Florida Bat Removal Project

08.21.2004 - I faced many challenges in this bat removal project. One of the most common problems in bat control lies in reaching the bats. Since they can fly and I cannot, they can easily reach places that I cannot easily reach. In this case, the bats chose to roost in the barrel tiles of this roof, in several areas, including the towers. In order to reach the towers, I had to bring ladders onto the flat roof portion. Interestingly, I had to navigate them up a spiral staircase.

Once I got the ladders on the roof, I faced the second challenge - tiles. Tiles are always a pain. I basically have to net thousands of square feet of tile and seal thousands of square feet of tile. It's a lot of work.

The final challenge I faced in this particular bat removal project was the Florida sun in August. I waited until mid-August to do this project, because the young bats are fully weaned and able to fly at this point. I suppose the August sun is not as bad as the June or July sun, but that might be like saying that roasting is better than scorching - it was still some powerful sun, and I was powerful stupid. As you can see in the photo, I worked shirtless. I worked all day shirtless on the first day, and I wore no sunscreen. How I can be so stupid at this age boggles my mind, but when I have kids and they don't put on their sunscreen and I say, "do you want skin cancer? Do you want wrinkles when you grow up? Do you want sunburn?" and they still don't bother to put on sunscreen, well, I don't deserve to say a word. My parents gave me all of these warnings, and I still never listened. I may not have cancer or wrinkles, but I got a hell of a sunburn. I actually got sun poisoning. I don't know if I'd describe it as textbook painful, but it was worse than most pain. Like a kick in the balls, it was just a whole different league of discomfort. It felt like an itch that simply burned through my soul - like all of my inner organs burned with an unquenchable fire - and electric shocks riveted my body in spasms. It was a disaster.

Aside from that, the project went great! After a week of uncomfortable labor, I got all the bats safely out, and sealed the building perfectly. I had the satisfaction of completing a difficult Florida bat removal project in a professional manner, and I learned a valuable lesson - never tell your kids to wear sunscreen, because they won't listen anyway.

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Different pests can enter our properties and cause different damages to the home. However, not all of these can be dealt with the use of simple tips and tricks to keep them away. A pest that requires a lot of work to be clear of is bats.

In Florida, there are about 13 species that are recognized as natives in the area. Most of them, because of the construction of the area, will tend to reside in human structures because it provides them suitable shelter.

A long-term bat infestation can not only lead to structural problems but health issues as well. It can be dangerous to try and solve a bat problem on your own without the assistance or guidance of a professional since they are quite dangerous compared to other pests.

Why Are There Bats on My Property in the First Place?

Bats usually live in roosts found in caves or trees. When a bat’s home is destroyed, they are forced to roost in buildings. In areas that are closer to the city, this is something that happens frequently due to their natural roosts getting harmed and torn down due to both natural and manmade causes such as flooding, construction, burning of debris, and even explosives.

Because of this, they have to find a new place to stay in places where humans often reside. This has also caused them to adapt from their natural habitats to modern human structures.

How Do Bats Choose a Property?

Compared to other pests, bats don’t just pick any property to live in. While most pests tend to find convenient homes that are close to food sources, bats are the type you will normally find in a human home for certain reasons. One of the reasons is its location.

For a building to be used as a bat roost, there are requirements that need to be met. Bats will often live in areas that are close to the water and at the edge of the woods where they can easily find a variety of insects.

They will also consider other factors like temperature, humidity, disturbance, and even the physical characteristics of the property they are choosing.

How Can You Get Rid of Them?

Preferably, it would be better to get rid of bat problems in your home by calling professionals. Bats will generally reside in groups, which could be harder to handle. This doesn’t necessarily mean it would be impossible to get rid of them yourself. But with the help of an expert, the job can be done quickly and smoothly.

When evicting them from your property, most would recommend installing a bat house for them in advance to improve the chances of successfully keeping them from constantly coming back to your property particularly because they will aim for the better home available. However, they won’t simply move to a new roost that easily unless it is the more desirable for them to reside in.

After the eviction project, it is important to bat-proof the property. Take note that unlike other pest infestations, sealing up the home will take quite a long period of time. Patience is greatly needed when this is being done.