that bats often take up residence. You might see bat droppings on the ground below an opening, or hear them flying around in your attic or garage.
Removing a bat yourself is dangerous, as your attempts can put you and others at risk of being bitten or scratched and acquiring a disease that can be transmitted to humans. Due to their species’ threats, including white-nose syndrome which is killing many bats nationwide, bats are protected at the state and local levels. Due to these protections, there are legal consequences for removing them without proper methods and during the right seasons.
Identifying the Presence of Bats
If you suspect there may be bats in your attic, you can watch your roof from outside at around dusk. Since bats are nocturnal, they will be waking up at around this time and will then leave their roosts to begin hunting insects. You can also go to your attic at night, when they are likely not around, and look for bat droppings on the floor.
Other signs of a bat infestation include:
- The scent of ammonia.
- Seeing a bat.
- Strange noises.
- Greasy rub marks.
Due to the dangers of exposure to guano, it is vital to wear a respirator when in an attic containing bats. Critter Control experts will construct a custom plan to remove the bats and safely seal your home. Our wildlife specialist will use gloves designed to handle animals and ensure the bat is safely released outdoors.
Critter Control Triad Bat Exclusion
Some bats return to the same roost year after year. Preventative exclusion is best to keep bats from entering your home. Because bats are not gnawers like rodents, they only utilize existing entry points to enter your home.
Another way to exclude bats from your property is to keep outside lights off at night. The lights attract insects, which are a food source for bats. Other ways to avoid attracting insects to your property include:
- Removing manure piles.
- Properly storing pet and livestock feed.
- Properly storing trash in a garbage can.
- Covering compost piles.
- Removing bird feeders.
While you may not want them inside your home, bats are important to the ecosystem. Bats help reduce the insect population and pollinate many flowers and crops we utilize daily. An estimated $1 billion annually can be saved in crop damage due to bats. They disperse seeds, which play a role in replanting trees and plants.
Call in the Experts
You may be able to determine the presence of bats this way, but you should be careful approaching bats or their habitats, including your attic. They do carry diseases and many germs that you will want to stay clear of.
Instead, call in Critter Control of the Triad, and we will determine if there are bats around for you. Then, if some are identified, we will get to work excluding them from your home with professional and humane animal control strategies.
Bats Common to North Carolina
Big Brown Bat: With a wingspan of up to a foot-and-a-half long, the big brown bat lives up to its name. These oily, hairy bats are seen all over North Carolina.
Little Brown Myotis: Similar to big brown bats, little brown bats have a smaller wingspan or less than a foot. They are also hairy and are enjoy nesting in buildings during the day.
Brazilian Free-Tailed Bat: Distinguished by long tails, equalling about half their total body length, Brazilian free-tailed bats are brown and have a wingspan of around one foot.
