Bats in Your Home or Business

 

What to Expect

Fall Bat Services:

Bats begin hibernation when temperatures stay below 50 degrees. This means that bats may stop exiting the building and hibernate through the winter until the following spring. Once bats go into hibernation, they will wake up individually about every two weeks to reposition themself to a more comfortable temperature range. Because this is done separately, you may hear bats daily, as there may be more than one bat. This is also the time many people see bats in their home as temperatures in the attic get colder, bats move further down into the walls, and sometimes find their way into the open basement. Once we put in the bat tubes, we may not remove them until the following season to avoid trapping bats inside the home. 

 

Trapped Bats:

If bats are trapped and have nowhere to exit, they will find ways into the living space of a home or building. It’s essential to always have at least one exterior hole to allow bats to exit. This hole is where we put a bat valve. A bat valve is a one-way door that allows bats to exit but not reenter.

Young Bat Pups

Young bats cannot fly, and in large colonies, it is common practice to wait until they are old enough to fly before excluding them from a building. This is called the Blackout Period. Bats start to have pups in late May or early July, and it may take 3-6 weeks for the pups to be able to fly.

 

Bats inside the living space:

Bats will occasionally find themselves in a room of your home or building. This is by mistake, as there is nothing there that they want. Often, they exit the way they entered, which is almost always impossible to find. They can squeeze through minimal gaps that appear and disappear in a moment. This is why we do not waste time removing physical bats from a home. 99% of the time, by the time we get there, they are gone. Our goal is to get them out of your home and keep them out. Once that is complete, you won’t have the issue of them entering the living space again, but this is still possible during the eviction process. Just as bats may randomly find their way into the living area before we start exclusion services, they can do the same during the waiting period. 

 

Waiting Period:

Bats have a high metabolism and must eat daily so that most bats will exit our bat valves within a few days. Bat valves are strategically placed on the main openings, allowing the best chance for bats to find the exit. These larger openings also have better air currents, which help guide the bats to the exit. We wait a few weeks before pulling the valves and sealing up those openings. Also see the Fall Bat Service information above regarding the hibernation period. 

On rare occasions, bats may be unable to find their way out and typically perish within a few weeks. To mitigate this, we use multiple bat valves when necessary at no additional cost. Unfortunately, construction behind a wall is not always standard, and it can block internal areas that may prevent bats from exiting standard areas, such as soffits. In this case, we just need to wait for the bat to perish, as it may not be practical to rip open the building.