WHY DO BATS CHOOSE TO LIVE IN HUMAN STRUCTURES?
The increase of human expansion has resulted in a
loss of habitat for bats, forcing them to look for alternative roosts to live in and raise
their young. Roof voids, attics, vacant buildings and barns all provide bats with warm,
safe places to hide and live. Unfortunately, the news media is occasionally guilty of
sensationalizing stories about bats in buildings and the dangers involved. In addition, some
unscrupulous pest control and trapping companies prey on people's fear of bats and then
charge exorbitant fees for removing or illegally killing bat colonies from the homes of
the people they've terrified.
HOW DO I KEEP A BAT FROM
ROOSTING UNDER THE OVERHANG OF MY PORCH?
Occasionally, a single
bat or two will take up temporary residence under the eave of a
porch. These bats are not trying to attack people, they are simply
in need of a short-term roost (for more
information see Myths and Facts).
If left alone, the bat will probably leave on its own when the weather turns
cooler. However, some people have found success in getting a
bat to leave by suspending aluminum foil or helium-filled Mylar balloons
close to the roosting spot. These items may interfere with a bats echolocation
abilities and help to dissuade it from roosting in that location.
HOW DO I GET BATS OUT OF MY BUILDING - WHAT DOES
AND DOESN'T WORK?
Repellent devices are not effective. One Chicago
manufacturer was fined $45,000 by the EPA for misleading claims about an ultrasonic
device. In fact, when ultrasonic devices were tested by bat experts some of them actually
attracted bats!
Moth balls are not effective because they evaporate quickly and require frequent replacement.
Additionally, chemical toxicants should never be used to solve bat problems. In fact, it is a violation
of federal law to use a chemical in any way other than for what it is strictly intended.
Currently, there are no poisons or chemicals licensed for use against bats. Poisoning bats
is illegal and, in fact, may create health hazards and liabilities for property owners.
Poisoned bats will die inside the walls and ceiling, creating bacteria and odor, and dying
bats may fall to the ground both inside and outside the property where they are more
likely to come into contact with children and pets.
Traps are not recommended and have actually been
known to drive bats to the inside of a structure. Trapping is also
extremely inhumane. They are positioned to block the exit of
the roost and can
quickly fill with bats as they emerge to forage for insects at night. Once trapped, the
bats are unable to escape and those that fell in first become crushed as others fall
on top of them. The filled trap then
blocks the exit for the bats remaining in the roost, forcing them to search for another way out. These
bats are likely to end up inside a business or residence, greatly increasing the chance
for human contact.
The only safe, humane way to evict bats from a building is by exclusion, a method of using
plastic mesh to create one-way valves that allow bats to leave the roost but then prevents
them from re-entering. Do-it-yourself exclusion
methods as well as a list of professional bat excluders can be found
in the QUICK HELP BOX at the top of this page. |
