Bats in the House

08.18.2005 - Few events in my field seem to cause as much gut-fear as live bats flying around in the house. Only snakes and rats seem to do a better job of eliciting shrieks, fainting, and pant-soiling from unwary homeowners. Well first of all, calm down. The bats will not attack. These bats in the home don't want to be there any more than you want them there. Whereas rats often enter the home on purpose - because people tend to store food in the pantry, bats enter homes by mistake. Most people wonder how the bats got in. "Did I leave a window open?" they think. "No you didn't", I think. This is because every single last case of bats-in-the-house that I've ever seen has been the result of a concurrent problem with bats in the attic. I've never seen a random bat simply fly into someone's house. Each and every time bats get in the house, it's because a colony was living in the attic, and the bat(s) wandered down from the attic, crawled through the walls, and found some gap through which to crawl and enter the home. Once in, they have no idea how they got there, and fly around stupidly. The principle is the same as a lobster trap - small opening leads to a larger cavity, and the thing doesn't know how to find the opening again. However, since bats are less delicious than lobsters, most people want them removed. Let's examine the particulars of the case featured in the above photo. First of all, we see that we've got more than one bat. In fact, I think we got 28 in this case. Second, we see that they are all flying clockwise around the living room. This is unusual, since bats usually fly counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere. However, they are obeying the rule of all flying in the same direction, and single file. Anything less could result in nasty mid-air collisions. The astute eye will also identify these bats as Brazilian Free-Tails, and the astute reader will note that the date of the photo was August 18th. The astute biologist knows that young freetails start to fly in early August, and the astute wildlife operator knows that young bats are inexperienced morons compared to their sophisticated parents. This inexperience leads them to do dumb things, such as wander away from the attic, where they belong, and down into the home, where trouble awaits. It's the same sort of clouded thinking that could lead a juvenile homo sapiens to attend Florida State University. Thus, the young enter the dull void, where they fly in circles, getting nowhere, and causing distress to everyone around them. As for the bats, they at least looked for an exit, and finding none on their own, eventually find one via my bat catching net. The homeowner wondered why so many entered the home. We can once again draw upon our misdirected FSU student analogy, and just call it a case of monkey see, monkey do. Bats are social creatures, and will often mindlessly follow each other about. One bad leader, and the results speak for themselves. In this case, the bats were actually living in the chimney column (not the flu) and the young found an entry in the fireplace and into the home. I removed all of the bats in the house, a process that took over three hours one night (an emergency midnight call) and then another midnight trip the following night for a couple of bats that had been hiding during my first trip. I removed the entire colony safely from the chimney flu, and sealed everything permanently. Problem solved! Do it yourself: Visit my How To Get Rid of Bats page for tips and advice.
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Bats carry contagious diseases. You may have heard people suggesting that the coronavirus pandemic started in bats. Well, we are not too sure if that’s true, but we do know that these winged creatures do have a tendency to carry contagious viruses. There are a number of signs that you should look out for to know whether or not you have bats sharing your property with you.

Bats in Flight

This is probably the most obvious indicator of bats living in your house. if you see these little guys flying around your house, then for sure you need to begin working on getting them out of your zone.

Bat Waste

When bats have identified a great roosting zone, you will always find a large amount of bat poop. Bat poop or guano can become very solid and extremely toxic. On top of this, their poop features an aroma that you will not enjoy.

Bat Noises

If you have been hearing high pitched sounds around your house in recent times, this could very well mean that bats are occupying your space. This may not be absolutely the case, because the bats could be living in another roof somewhere but are foraging nearby your property.

Scratched Walls

If you notice scratches on your walls, this could mean that you have a bat colony residing in your house. We recommend that you get in touch with a bat removal service that is experienced and credible to help you get these unwanted visitors out.

Dead Bats

The presence of a dead bat is not very pleasant. If you find a dead bat in your house this is a clear sign that you may have a colony living there. Call a professional wildlife control company to remove the dead bat and the other bats that may be present. It is dangerous for you to proceed to remove the bat on your own as this will expose you to diseases.

You Smell Ammonia

If you smell something that is very similar to ammonia, it could be an indicator that you have bats in your house. If you have picked up such a scent, carefully visit your attic and look around for bat poop or guano. If you find them, call a wildlife control company.

Bat Activity After Sunset

Bats are nocturnal creatures. This means that they do not have much activity during the day. If you observe bats flying around your property after sunset, this could very well mean that you have bats living in your home.

These are just some of the signs that bats are living in your house. Because of the health hazard that bats present to humans when they occupy the same place, it is critical that you get help to remove them from your property as soon as you have confirmed that they may be dwelling with you. Again, it is not wise to do the work of bat removal on your own. It is best to get help from experts.