Bats!

[sfhogman]

Seems that my neighbor has located bats living between our houses. Here in San Francisco the houses are jammed next to one another...don't know how he found 'em. Anyone know how to get rid of them?
We're used to bums, homeless and such, but....bats?

Jeff

 

[Gator89]

Make certain they are only in between and not in your attic, bat guano in your attic would not be cool.

Some type of exclusion system will be needed to get them to find another home. Some folks put up boxes for bats to nest in, they do eat lots of bugs and are very beneficial to the 'hood.

Contender should be able to give you some good advice.

 

[arfmel]

Be careful you don’t get into trouble by bothering a probably “protected” animal under California’s whacky laws.

 

[foxtrapper]

Contender should be along. Bat exclusion ,removal and cleanup costly for sure! Federally protected critters adds to the cost !

 

[gramps]

My second ex wife and I were hard core cavers. Our house on the lake sports a large bat box. We had to cut back several dogwood and redbud trees to keep an owl from eating them. Perhaps your neighbor heard them “chittering”? Good luck.
gramps

 

[Pat-inCO]

Just think of how many "street people" you can get rid of by posting a sign
that says "WARNING - - BATS".

Then you could editorialize a bit and add "AND THEY EAT PEOPLE".

 

[Bull Barrel]

Dinymite.....
Some might say you would have to move the house but that would result in a citation for destroying "natural habitat".

Seems a cal to a pest control outfit or the conservation dept is in order.

 

[contender]

Ahh bats. One of my more common complaints I have to deal with.

First off there are many species of bats. Some,, are on the Federal Endangered Species list,, so DO NOT TRY & KILL THEM. it's not just state laws,, it's FEDERAL!!!!!!!!!

This is "baby raising season." As such,, even excluding them can be out of the question. Baby bats can't fly, and excluding the adults kills babies.

If it can be determined that the bats do not have any babies where they are roosting,, then usually you can do an exclusion. But a PROFESSIONAL would need to determine that.

Bats do roost in places on AND in homes. Gable vents are one of the most common areas. Also, many species of bats are so small & flexible,, that an opening as small as 3/8" of an inch allows them entry. When we do a bat exclusion on a home we have to seal all the tiny gaps, cracks openings etc where they can possibly enter. Then we install bat excluder(s) to the main entry/exit point. Safe, legal & the best method.

Bats create a potential for 3 issues dangerous to humans. Rabies,, the most common fear,, only occurs in about 5% of the bat population. BUT,, you do NOT want to have a bat in the home. If a bat is found in the home,, AND anybody has been asleep, a juvenile, elderly, incontinent, or intoxicated,, then the bat must be caught & sent for rabies testing. If it is caught & any of these things were present,, then post exposure treatment is highly recommended for anybody in the category listed above. That is expensive,, usually running about $5000 a person. And most insurance companies do not cover treatment BECAUSE you do not know if you have contracted a disease. Preventive treatment is often not covered very well if at all.
Problem #2,, bat guano. Accumulation of the guano in an attic or similar spaces,, (not exposed to the sun & rain,) can create an environment for pathogens to grow that can cause respiratory issues up to & including death in humans. Elderly, asthmatics, or anybody with any respiratory issues are at a greater risk.
Problem #3,, "bat bugs." Similar in appearance to a bed bug,, but larger,, can infest a home. While most often not lethal,, they can cause health issues if they decide to get on humans.

And for the real fun news,, I have had families have to move out of their homes during baby raising season until it's over & abatement can be performed. Basically due to their protections,, you have to allow them to live there until babies can fly,,, and THEN an exclusion & cleanup can be performed. Homeowners insurance companies love that issue.

My advice;
Contact a well qualified animal damage control expert or even 2 of them to access your problem. Contact your local wildlife agency to get guidance as well. Follow their advice.

Some issues are small & not a big problem,, while others can be dangerous. I just did a home modification to prevent a nightly visit by a few bats to a spot where they would do what I call a "Rest & Digest" break. They eat, get full, land in a calm spot, digest, & leave guano deposits, then continue feeding. Yet they roost in a different spot. This is often just a modification to the home to make the spot inaccessible to them.

So, contact a local pro to get good advice. And I often say to avoid the larger franchise operations. Too often,, their technicians are not as experienced as a smaller business with less employee turn over. And also,, smaller companies do not have the business overhead expenses as a franchise, so they can cost less.

If you need to talk to me at length,, PM me & we can exchange phone numbers.

(PS; I have a bat inspection today also.)

 

[gramps]

I used to have bats flying around my farm at dusk. Now, NONE! The white nose disease has decimated their numbers here in Middle Tn.
gramps

 

[Chief 101]

speaker with Jimi Hendrix in the attic, or a flip phone sitting on a counter bouncing around nonstop should see them gone...

 

[smoke-eater]

speaker with Jimi Hendrix in the attic, or a flip phone sitting on a counter bouncing around nonstop should see them gone...

Playing Jimi Hendrix would get me out of your attic as well. :lol:

 

[exavid]

It's easy. Cut out a small bat from a piece of paper, glue it to the front of a flashlight and shine it into the sky at night. They all will take off and fly to the nearest police station.

 

[Dave P.]

My ex-attic dweller.......

It was not a happy bat when it and it's
few friends were evicted.
Those that didn't comply with their eviction
notice were even less happy.
I don't care what is in MY house uninvited,
it's leaving.....
Dave

 

[contender]

Evicting bats is easy when done properly.

But killing them, committing a FELONY is not worth it. Yes,, I know that nobody has said that is what they have done or would do,, but I can not stress it enough. And while it is our homes,, our health AND safety,, as well as not committing a crime should be the most important things. Our homes are our castles,, and moving out for a few months,, or spending a little money to PROPERLY deal with the problem is a lot less of a headache than the loss of life, or loss of your rights & a criminal record.
And before anybody thinks "it won't happen to me,, because nobody will know",,, I can assure you it can & does happen.
Cameras, & nosy people are everywhere. And with the white nose killing bats,, the FEDS are watching bat populations more closely than people imagine.

If you get a bat in the home,, simply follow the laws.

You'd do the same thing if it were any other creature or issue. Radon, Carbon Monoxide, flooding, tree damage, tornado damage, fire, etc. The BIG difference here is that there are Federal laws to be followed.
And I've had wives tell hubby's; "I'm moving into a motel until I know that there are no snakes in there." That & I've had people OFTEN comment about selling & moving due to a snake.

Our homes are our castles,, but we must also follow the laws as well.

 

[exavid]

I won't say I haven't followed the law but vermin ain't setting up housekeeping or converting my place into and ark.

 

[gramps]

My ex-attic dweller.......

It was not a happy bat when it and it's
few friends were evicted.
Those that didn't comply with their eviction
notice were even less happy.
I don't care what is in MY house uninvited,
it's leaving.....
Dave

That is one angry bat!!!
gramps

 

[Ale-8(1)]

I recall once back when I was a kid a bat somehow got into our house. We never did find out how it got in and it never happened again.

It was flying back and forth in the narrow upstairs hallway, apparently looking for an exit. Mom was not at all happy about this, but she was no wuss. She stood at one end of the hall and wildly waved her arms around when the bat came her way, chasing the bat to the opposite end of the hallway where I tossed a sheet up and snared the little feller. Rolled him up in the sheet carefully and took him outside for release. Might not have met "code" but it worked.

 

[Dan in MI]

I've had bats in the living area couple times. Our best guess is they were diving for a bug near the porch light at just the right time when the door is open. Tennis racket knocks 'em down, welding gloves gets them out.

I have had them in the siding too. Find the opening. Mid day cover the opening with some panty hose. Seal the edges. Cut off the toes. They will wiggle out at night and can't get back in come morning.

 

[langenc]

As IO read it sfhogman (OP) said there are bats living "between" the houses. No mention of em in the house.
Just leave em and all will be cool w/ much less bugs.

If you have em in house could be a few thousand to get rid of em about mid Sept(Michigan), maybe earlier there.

 

[nekvermont]

One of the strangest things I have seen was a dead bat, with its wings fully stretched out, stuck in a clump of burdocks on a dead bush.

 

[exavid]

I've suspected my brother has bats in his belfry. He thinks Pelosi is doing a great job.

 

[blume357]

Contender is right.... you need to call a pro... but the part of the Original question I don't get is the OP said between the houses... not in the houses. If they are just under the eves or such then why worry about them.

 

[contender]

I have spoken with the OP. Yes, the bats are in between the houses. The houses are built to where there is ONLY 2-3 INCHES between the 2 houses. And,, there is a piece of flashing missing to where the possibility of them entering the home exists.

Also, bats only need a gap or crack of 3/8 of one inch to enter a space. Often, there are unseen places like that,, that the bats find due to airflow. And once they find a spot,, their scent allows others to find such places.

In my job,, people usually fail to know such things. That's why you need an educated professional to assist in such matters. Just as Blume is a chimney sweep,, a pro, and he knows chimneys,, I do not,, and would seek advice from him if necessary. Or,, just as any other trade,,, where an education is the key to understanding & fixing a problem.

 

[RolandDeschain]

It's easy. Cut out a small bat from a piece of paper, glue it to the front of a flashlight and shine it into the sky at night. They all will take off and fly to the nearest police station.

I had to think about this for a second, but then busted out laughing... :lol: :lol:

My solution, considering the location, is for the OP to turn his home into an official bat sanctuary. He should qualify for all types of local, state, and federal grants, and then, as trustee of the sanctuary, get help from the bat lawyers to condemn and absorb all his neighbors until he owns a couple of blocks of very expensive SF real estate. Then "accidentally" introduce white nose syndrome, and when all the bats die sell it all to a developer for about a billion bucks and then buy a huge ranch in TN for me to hunt on since I came up with the scheme.

 

[langenc]

Ill volunteer to be a caretaker of said estates..

 

[Paul B]

About 9 or 10 years ago they opened up a new school. Not too far away was an abandoned mine that was home for a large colony of bats. The powers that be decided to wait until high noon when all the bats were technically at home and them seal off the mouth of the mine. Prior to that happening, we could sit outside at night and not be too badly bothered by critters like mosquitoes. Since the bats were killed, sitting outside can me a bit of hassle as whether to let the bugs eat or go inside. It was kind of cool to put up a light that attracted bugs and watch the bats as they did their thing. The mine was sealed due to the school and the fear that the bats might be rabid.
Paul B.

 

[langenc]

Surprised the bat lovers didnt raise holy hexx..

In fact Im surprised some govt agency didnt do the same. I guess they did nOT need a wildlife assessment before building there. Maybe cause it was a school (govt). Had it been someone wanting to build a strip mall and asking to close the bat cave I bet theyd got a NO.

poted by Rick(just below)
Somewhere I read a good bat can go thru 10,000 mosquitoes in a night. Is that an exaggeration (like maybe an extra zero) or no?
They have been said to eat their weight in bugs, daily. I believe that is the correct amt.

My son realized about late July 2018 that he had some living in his eaves. He read a lot online. One advice was to go out just before dark and count how many came out of the eve.. he counted 80... My next door neighbor had some about the same time. He had some prof bat guys come in and put excluders in and then sealed the holes. I havent ask how much $$ that cost. I bet a couple grand.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Prior to that happening, we could sit outside at night and not be too badly bothered by critters like mosquitoes. Since the bats were killed, sitting outside can me a bit of hassle as whether to let the bugs eat or go inside.

Hi

Somewhere I read a good bat can go thru 10,000 mosquitoes in a night. Is that an exaggeration (like maybe an extra zero) or no?

Rick C

 

[contender]

The estimates of how many mosquitoes a bat can eat nightly have been bandied about by many biologists. Some say 1000 a night & some say 10,000 a night. I usually tell my customers the 1000 a night just to be conservative & not appear to be a liar. (I was told by the folks in NC,, "Up to 1000 per hour.")

Sealing off a cave,, that's an interesting story. I'd wonder how many years ago that was & such. There could be some Federal laws involved in that sort of thing.

langenc,,,, if a pro comes & does a PROPER job,,, a lot depends upon how much work is required. In my area,,, thanks to the houses being built on steep hills & such,, it does make the jobs harder. And that can drive up the costs. Most of my single family dwelling bat jobs, where we seal all the potential places a bat could use to enter,, as well as installing excluders & later removal & sealant,, come in under "a couple of grand." Bigger franchise companies,, & such,, well, more likely to go over that.

 

[exavid]

My only time to look like a hero came when I was working for the FAA in Juneau. A small bat flew into my field office causing a ruckus with my secretary and office manager. Lots of "eeks" and such as the poor little critter flitted around looking for a way out. Oddly enough my secretary and office manager were suddenly doing the same. I was able to catch him in flight with my cap and take him back out to the tree where the rest of his relatives lived. I returned to my office as the ladies* began to pick up various files from the floor.

*Not to be construed as all ladies reacting to bats in this manner. My mother never had a problem catching one in our house and putting it outside when I was a kid.