BE AWARE OF BATS!
If you are one of the unlucky homeowners that has unknowingly offered refuge to bats in your home, you’re not alone. Bats are one of the most common wildlife intruders in the Southeast and can take residence inside attics, chimneys and porch columns in both aging and new homes.
If you have noticed signs that indicate bats may be in your home, do not take it upon yourself to remove them; some bats are endangered and a professional can safely and properly relocate them. According to the IUCN Red List, out of the 1,397 bat species, 23-24 are critically endangered, 85 are endangered and 113 are vulnerable. While they may be an inconvenience in your home, they are worth saving to prevent further endangerment.
Signs You Have Bats in Your Home
Bats can slip through tiny exterior gaps, causing many homeowners to miss bats that have become houseguests until the signs begin to accumulate. Watch out for:
- Nocturnal noises: soft scratching, squeaking or fluttering sounds in walls, ceilings or attics around dusk and dawn.
- Bat guano: dark, elongated droppings that look like mouse droppings but easily crumble into dust because they consist of crushed insect remains.
- Grease stains: dark, oily smudges or streaks around gaps, vents or holes where bats can squeeze in and out of the structure.
- Strong odors: a pungent, ammonia-like smell caused by accumulated urine or guano in large or old colonies.
- Visual sightings: seeing bats flying near your roofline, chimney or vents around dusk or dawn.
Why You Shouldn’t Remove Bats Yourself
Bat removal is NOT a safe job to do yourself. Two primary reasons include:
- Some bats are protected by law: several bat species are protected in Alabama and Georgia under both state and federal laws, making it illegal to kill, harm or exterminate them. Most homeowners can’t tell one species from another, but a trained wildlife professional can.
- Bats carry health risks: Bats carry several pathogens that can infect and cause illness in humans. Bat rabies is the most common type of rabies, and if contracted, there is no cure and is usually fatal. More than 200 diseases have been associated with bats, and they can also spread Histoplasmosis and White Nose Syndrome.
What To Do If You Find A Bat In Your Home
If you locate a bat in your home, make sure to handle it the right way. Exclusion protects both your home and the bats.
- Stay Calm. Try to locate the bat and isolate it in a room by closing the door to the space where it is located (away from people and pets). If it is in the main room or you don’t know how to remove or exclude it, give us a call to remove the bat. Please DO NOT try to capture the bat with bare hands!
- Call Go Pro Go Pro Wildlife Removal offers safe and secure bat removal services, which is not harmful to the bats. If you think the bat has bitten you or another person or pet, and the bat is captured, we will take the bat to the health department (or other agency) for testing. If you try to catch the bat yourself, please wear thick gloves, place it in a secure container and give us a call immediately for assistance.
- Assess Injuries. If the bat was found in a room with a young child or persons unable to know if they were bitten by the bat (sleeping or incapacitated persons), take them to the doctor immediately or go to the Emergency Room. A bite from a bat sometimes cannot be felt due to their small mouth and teeth, and you want to make sure you protect yourself and others from rabies.
Why Are Bats Worth Saving?
All of Alabama’s and Georgia’s native bats are insect-eaters, and a single bat can eat a huge number of bugs in one night. That includes mosquitoes and crop pests like the corn earworm moth, which damages corn, tomatoes, cotton and other crops.
Elsewhere in the world, bats pollinate plants like agave and many fruits and help spread seeds that regrow forests. Many bat populations are declining, which makes humane removal more important than ever.
Need Help with Bats?
Go Pro Wildlife Removal has the experience, tools, and training in bat exclusion to safely identify bats, remove them humanely and keep them from coming back.
Think you have bats in your home or business? Call us at (334) 744-0391.
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Contact Info
Contact Go Pro today! We offer wildlife removal solutions in Auburn, Opelika, Lake Martin, Valley, Montgomery, AL and Columbus, GA areas.
Phone: (334) 744-0391
Hours: Open 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
