Spring has sprung.  The air is warmer, the snow has melted and all of Mother Nature’s creatures are returning.  Along with the return of the birds and the bees, squirrels and raccoons are having babies and bats are awakening from hibernation.  Squirrels and raccoons have their young during late March to June while bats have their young in June and July.  Although bat baby season does not begin until later in the summer, many of these animals are taking cover in our homes in order to maintain a warm place to live and raise young.

Bats, in particular, can be an unwelcome guest in our homes.  They tend to take up residence in our attics and often move down into the wall voids during the winter hibernation period for added warmth.  

Bats can carry diseases such as rabies and should not be handled for this reason.  The feces, guano, can also be harmful if ingested.  If you are hearing noises in your attic, you may have bats.  Bats may also find their way into your living space when they are awakening from hibernation as they are a little dozy when they wake up.  As bats are a colonizing species, you should consider scheduling an inspection with one of our wildlife technicians to confirm if they are present so you can begin an animal removal process.

Our best practices in bat removals begin with an inspection of the exterior of the home to confirm the points of entry.  Bats leave clues such as dropping and grease marks as they first land and then slide to enter.  Once the entry points are determined and the bats are active, we install devices over the entry areas that allow the bat to exit but not re-enter.  It is important to wait until the bats are awake from hibernation to begin the removal process as we require them to be exiting on a nightly basis for feeding in order for them to access the one-way exit door.  In addition, we need them to produce evidence of current entry areas as these may change from season to season.  Once the bats exit through the one-way door, we remove the door and seal the entry area.  As part of the inspection, we may additionally recommend preventative measures to seal the exterior to ensure the bats do not find new entry areas on your home.  Finally, we inspect the attic to determine the extent of any guano to assess whether an attic restoration is required whereby we remove any soiled insulation and disinfect the attic.  Bat removal work can be done in early spring but pauses in June and July during the bat baby season as we must wait for any offspring to be large enough to exit nightly with the colony for feeding.

Overall, the process for bat removal is highly successful and clients return to a bat free environment quickly.  It is best for everyone if the bats move outdoors so they can continue nightly feeding on insects such as mosquitoes so we can not only enjoy our indoor space more but also our outdoor patios and gardens with reduced insects.