Here’s What to Do If You Have a Bat in the House

Louisville Bat Control 502-553-7622

Louisville Bat Control 502-553-7622

Has it just been brought to your attention that there’s a bat in your house? If so, do not panic. There is a perfectly safe and effective procedure for dealing with this situation. And bats are very unlikely to attack or harm another living creature unless it is provoked. Even then, it is rare. Remember, the bat is more afraid of you then you of it. So if you have just discovered a bat in your home, continue reading to learn exactly which steps to take next.

Contact a Wildlife Removal Professional

The first step to take when you have a bat in your house is to contact a local wildlife management company that provides bat removal and control services. They can give you instructions on what to do while you wait for them to arrive, whether that be the same day or the next. They may also be able to give you some over-the-phone instruction on how to give them certain information about the situation. You can be their eyes and ears until they can undertake the bat removal process themselves. This will allows them to get an idea of what to expect, and give them a head start on developing a strategy for extraction.

Isolate the Bat

Once you have contacted a trained professional, you may have to wait a little for them to arrive. For companies who offer 24 hour service, you may only need to wait a few hours or so. But for those who do not, you may have to wait until the next business day. So while you wait, you can choose to help the situation by isolating the bat to one area of the home. So if it is in the basement, simply shut the basement door until the contractor arrives.

Do not use a stick or anything else to “persuade” the bat to move to another spot. You never want to risk harming a bat; they are vital parts of our surrounding ecosystem, and in some places, they are protected by law. Instead, if a bat is in an open area of a home that is not easily shut-off, simply close all doors to all other rooms so that it cannot enter another area of the home; and then send your family to one of the closed-off rooms for protection. Be sure to send your cats and dogs too (not just for their own safety, but for the safety of the bat as well).

Provide an Exit

Once all doors are shut and everyone is protected, turn off all interior lights in the main area of the home where the bat is hanging out. Then open a door and turn on the exterior light, and wait to see if the bat flies out. Often times, they do. If they do not, simply join your family in a bat-free room until help arrives.

Louisville Bat Removal

Louisville Bat Removal Kentucky

Louisville Bat Removal 502-553-7622

Call 502-553-7622 for prompt and professional Louisville bat removal and control you can trust. We are DNR licensed wildlife control contractors who provide residential and commercial bat removal services at competitive prices. Whether you have one bat or an entire colony, we are fully equipped to manage any job regardless of size or scope. Call 502-553-7622 to request a free estimate for bat removal in Louisville, Kentucky today.

Northern Long-Eared Bats are on the U.S. Threatened Species List

Under the endangered species act, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service added the Northern Long-Eared Bat to the list of threatened species in our country. The ruling when into effect in May of this year.

The difference between “threatened” and “endangered” is significant. A threatened species is predicted to become endangered in the foreseeable future; whereas an endangered species is soon to be extinct.

Although not yet facing extinction, this is a sad year for this incredible species, and we should take some time to learn more about Northern Long-Eared bats and why their populations are facing endangerment.

Northern Myotis

The Northern Long-Eared bat, formally known as Myotis Keenii, is commonly referred to as Northern Myotis or Myotis septentrionalis. It is a small bat native to North America, averaging sizes no more than 3 to 5 inches and weighing no more than an ounce or two. They are primarily found in the Mid to Eastern parts of the country, starting in states like Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee, down through the Carolinas and even Alabama, and all the way up to Main and Canada.

Northern Long-Eared bats dwell in caves and wooded forests, roosting in trees during the day and searching for food at night. Being nocturnal, they are mostly active during the dusk, evening, and early morning hours, and then rest during the daytime. After a few days, they switch roosting areas, so they are often in search of new shelter at night as well.

As microbats do, they eat a wide variety of small insects, like moths, mosquitos, beetles, flies, gnats, and more. In the fall they migrate to caves and other similar locations to hibernate for the winter in populations of 100 bats or more. Emerging in March or April, Northern Long-Eared bats then breed and raise their young though the spring and summer.

White-Nose Syndrome is to Blame

One of the conclusions scientists and researchers have come to regarding the downfall of the Northern Long-Eared bat is that disease is the threat. White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) is a common disease that spreads easily and quickly among bat populations, and most all bats are at risk of contracting the illness. This disease seems to be the reason why this species of bat have now become a threatened one.

White-Nose Syndrome is a fungal disease that attacks the bat’s skin. It is caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans and can be detected by a visible white fungal growth around the wings, snouts, and muzzles of bats; hence the moniker. Assumed to come from Europe, this disease is now wide-spread throughout North America and has wiped out over 5 million bats in just the past four years. White-Nose Syndrome can kill up to 98% of a bat population at a time. It is a serious threat to all species of bat, and mammal as well.

Protect Bats and Your Home

It is important to never harm, kill, catch, or trap bats under any circumstances. Not only are they an imperative part of our natural surrounding Eco-system, it is often against the law to do so anyway. If you have a bat in the attic, or bats around your house, it is best to call a professional wildlife removal company for safe and legal assistance. They use non-lethal methods to exclude bats, prevent future bat problems, and relocate bats to a faraway habitat.

Bat Removal Louisville

Call 502-553-7622 for prompt and professional bat removal in Louisville, Kentucky. We are DNR licensed and experienced wildlife rescue and control specialists that only use safe and humane methods of bat exclusion. We offer a wide range of services for residential and commercial properties, including minor structural damage repairs, bat removal and control, bat cleanup, bat proofing, and more. Call 502-553-7622 to learn how to protect bats and your home from bats in Louisville, KY and its surrounding counties.

Do You Think Bats Are Blind?

Who ever said they were “blind as a bat” has a lot of explaining to do! There are over 100 species of bat in the world and every single one can see fairly well. The truth is that bats are not blind at all; they just have different visual capacities than other animals. Because they are nocturnal, they use alternative senses as well to communicate and see at night. Continue reading to learn about the differences between major bat species when it comes to their eyesight and sight aptitude.

Megachiroptera Bat Species

There are two species of bats, Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera. They are believed to share the same descendants, but overtime, evolved separately from each other. Megachiroptera bats are mostly medium and large in size. These megabats generally feed on fruits, nectar, and at times, fish or small animals. Additional terms for Megachiroptera bats include Flying Foxes, Fruit Bats, Megabats, and Old World Fruit Bats.

Megachiroptera bat species have large eyes and visual centers; allowing them to see better at night. They use their sight, as well as, their sense of smell to navigate in the dark and catch their prey. For example, a Flying Fox can also see during the day and in color as well! In fact, they cannot see or fly well on moonless nights, making them rely on their daytime vision.

Microchiroptera Bats

Microchiroptera bats are the smaller species of bat. They mostly eat insects and hunt them through the process of echolocation. Echolocation is the system that allows bats to navigate around, map out their surroundings, and catch their prey. It is like a sonar system that bounces high-frequency sounds off nearby objects; allowing them to grid their surroundings. You see, in mammals, there are two types of photo-receptors: cones and rods. Cones are primarily for daytime and color vision; whereas rods are for night vision. Without mentioning, you can already guess which species of bat has more of what. It’s not that micro bats do not have cones, they simply have under-developed ones compared to their sister species, the Mega bat.

Bat Removal Services in Louisville, Kentucky

Call 502-553-7622 for licensed bat removal services in Louisville, Kentucky. We provide several safe and humane, non-lethal bat control services for residential and commercial properties. Service include attic restoration and repairs, prevention, cleanup, exclusion, and more. Call 502-553-7622 for affordable bat removal and control in Louisville, KY and its surrounding neighborhoods.

Are You Hearing Bat Noises in Your House?

Have you heard some strange noises in your home lately and you suspect they are coming from bats? Sometimes, homeowners hear scratching, squealing, chirp-like sounds commonly associated with bats, but the truth is, bats are fairly quiet creatures. You are more likely to SEE signs of bat infestation before you actually ever hear them. This includes seeing unusual stains on walls and ceilings (urine and guano stains most likely), gaps and openings in the exterior of the home (roof shingles, siding, etc.), and actual bats flying around your property.

This means, bat infestation problems tend to go on for quite some time before they are noticed by homeowners. And if you can actually hear bats on your property, it has reached a level where the numbers are now very large. The best strategy against bat infestation is bat-proofing services. Professional wildlife control companies offer preventative maintenance for homes and properties to protect against bats and more. Continue reading to learn some more facts about hearing bats and bat noises in the home.

Bat Sounds

Bats, although quiet, do make characteristic sounds. Squeaking and scratching are common sounds made by bats, either flying around or during stationary activity. The problem with bat sounds and homeowners is that many people think they are hearing bats, when in fact, they are hearing something completely different. For example, there are birds called Chimney Swifts that take shelter in, you guessed it, chimneys. When these birds are occupying chimneys, they produce similar sounds as bats do. Many homeowners think they have a bat infestation when really, they actually have Chimney Swifts.

Other times, homeowners believe they have a cockroach or mice infestation, when in fact, it is a bat infestation. This is why it is important to hire a professional wildlife control company for accurate diagnostics and bat removal services. They retain the proper tools, training, and resources to identify a bat problem and provide affordable solutions to get rid of them.

Bat Removal Louisville Kentucky

Call 502-553-7622 for DNR licensed bat removal service in Louisville, Kentucky today. We offer a wide range of bat removal and control services at the most competitive prices in town. Our highly trained and certified wildlife rescue contractors only use safe, non-lethal methods to extract bats and prevent them from returning. We also offer bat cleanup services. Call 502-553-7622 for prompt and professional bat removal and control services in Louisville, KY and its surrounding counties.

Are Bats Really Blind?

An interesting fact about bats is that they are the only mammal to use their own power to fly. Other mammals may appear to be able to fly, such as the flying squirrel; but they only glide. Bats are true flight-capable mammals, controlling their own flight and power. It is a truly magnificent ability for a member of the Mammalia class.

You might interject with the fact that birds can fly; but they do this with the use of their feathers, when bats only have fur! This is what we mean when we say they use their OWN power to fly. So if bats are capable of such an extraordinary skill, why do so many people think they cannot see? Continue reading to learn more about bats vision abilities and the truth behind the age-old myth that all bats are blind.

How Do Bats See?

Bats use their eyes to see! Bats are not blind at all; they just do not have a wide vision capacity. Humans and other animals have better-developed eyesight, giving bats the “blind” reputation. Bats use their eyes, as well as, their other senses to get around at night. On top of eyesight, bats rely on sonar to see. Sonar is technique bats use to create an invisible grid of their surroundings. They give odd high-frequency sounds the bounce of the surrounding objects and return to them as echoes. Turning auditory information into visual maps is a method of charting that is also used by humans in various industries all around the world!

There are two types of bats, both thought to evolve separately but come from the same ancestry. They are the Megachiroptera and the Microchiroptera. The Mega bats are larger and maintain a diet consisting mostly of fruits, nectar, small fish, rodents, and amphibians. They have large eyes and prominent noses; as a result, they primarily rely on their sense of sight and smell to locate and hunt prey. Some species of Megachiroptera can even see in color. Although nocturnal, most species of Mega bat can see in the daylight due to their highly evolved visual centers. In fact, they can have trouble flying on moonless nights.

Micro bats have smaller eyes and mostly rely on their sense of smell and echolocation to see and hunt their prey. Mammals generally have two types of photoreceptor cells in their eyes: cones for daytime and color vision, and rods for nighttime vision. Micro bats have always been thought to only have rods; but recent studies show that they too have cones, just underdeveloped ones.

Bat Control in Louisville, Kentucky

If you have more questions about bat control, or think you might have a bat in the house, call Louisville Bat Removal in Kentucky at 502-553-7622 today. We are highly trained and qualified bat control specialists with more than 30 years of experience in the industry. Our friendly technicians are glad to answer any inquiries about bat control, bat removal, animal damage restoration, bat bites, bats in the house, and more! Visit our webpage at http://www.batremovallouisvilleky.com/bat-control-louisville-ky.php for details about our bat control services. IF you think you might have a bat in the house and need bat control in Louisville, KY, call 502-553-7622 for free estimates and information, any time.