Bats in Chimneys and Attics in Residential Homes
It is a common occurrence in United States and Canada for bats to be found in houses where people live. When they get inside, they are usually found in either the chimney or in the attic or both. While they may not be harmful to human beings, it is very discomforting when you realize that bats are living with you no matter how few.
One advantage people don’t consider is the fact that when bats are around, you will hardly find pests like bugs and mosquitoes in your house because bats feed on them. Despite this advantage, nobody likes to live with bats around because of two health issues. When the odor emanating from bat droppings is inhaled, it can lead to a disease of the lung called histoplasmosis. Some bats are carriers of rabies and they can transfer it if they bite you. It is important you quickly seek medical attention whenever you encounter bat bite as the bat may be carrying rabies.
You may not notice their presence when they are still very few. You will get to know when they become bigger in number as they multiply fast and live in colony. It is then you will begin to see their droppings and hear their squeaky sounds at nights more frequently. If you are not familiar with bat droppings you may not be able to identify them at first. Apart from the funny sounds and droppings in your attic, you will notice bats hovering around your house at dusk. This is because they leave at dusk and come back late in the night.
They usually like to live in the same house with human beings for two reasons, they want to be shielded from predators and they also need warmth. And the best place to get warmth is a house where people live. They will continue to multiply until you find out and remove them. Even when they leave temporarily, they will definitely come back.
They usually gain entry into houses via cracks in the walls and holes in the roof. They know how to maneuver their way through tiny openings. All they need is an opening of half an inch in diameter. A bat can pass through a hole as small as a dime!
But the hole or opening becomes wider as they pass through it regularly. When you finally detect that you have bats in your house, the next step is how to get rid of them. A few companies have claimed to have bat repellents. The truth is… no repellent have been found to be effective. Most repellents are meant to be sprayed. Even if the smell of the repellent are offensive to bats, they will only leave temporarily and come back when the smell has subsided.
In other words, forget about repellents. Secondly, it is even illegal to kill bats. You don’t want to get on the wrong side of the law, do you?
Up till now, it is only natural methods that have been found to be effective. This begins with reconfirming that the bats are really there. This is important to avoid chasing shadows for weeks. Once you have confirmed that bats are indeed in your attic or chimney, the next step is to figure out their entry points.
Some of the commonest entry points are
• Crevices and cracks where corners are formed by siding
• The meeting point between roof and dormers
• The point of attachment of porches to the main building
• Gable ends of an attic where eaves and walls meet
• Entry points of pipes and wiring
• Points where boards are no longer firm
• Missing tiles
• Broken screens or poorly fixed ones
Don’t make the mistake of rushing to seal up all the openings. You may have sealed them inside. Not allowing them go out will have them stressed out and they will begin to enter your living room. If this continues, they may begin to die. Nothing is as unbearable as the smell of rotten bats. It is then you will realize that having them alive in your attic is much better and more comfortable.
You need to monitor how and exactly when they all leave the house at dusk. It is then you can begin to seal up to avoid re-entry. This is effective if and only if there are no babies left. If there are babies left, you would have trapped them inside. You already know what will happen next. They will crawl into your living room in search of their mothers. And they will eventually die and begin to smell. Note that there are time sensitive restrictions for when exclusion work can and cannot be performed.
The most effective method of bat removal is to seal all their entry points and create just one hole for them to safely exit the home. You will design the opening in such a way that bats can go out through it but cannot come in through it. This way, they will all go out gradually and not be able to come back.
To facilitate their moving out, you can administer repellents like mothballs. This will drive them out temporarily. But they will not be able to come back inside. Whenever you are able to confirm that all the bats have gone out, you can now seal the last opening.
Contact Bats Away for all your bat removal control and bat exclusion needs for your home and office in New Jersey.
