If you are a Mississippi native or have lived in Mississippi at some point in your life, then you have probably seen bats flying around here and there. Truth is, roughly 15 different species of bats have made Mississippi their home. Maybe you have found a bat or two in your attic. Did you wonder how you would get them to leave? How did they even get up there?
Bats are innately nocturnal creatures. They most often appear during the night when it is dark and remain until dawn the next day. It is rare to spot a bat out during daylight hours, but it can happen. Bats typically do not attack humans unless threatened or provoked. They range in color though many of them are dark. Most of them appear to be large, but that is due to their wings. Bats are about the size of a mouse, and this excludes the megabat that can be found in other countries.
Bats are capable of easing into your living space undetected. When they are found, it can be nerve-wracking to figure out what to do about them. Discover how you can get rid of bats quickly and other answers to these questions.
Why Is There a Bat in My Attic?
Bats gravitate towards warmer temperatures to thrive. Living in Mississippi, it is no wonder that a bat found its way into your attic at all. Attics tend to be warmer because they are located towards the top of a house and heat rises. These areas are also darker than the rest of the home, which provides perfect coverage and shade that mimics a bat’s natural habitat. If it is a female bat, then the attic is the best-protected space to mate and breed.
How Did a Bat Get in My Home?
Like any other small mammal, bats can climb through vents and small holes. Roof shingles can become loose and leave openings for bats to enter. If your home has a chimney, bats can access the inside of your home via these as well. Entryways such as these create the perfect intrusion for bats.
Do Bats Bite?
While there is a species of bats that do feed on human blood, most bats are more fearful of humans and tend to bite only in self-defense. Bats are large carriers of rabies. It is for this reason alone that one should be cautious when handling or attempting to handle a wild bat. A bats bite can go unnoticed, and you may not have any other symptoms. If you are bitten by a bat, you must seek out a medical professional.
How Do I Get Rid of a Bat?
You have verified that it is indeed a bat that has made your attic its home. Now you are wondering just how to get rid of bats. Here you have two options. Handling the bat yourself is discouraged because of the harm bats pose when threatened. You also have the highly recommended option of hiring a professional wildlife expert that can humanely perform the extraction.
If you are considering handling the bat yourself, there are a few precautions that should be taken for your health and safety.
First, make sure that you wear the appropriate protective gear. Goggles, heavy-duty gloves that are difficult to penetrate, ventilation masks, and shoe slipcovers work just fine. This equipment prevents the possibility of a bat attacking you as you work. If there is fecal matter that needs cleaning up, your hands are protected from making direct contact with it as well as your shoes. The ventilation mask and goggles prevent the airborne toxins of fecal matter from being inhaled and reaching your eyes.
Second, use a towel or cloth variant to catch the bat. This step may be the most difficult as there is no guarantee that the bat is going to allow itself to be caught. Your presence alone may cause a docile bat to switch to attack mode and start flying around the attic. In cases like this, it is best to leave the attic.
A different method of getting rid of a bat quickly is to use pesticides. There are limited amounts of pesticides that are designated for bats. Those that are available pose a health risk and are deadly to not only bats but humans as well.
Third, if you opted for capturing the bat with a cloth or towel then you can take it outside and release it back into the wild. One thing to note about the use of poisons for bats is that some breeds of bats are protected wildlife and it may be illegal to harm them in any way.
Is Bat Poop or Guano Dangerous?
After you have extracted the bat or bats from the attic, do a thorough sweep of the attic for bat guano, or bat poop. Dry, these droppings are hazardous to your health and toxic. You want to moisten the guano with a bleaching agent mixed with water. Scoop the bat guano with paper towels that can be thrown away, and then toss it all out. Continue this until the attic is completely clear of the existence of bats.
Protect Your Home Against Future Bat Invasions
Vents, small openings in walls, loose shingles, and chimneys are a few ways in which bats can enter a home. Spackling holes is a sure-fire way of preventing these winged creatures.
Scheduling a date and time for roof inspection and solution is a wise investment in the case of loose shingles. Block or close your vents when they are not in use. These are only a couple of preventative measures you can take to protect your home against bat invasion.
Hire a Professional Wildlife Expert-Synergy² Exterminator
It has been discussed that handling a bat personally can lead to unfortunate consequences. If you would rather have someone else take over, call in an expert that is trained to get rid of bats well and with care. Even if you are unable to identify the species of bat inhabiting your attic, a professional can conclude the species and determine if it is listed as part of the endangered species list in Mississippi.
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