If you suspect that you have bats roosting inside of your house, the attic is probably the area they are occupying, given that you are correct about your hunch. Other areas of a home that bats often take as shelter this time of year include chimneys, attached garages, and voids inside or between walls, roofing, and siding. If accessible, bats will even roost in crawl spaces or underneath porches. They key to removing bats in the attic is to figure out where and how they are getting inside. Once you locate the entry and exit points, the rest of the bat removal process is simple exclusion science.
Continue reading to learn which signs suggest you have bats in the attic, and what you can do to get rid of them quickly and humanely.
Signs of Bats in the Attic
When it comes to looking for signs, the best mindset to use is an investigative one. That is because you will need to spot small details and then piece together clues to confirm bat presence and activity. The most obvious signs of localized bat activity is actually seeing bats flying around your house at dawn and dusk. These “twilight” periods are when bats are most active, and come out of their roosts to hunt for insects. In fact, if you have seen bats flying around your house, you have an advantage when it comes to identifying their entry and exit points.
Simply place a camera outside, or observe them in person, to physically witness where they are getting in. Keep in mind, local Kentucky bats are so small, they can squeeze through an opening as tiny as 3/8th of an inch, so it might be difficult, or even impossible, to see them slip into actual holes without the help and technology of a professional wildlife abatement company. You can look for dark brown or back oil-like stains on your siding, which results from their fur rubbing against the house as they enter and exit.
Another common signs of bat presence are bat droppings, or guano. If you are seeing bat droppings in or around your house, which look very similar to rodent droppings, you most certainly have bats. Look for piles and accumulations around door frames and windowsills, as well as, inside your attic and walls spaces, and your roof. These are common areas for bats to perch while hunting for prey.
More signs of bat presence include hearing strange noises inside walls or in your attic, such as chattering, squealing, squeaking, fluttering, and similar sounds. You can also assume bats are nearby if you smell strange odors coming from inside the living areas of your house. This is indicative of a bat infestation that has gone on for a long time. Along with odors, you might spot brown or yellow stains on ceilings or walls as a result of their urine and droppings.
Get Rid of Bats in the Attic in Louisville
Call 502-553-7622 to speak a DNR licensed specialist about safely getting rid of bats in the attic in your Louisville, Kentucky residence or building. We offer a wide range of non-lethal residential and commercial bat removal, bat control, and bat cleanup services. This includes animal damage repair and restoration, such as decontamination, sanitizing, deodorization, fumigation, integrated pest management solutions for bat bugs, structural damage repair, insulation replacement, drywall repair, preventative maintenance, post checkups, and much more. We may also be able to provide bat damage insurance claim work depending on your particular policy and carrier.