Spring and summer are the most common times of year for people in Raleigh-Durham to experience a bat infestation. Bats are relatively harmless to people. It is exceedingly rare to get bitten by a bat. In fact, bats around your property can help with pest control. Flying insects like mosquitoes make up the majority of their diet.

But bats in the attic are dangerous. People tend to notice a foul odor first. The accumulation of guano and urine damages insulation, spreads diseases, and creates a foul odor. It’s also common to see bats flying out of your house, especially if the maternity colony is rather large. Bats leave rub marks or dark smudges where they crawl out of your attic. Finally, if you have bats in the attic, you can hear chirping or squeaking sounds.

Bat Guano in Attic Insulation

How to Find Where Bats are Getting In

Bats cannot create their own opening like other nuisance wildlife, but they need a gap no bigger than 3/8ths of an inch—about the size of a dime. The only efficient bat control is to seal all entry points. If you leave one gap open, the bats can return.

The most common bat entry points on a house:

• Attic vents
• Soffits
• Fascia boards
• Ridge Vents
• Gable Vents
• Roof returns or eaves
• Siding
• Chimneys

To illustrate the variety of entry gaps a bat uses, follow along this visual tour.

Fascia Boards Behind the Gutter

Bats found a construction gap on the fascia board of this house. Construction gaps are common in the South. They help with attic ventilation and can prevent leaks.

Loose Shingles

Some of these can be difficult to see. The bats were able to squeeze under loose shingles where to roof ends and meets the gutters.

Roof Vents

If there is a bat infestation in the attic, every roof vent needs to be checked. From the ground, these may seem secure, but it is impossible to spot a dime-sized hole from 20 feet away. During the Critter Control bat inspection, we climb onto the roof and scour the attic to find all entry points.

Soffits

These soffit vents have no apparent damage, but a bat can get through these gaps!

Other Bat Entry Points

Bats Behind the Shutters

Bats look for darkness for shelter during the day. Some species will roost on trees, under leaves or bark. The small gap between the exterior of the wall and the window shutters provides all the space a bat needs.

Professional Bat Removal

Humane bat removal is best left to the professionals at Critter Contorl. Most homeowners do not have the experience or the skills to identify all the potential bat entry points on your house. Attempting DIY bat removal can leave you vulnerable to a continued bat infestation. Furthermore, Most states have specific dates when bat removal can be done. If juvenile bats are present (commonly the case during the summer), it is inhumane to install bat exclusions. The mothers cannot return to the juveniles, leaving the young starving. At Critter Control, we have the training and experience to find all bat entry points which is essential for effective bat removal.

All photos courtesy of Critter Control Triangle

If you have bats in your attic, you might notice them flying out of your attic at dusk. Observe from a distance! Watch where the bats are exiting from but avoid close contact. Bats are nocturnal, so you’ll typically see them leaving your home around dusk as they go out to forage for insects. Look for small openings around your roofline, eaves, vents, or chimney. Bats can squeeze through gaps as small as 3/8 of an inch.

Watch Bats Leaving Attics

Video from Houston and The Woodlands.

There are thirteen species of bats in Florida. The big brown bat and little brown bat are two of the most common bat species to roost in your attic. 

Bats are found in nearly every geographic region in Florida. Favorite environments include tropical forests, woodlands, open fields, both suburban and urban communities, and even deserts. Roosting requirements usually depend on the species, but caves, trees, hollowed logs, rock crevices, and human dwellings serve as excellent habitats.

Should I Call an Exterminator for Bat Control?

You should call a wildlife control operator like the professionals at Critter Control. Exterminators are trained to handle pests using chemicals. At Critter Control, we have decades of experience and training to safely remove bats from your attic, repair the damage, and seal your house to prevent future infestations.

Florida Administrative Code rule 68A-4.001 on General Prohibitions and 68A-9.010 on Taking Nuisance Wildlife says it is illegal to kill any bat. In addition, you can’t take, transport, store, buy, sell, or possess a bat at any time. Bats have additional protections during the maternity season. They cannot be harassed or encouraged to leave their roost in any way. In Florida, bats cannot be taken as nuisance wildlife, even if they are causing a nuisance.

Some small bats can consume up to 1000 small insects in a single hour. A nursing female bat can consume more than 4000 insects a night. It is estimated bats save U.S. farmers roughly $23 billion each year by reducing crop damage and limiting the need for pesticides.

Bat Populations in Florida Threatened

Despite the benefits bats provide, the bat populations are threatened. 

• White-nose syndrome is a fungal disease that spreads through bat colonies and has almost eliminated the Northern long-eared, little brown, and tri-colored bats.
• Bats do not reproduce as quickly as other wildlife. The females typically give birth to one or two pups a year. Slow reproduction puts the species at risk for population decline.
• Pesticides used by farmers reduce the number of bugs available for bats to eat.
• Wind turbines kill hundreds of thousands of migrating bats around the world.

Roosting Bat Concerns in Tallahassee

Bats provide tremendous value; however, you do not want bats roosting in your house. Bats pose very little direct danger to people, but they can spread diseases and damage your property.

Bats defecate where they roost. Bat droppings, or guano, can accumulate within walls and attics as well as on the ground and roof tiles. The nutrient-rich droppings cultivate the growth of histoplasmosis fungus, which causes severe respiratory problems in humans.

Bats are indeed capable of contracting and transmitting the rabies virus. Rabies is transmitted via scratch, bite, or when infected saliva comes into contact with human eyes, mouths, or open wounds. So if you find bats in your house, avoid contact!

Bats also harbor ticks and fleas. Those parasites can find new hosts like your family and pets.

Bat Removal in Tallahassee, Florida

To get rid of bats in Tallahassee, you need to use exclusion, not an exterminator. 

Bat Exclusion Restrictions in Florida

Bat maternity colonies begin to form in early April. These roosts are frequently near areas prone to insect swarms such as fields, ponds, or neighborhoods. In the late spring or summer, homeowners who see bats leaving an attic or overhang at twilight may need to check for an infestation.

If you need bat removal between April 15 and August 15, you need a special permit to install bat exclusions.

Spring is ideal for bat removal as it coincides with their return from hibernation or migration but before maternity season starts. After maternity season, the bat colony disperses. Some bats return to the same roost year after year.  If you want to prevent bats from entering your home, preventative exclusion is the best precaution you can take.

How to Get Rid of Bats

The most effective and humane way to remove bats is by utilizing a bat valve in conjunction with a full home exclusion. A bat valve allows for bats to exit your home but not re-enter. Since every bat removal service in Tallahassee is unique, our specialist will use or create a bat valve specifically for your home. 

Once the bat valve is installed, all other entry points will be sealed, allowing for bats to exit only through the valve. The removal process typically takes 3-7 days. Our specialist will perform a final attic inspection before removing the valve. After removing the valve, the final entry point will be sealed, leaving your home bat-free.