Bats In The House
Bats — Just the mention of them sends chills down the back of your neck. If that’s you then you’re in the right place.
We love bats and understand that you don’t. Pest Detective, L.L.C. has helped many bats and people reach happy outcomes after having close encounters of the worst kind. We offer bat removal, exclusion, biohazard scat clean up, and much more. By working together we can exceed your needs and get life back to normal. Pest Detective, L.L.C. works with both business and home owners deal with large and small bat conflicts. We resolve problems through relocation, exclusion, placement of bat houses, and education. This helps both bats and people live together.
Bat control in Indiana may be needed throughout the year. When warm temperatures occur in the winter, big brown bats often move. This can lead to a bat appearing in your house in January when you thought they were hibernating.
Amazing Bat Facts
- Bats are unique animals because they are the only true flying mammal. Bats are very useful to our environment because they feed on both “good” and “bad” insects helping to keep things in balance.
- In Indiana there are 12 types of bats. However, the bats which most commonly invade homes are the big brown bat and the little brown myostis bat.
- Bats outside are harmless and useful. Once they enter a building, they can become annoying due to their squeaking noises and droppings. Though there is a slight chance of someone coming into contact with a rabid bat, most house-infesting bats are NOT rabid.
- During the early days of spring, the brown bats begin leaving their overwintering sites looking for a summer roosting site. The bats give birth in the summer roost during the months of June and July. The babies are breast-fed until they are old enough to feed on their own (ranging from 3-7 weeks). In September and October, the bats mate. As fall temperatures begin to get colder, the bats leave their summer roosts and travel to their overwintering sites to hibernate during the winter months.
There is no need to panic if a bat is seen flying around inside the house. It is often a lost and confused youngster looking to get out safely. Simply open the outside windows and doors and close those doors going into the rest of the house. Oftentimes bats will just fly out on their own. However, do not swing at the bat or handle it with bare hands. As with any animal who feels threatened, it may bite when handled.
Additional help may be obtained by calling your pest control professional.
How do I Bat Proof my home?
You should only Bat Proof your home once you are sure you have no bats inside. Otherwise you will be trapping them in and when the bats wake up from hibernation they won’t be able to exit your home.
The best time to Bat Proof your home is between November and April. Bat Proofing can be done either by the do-it-yourselfer or the pest control professional.
To Bat Proof your home you need to seal all openings. A bat can enter through a 1/2 inch hole. Check for things such as loose screens and loose flashing. Check for a loose chimney cap or missing screening over attic vents.
All openings should be sealed with steel wool, caulking, weather-stripping or screening. Caulk should be applied early in the day so it has time to dry.
What is Bat Exclusion?
Bat Exclusion consists of several techniques used to remove colonies of bats from a building.It is best performed by a professional, and should never be done between May and August when the pups are still being nursed by their mothers.
What about Bat Removal?
There is no need to panic if a bat is seen flying around inside the house. It is often a lost and confused youngster looking to get out safely. Simply open the outside windows and doors and close those doors going into the rest of the house. Oftentimes bats will just fly out on their own. However, do not swing at the bat or handle it with bare hands. As with any animal who feels threatened, it may bite when handled.
If the bat won’t leave, give Pest Detective, L.L.C. a call. Try not to loose track of the bat. Contain it in one room by closing all doors. We’ll be happy to come out and remove the bat from inside your home. Once caught, we’ll release it at a safe site. Even if you’ve lost track of the bat, we’ll conduct a thorough inspection for the bat and report to you possible openings that should be sealed up to help prevent future bat encounters.
How do Bats Choose their Roosts?
Bats seem to have certain preferences in choosing their roosts. As any animal, for summer roosts they look for near and adequate food and water sources. They also seem to prefer buildings with high temperatures (such as an attic) to rear their young. Additionally the structure must be easily accessible for the bat. For that very reason, the easiest thing to do to prevent a bat encounter is to Bat Proof your home. Give us a call!
