Bats on the roof

[RoughCollie]

In the past week, the kids have noticed bats (not fruit bats) flying across the front porch (both ends are open so they are flying through).

 

Tonight, when DS1 took Aidan out, he saw the roof of our rental house has a lot of bats on it, plus they were flying around and making bat sounds.

 

What should I do? This has never come up before. We haven't seen any in the house ... but that doesn't mean a rabid bat won't bite someone when they are out walking the dog at night.

[MindyD]

They might have found a way into the attic and are living there. You'll need an exterminator to get rid of them.

[Jennifer in MI]

When we had bats in our house we hired "batman" to help. He came out and inspected and found a colony had invaded our attic. I slept with a tennis racket under my pillow!!!

 

They were able to put something on their exits to our attic. The bats could get out, but not back in again. After a couple weeks, they came back and sealed up the holes.

 

We never had another bat in the house. It cost us around $350. TOTALLY worth it!!!

[Cedarmom]

Well if they are nesting in the house, you may have to call the exterminator. But just living nearby I don't see reason to worry. In our neighborhood (in the suburbs!) bats fly around in the evening. I haven't heard of them biting anyone. Now if they move in to your that's a differant story. But nearby you'll just have less mosquitoes.

[LibraryLover]

:) I have the same issue.

 

You have to wait until mid/late June, when the babies can fly. In the next few days/weeks, sit outside and note their exits. You will need to close those up those exits.

 

There is no state in the US which allows bat extermination. They are too valuable to the ecosystem.

 

They simply need to leave. ;) Setting up bat boxes will help. it's all about relocation. :):tongue_smilie:

Edited May 27, 2011 by LibraryLover

[dangermom]

No exterminating bats! You can put screens up to block them out; just make sure to do it at night while they're gone (as opposed to during the day, so you would trap them inside).

 

You're not going to get bitten by a rabid bat.

[justasque]

BTDT.

Here's what you do to get them out of the attic. (You do NOT want them out of the neighborhood - they're very useful in eating mosquitoes, etc.) Make sure you wait until the babies are big enough to fly - this is important as you don't want them left in your attic. (Google it to figure out the right time of year.)

 

1) You need to figure out where they are getting out of the attic. At dusk, go outside and wait for them to fly out. Use a big flashlight to help you get a sense of where the exits are.

 

2) You will need some window screening, some duct tape, and a ladder. Climb up to where they are getting out. Put a piece of screening over the hole/crack, and seal it on the top and both sides with the duct tape. Leave the bottom open, and a little away from the wall/roof. Make sure you have covered all holes in this way.

 

3) Next night, go out with your flashlight again. You'll see the bats coming out - they crawl down to the opening. However, they shouldn't be able to get back in. Something about the way they sense where the crack is, etc. - they're not able to reason out how to go back in though the bottom of the screen. If you see them coming out of an opening you didn't cover, then cover it.

 

4) It may take a few nights, but they should all exit the attic.

 

5) Clean the attic.

 

We learned all this from Google searches, and it worked perfectly.

Or, of course, you could pay a Bat Guy to do it for you.

 

NOTE: The bats will need to find a new home. As in, in another attic. So if they live in your rental house, make sure you treat your own home as well.

[RoughCollie]

We live in the house; we are renting it.

 

Nearly 30 years ago, National Geographic magazine had a picture of a bat on the cover. I could not stand to look at it because it gave me the creeps big time. I embarked on a desensitization plan. I stared at that picture for several minutes, several times a day, and I read the article. It did not work.

 

One night when I was sitting around a campfire in Vermont, a bird flew by. I asked my friends why birds in Vermont weren't sleeping at night, and found out it was a bat. Goodbye, campfire.

 

DD took the dog out Tuesday night and started yelling that there were birds flying all around her and she didn't want them to get in the house when she opened the door. When DS1 got there, the birds were gone. Since it was 10 pm, I knew they were bats. Why they were flying on a well-lit porch, I don't know. I thought they didn't like light. DD could hear their wings flapping.

 

The kids have seen them; I have not. As far as I am concerned, they are mice with wings.

 

I went outside during daylight yesterday to look for a place where they could get into the house. Found nothing. I went out at dusk to see if they were coming out of the house and found nothing.

 

My plan is to get DS1 to sit out there and watch for the bats tonight. He isn't afraid of them. Maybe we'll be lucky and they aren't actually living in the house. If they are entering the house, we'll get someone to put something over the opening so they can get out, but can't get back in.

 

Mark my words, if I see a bat in this house, I will probably go insane on the spot. I am that scared of them -- even more than I am afraid of mice. I would rather watch a horror movie with the sound on than see a bat, and that is saying a lot.

 

Now I am wondering why some people aren't afraid of bats, rats, mice, guinea pigs, and hamsters, and others are. I have never had any negative experiences with these animals, but I have always been afraid of them. None of the males in this family are afraid of these animals, and I am pretty sure that DD isn't, either.

Edited May 27, 2011 by RoughCollie

[RoughCollie]

5) Clean the attic.

 

If they are in the house, I'm going to call our landlord and he can pay someone to take care of this. He lives in California. The attic is chock full of his belongings. The boys went up there once to see if there was room to store some boxes, and the pull-down stairs are so rickety they are dangerous.

 

I will print out your instructions for whoever takes care of this. Thank you!

 

Before the bats showed up, I was thinking of having the boys build a bat house to put in the woods, because I know bats eat insects, and the fewer bugs around here, the better. The last day of school is June 3, so they will already have their first project.

Edited May 27, 2011 by RoughCollie

[RoughCollie]

You're not going to get bitten by a rabid bat.

 

According to the CDC, if a bat gets in your house, you are supposed to capture it and have it tested for rabies. If the bat escapes, many medical professionals will tell people to get rabies shots. A person can be bitten by a bat and not know it because they have very small teeth.

Edited May 27, 2011 by RoughCollie

[Tammyla]

Yep...yuck...One of our local hospitals had two patients bitten (they felt nothing and didn't know) by bats and had to be treated for rabies. One teen here a few years back was bitten (Again, she didn't know she was bitten.) and that bat had rabies...it was horrible.

 

According to the CDC, if a bat gets in your house, you are supposed to capture it and have it tested for rabies. If the bat escapes, many medical professionals will tell people to get rabies shots. A person can be bitten by a bat and not know it because they have very small teeth.