“White Nose” Disease Killing Bats

Bats Are Beneficial…We Just Don’t Want Them In Our House

In February 2006 some 40 miles west of Albany, N.Y., a caver photographed hibernating bats with an unusual white substance on their muzzles.  He noticed several dead bats.  The following winter, New York Department of Environmental Conservation biologists documented what they called white nose syndrome after seeing bats behaving erratically, bats with white noses and a few hundred dead bats in several caves.  More than a million hibernating bats have died since then, making WNS the worst wildlife health crises in memory.

Since 2006, more than a million bats have died from a disease called White Nose Syndrome.  Biologists don’t know what causes it, nor do they have a cure, and so far, it’s proven to be almost 100 percent fatal in bats that contract it.

There are seven species of bats in Minnesota, four of those hibernate in caves, two will live in dwellings.  Little brown Myotis and the large brown bat, and could potentially be at risk.

The little brown myotis is known to consume up to 100% of its body weight in insects each night.  This level of insect consumption provides an important ecosystem service to human kind, and to the balance of natural and human-altered ecosystems, which in turn can reduce the use of pesticides often used by humans to kill insect pests.

You may not like the little critters, but if you notice bats in your home, or suspect you have a bat infestation, call a wild animal management professional today.

Recommended read: White Nose Syndrome Latest
Bat Biologists’ Worst Fears Validated By New Study: New research forecasts regional extinctions within two decades for one of our most common bat species, the little brown myotis, because of White-nose Syndrome.  Read press releases from BCI and Boston University.

Bat Bugs & Bat Guano Cleanup

Bat Removal & Exclusion

Bats will roost around chimneys and down peeks in the attic.  Bat droppings or guano will be present under these roosts.  Bat guano can be over a foot deep under roosts with urine stalactites twelve inches long.  Guano or bat droppings on average are the size of rice crispy cereal with shiny flecks, which are undigested insect parts.  It is recommended that you  not handling bat droppings unless you have proper PPE (personal protection equipment) available to you for protection.  There is a risk of contracting histoplasmosis or other diseases if improperly handled or disturbing bat droppings.

Guano and bats themselves attract ecto-parasites, like bat bugs which are similar to bed bugs.  If the colony of bats are roosting in the attic and it warrants a bat guano cleanup. A professional can remove all the contaminated insulation, deodorize, and replace the insulation with new to keep the value and health of the structure.  The pros also have specialized bat guano cleanup equipment they use to get the job done safely and efficiently.

Timing

Timing is critical for excluding bats. In the spring and summer, if a maternity colony has taken up residence, you will need to delay excluding the bats until August, when the young are able to fly.  If you exclude the adult bats while the young are flightless, the young bats will needlessly starve to death and may create an odor problem.  Frantic mother bats, excluded from their young may mistakenly get into your living area when trying to find a way back to the roost to care for the pups.

If you have a bat infestation in your house,  it is wise to call a professional.   It is very important that proper inspection techniques and exclusion methods be utilized.  If not, you could end up with numerous adult and/or young bats being closed in your walls, eves, or attic, causing a large sanitation problem from dead bats or even having bats come out into your house with you and your family.  In addition, they can perform repairs to your home or business so they cannot re-enter.

Identifying & Cleaning Up Bat Droppings (Guano)

Bat Clean-up (Guano)

Bat roosts can harbor parasites that may invade buildings.  Although most parasites associated with bird or bat roosts die quickly after the birds or bats leave, some may live for several weeks.

If you find piles of mouse like fecal material in your attic or on the ground outside your house, then you probably have bats. (Bats defecate before they enter your home and below where they roost for the day.)  Make sure that the fecal material is not old by laying down a piece of newspaper and see if any more droppings fall on the paper.  If there is, you have bats.  (Just a word of caution about bat guano)  They can carry a fungus known to cause Histoplasmosis.

Don’t breathe the feces and avoid contact with them.  Ideally, you should wear a HEPA filter mask and spray the fecal material down with 10% bleach solution).  You can distinguish between bat droppings and mouse droppings in two ways.  First, bat droppings tend to be clustered as they will pile up below where the bat is roosting.  Second, bat droppings will have a shiny speckled appearance (from all the insect wings) and will crumble like dust when touched.  Mouse droppings on the other hand, tend to be scattered about and become hard when dry.

The incidence of histoplasmosis being transmitted from bat droppings to humans is not thought to be high. Nevertheless, fresh bat droppings (unlike fresh bird dropping) can contain the histoplasmosis fungus.  Bat droppings do not need to come into contact with soil to be a source of the disease.

If you suspect you have a bat infestation, t is wise to call a professional that is experienced in identifying and handling bat guano.  Hiring a professional animal management company guarantees the safety of you and your loved ones, along with prevention services to keep bats out for good.

The Special Problem Of Bat Bites

The Special Problem Of Bat Bites

Bat bites are difficult to to see and may not be noticed.  If you have any physical contact with a bat, the bat should be captured and tested for rabies and medical advice should be sought.  These situations include not only bat bites, but also finding a bat in the room of a previously unattended child, or waking up to find a bat in the room, or anyone who cannot reliably communicate the facts of the encounter.  Most cases of rabies in humans in the U.S. have been due to bat bites that were not recognized or reported.

Source: MDH(Minnesota Dept of Health)

Catching Bats For Rabies Testing

Extreme care should be taken when attempting to catch a bat for rabies testing.  It is very important that proper inspection techniques and exclusion methods be utilized.  If your house is currently under attack by bats it is wise to call a professional animal management company.

Minnesota Bat Control & Exclusion

Bat Exclusion

Bats find their homes in walls and attics of homes, churches, barns and other buildings year-round, maternity colonies also in hollow trees.

Bats are nocturnal and are active only on warm dry nights.  They come out approximately 30 minutes after sunset, feed until they are full, roost the rest of the night, then return to daytime roost before sunrise.

MN has 7 different species of bats.  They are the Little Brown Bat, Eastern Pipistrelle, Northern Myotis, Big Brown Bat, Red Bat, Silver-haired Bat, and Hoary Bat.

The most common bat to enter buildings is the Big Brown Bat and Little Brown Bat.

Buildings where bats have resided for years can suffer incredible damage from the guano and urine left behind.   Readers are cautioned that bat cleanup requires special equipment as it can pose incredible safety hazards.

Having bats in your home is a serious problem, even if they are confined to the attic.  Not only do they urinate and defecate anywhere they roost, causing staining and odor problems which are difficult to remove, they are associated with dozens of diseases which are dangerous to humans, including histoplasmosis (a lung disease caused by the spores of fungus which grow on their droppings or guano) and rabies.

While bats are very beneficial to humans because of their affinity for many flying insects, such as mosquitoes, if they find their way into your home and take up residence, they can also be some of the most destructive, dangerous and expensive pests to control.

Since bats are a protected species, removal must be done by a trained professional.   In addition, we can perform repairs to your home or business so they cannot re-enter.

Yikes! There’s A Bat In My House

Bat Exclusion & Guano Cleanup

Bat clean-up becomes necessary when colonies of bats leave excessive amounts of bat droppings inside your home or building.  This can turn very dangerous for your health, mainly causing Histoplasmosis, which is caused by breathing dust or air which contains these spores or fungus.

Droppings of any animal are perfect breeding grounds for bacteria and diseases, and if you are not careful, it could be harmful.  For instance, not wearing a mask while cleaning bat guano can be dangerous.

It is recommended that you not go in to crawl spaces, attics, or etc. that have excessive bat droppings, unless wearing proper respiratory equipment.

Cleaning Bat Guano Can Be Dangerous

Bat clean-up is done after bat exclusions have been completed that your home or building has been sealed.  It is very important that proper inspection techniques and bat exclusion methods be utilized.  If not, you could end up with numerous adult and/or young bats being closed in your walls, eves, or attic, causing a large sanitation problem from dead bats or even having bats come out into your house with you and your family.

Buildings where bats have resided for years can suffer incredible damage from the guano and urine left behind.
Please be are cautioned that bat cleanup requires special equipment as it can pose incredible safety hazards.  If you find piles of mouse like fecal material in your attic or on the ground outside your house, then you probably have bats.

If your house is currently under attack by bats it is wise to call a professional.

Bat exclusion is the only way to permanently remove a bat colony from a structure.  Anything else is a waste of time and money.  Hiring a professional company guarantees the safety of you and your loved ones, along with prevention services to keep bats out for good.

Cleaning Up After Bats

Bat Clean-up (Guanno Removal)

As the only mammals that can fly, bats are a unique and interesting animal.  Regardless they are still not animals that should be in your home.  Generally in search of a place to nest or sleep, bats can invade your home through open areas in siding, roof line I.E. soffit and fascia, roof overlaps, chimney and vents.  Be careful though, surprising is their ability to fit through cracks as small as 3/8 inch. .

What makes these animals such a threat is their ability to carry and transmit disease.  The most common disease they carry is rabies.  If you have been bitten or carried a diseased bat, it is wise to get checked.  Another possible disease is Histoplasmois, which is related to spores that grow on bat guano.

Problems with doing it yourself are diseases.  Droppings of any animal are perfect breeding grounds for bacteria and diseases, and if you are not careful, it could be harmful.  For instance, not wearing a mask while cleaning bat guano can be dangerous.

Interesting Story About Mysterious Bat Disease

Interesting Story About Mysterious Bat Disease

Interesting Read About White Nose Syndrome

Read KARE 11 NEWS Story: Story about Mysterious bat disease moves closer to Minnesota

Is Your Home Under Attack By Bats?

Bat Removal MN

All of Minnesota bats feed on insects such as beetles, moths, flies, and mosquitoes, etc.  Bats mate in fall and winter, giving birth to young in April through July.  Young bats grow very vast and can fly within three weeks.

People are most likely to encounter nuisance bats when a roosting colony takes up residence in a building.  Attics often make excellent habitat, as do barns.  Bats need only a half inch or less of space to crawl through in order to enter a building.  Once inside, if the habitat is good, the colony grows until the homeowner notices the bats flying out of the building, notices the droppings in the attic, chimney, outside, or even basement.  Sometimes a bat will get lost and find its way out of the attic and into the living area.

Getting rid of bats requires experience.  If your house is currently under attack by bats it is wise to call a professional.   Permanent exclusion is the best way to remove bats.  First, all entry points must be located and repaired.  Professional bat removal ensures that the colony will no longer use your home or business as a roosting area, and that no bats can get back in.

Bats In Your House?

Do You See Signs Of Bats In Your House?

If you find piles of mouse like fecal material in your attic or on the ground outside your house, then you probably have bats.  They can carry a fungus known to cause Histoplasmosis.  The fungus also is believed to be spread from bat to bat.

If you have a bat in your house, your best bet for getting rid of bats that you can’t seem to control is to call a professional in to do the job for you.  A professional animal control company can exclude them from the premises and make sure they can’t get back in, while thoroughly cleaning the bio-hazardous droppings that they leave behind.  Experience counts when working on bat jobs, and it takes a skilled eye to get the job done right the first time.