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Everything you need to know About Bats
When Bats Move In
How to know if you have Bats
Hearing scratching late at night? Fluttering through your walls? You’ve probably got bats in the attic and may be in need of professional bat removal in Idaho. What better place for a bat to live then a warm sheltered attic keeping them free from predators and high off the ground making it an easy way out to feed at night.
Just because you have bats in the attic does not mean your house is old or dirty. Bats will choose homes of brand new construction often times more than older homes. What Bats look for:
- Your roof has openings larger than a 1/4 inch.
- You have gable vents (screened or un-screened)
- You have a ridge vent not properly installed.
- Your home may need a reseal of caulking.
- You are missing a chimney cap.
- Your ridge cap is not sealed (the most common place for Bat gain entrance).
So how to get rid of them? Your home must be bat proofed and all the necessary repairs done to keep the bats out. They remember where they were born and will return to the same location for 5 years!
Bats in the Home
You don’t want that! But neither does the Bat. It’s going to be lost and disoriented. Bats are not aggressive by nature but they will bite if you try to grab it.
A Couple of things to consider if you have a Bat in your house: Has the bat come in contact with you are anyone in the Home? If so you need to assume the bat has rabies, even though the chances are unlikely. Young children, heavy sleepers or intoxicated adults may not know they have been bitten, due to the fact bat bites are very small and may not be detected. Here’s a few questions to consider, and if any are true it is recommended to seek medical help.
- Was the bat found in a room where someone was sleeping?
- Are there young children of the age where they can not communicate?
- Did your dog or cat come in contact with the bat?
At this point if any of these happen it is important to capture the bat and have it tested for rabies.
What do Bats sound like?
Bats make a very high chirping or squeaking noise. You won’t hear scurrying sounds but you might hear them flapping their wings as they settle in.
- You may see bats flying out from under the eaves or some other place in your roof.
- You may hear chirping in the attic.
- You may see Bat feces.
So how to get rid of them? Your home must be bat proofed and all the necessary repairs done to keep the bats out. They remember where they were born and will return to the same location for 5 years!
Bat Repellants
There are several over the counter commercial “bat repellent” products out there. Bat-A-Way, Bat Magic, and Bat Scat to name a few. None of these work! Bats remember a safe place and they will come back over and over. And if you poison them they will die in your attic or walls. Just imagine THAT smell.
- Moth Balls
- Bright Lights
- Noise emitters
- Home remedy repellents
- Loud Music
- Bat sprays
- Bat powder
- Bat granules
- Bat Poison
- Bat-A-Way
Unfortunately there is no such thing as an actual “bat repellent”.
Kill vs Remove and Remediate
Bats in Idaho are state and federally protected. It is illegal to kill them. Besides, we need Bats – they help control the mosquito population naturally and prevent the spread of some pretty nasty diseases.
Killing them will not solve your bat problem, but it can make it worse. Poisoned and decaying bats in your attic or walls will leave a very foul smell that takes a long time to dissipate.
It is far better to use removal and remediation methods to keep Bats out of your home. This is done by bat proofing with screen, caulking, caps, etc. Also a one-way trap door is installed at the entry point so the bats can get out but not get back in.
And we saved the worst for last - Bat Bugs
Bat Bugs are just what you’d think they are – related to Bed Bugs! They are blood-sucking insects and yes they are difficult to get rid of.
Bat bugs look almost identical to bed bugs and you typically can not tell them apart unless you look at them under a microscope.
Bat bugs will typically feed while their host is sleeping. Bat bugs are blood suckers, meaning they pierce the skin, inject saliva as they probe for blood vessels to feed on the blood. A typical adult bat bug will feed for up to 15 minutes until it is full and then will hide to digest their food.
Once the Bats are removed the Bat Bugs must be dealt with quickly or they will enter your home looking for new hosts.