Comparing Megabats to Microbats

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Did you know there are over one thousand different species of wild bats found all across the globe? This can certainly make it hard telling one apart from another, right? It is fascinating to think about how so many species of bats have acclimated and adapted to several climates and habitats all over the world. Wild bats are grouped into two main categories; megabats and microbats. Within each group contains various species of bats with a diverse range of characteristics and features. It is all quite interesting. Continue reading to learn the differences between megabats and microbats, and which species belongs in each group.

Microchiroptera

Most bats seen today are microbats. Microbats, scientifically referred to as Microchiroptera, are smaller than megabats; with “micro” meaning tiny or small, and of course “mega” meaning big or substantial. They have very small eyes but large ears. They release a high-pitched sound from their mouth or nose, to locate and hunt down food. This activity is called echolocation, a familiar term to most. Through echolocation, microbats sustain a diet that consists mostly of insects, fish, lizards, frogs, and even birds. Certain species of microbat even consume the blood of their prey. There are several species of microbats, all ranging in different sizes. The bumblebee bat happens to be the smallest; weighing only 2 grams or so. Here are a few examples of common microbat species found all across the world:

• Bumblebee Bat
• Vampire Bat
• Spear Nosed Bat
• Spotted Bat
• Inland Forest Bat
• Ghost Bat
• Orange Leaf-Nosed Bat
• Northern Free-Tailed Bat
• Mexican Free-Tailed Bat
• Little Broad-Nosed Bat
• And Much More

Megachiroptera

Megabats, or “Megachiroptera”, are less common and live in more tropical areas and climates around the world. They are much larger than microbats, and different in many ways. Megabats have large eyes and a good sense of smell. They use their sense of smell to locate food; such as fruits and flower nectars. Although primarily nocturnal, some megabats prefer to search for their meals during the daytime when these items are more bountiful and available. The largest megabat in the world is called the Gigantic Flying Fox Bat. It can weigh more than 2 pounds and have a wingspan of nearly six feet! Here are some species of megabat found in warmer and tropical climates around the planet:

• Fruit Bat
• Flying Fox Bat
• Spectacled Flying Fox Bat
• Grey-Headed Flying Fox Bat
• Hammerhead Bat
• Long-Tongued Nectar Bat
• Black Flying Fox Bat
• Little Red Flying Fox Bat
• And Much More

Even though bats are extraordinary and fascinating creatures, we certainly do not want them inside our homes! Not only can they cause extensive structural damages, they can pose a serious health threat to humans and pets. Get prompt bat removal service if you suspect you have a bat in the attic or other area of your home.

Louisville Bat Removal and Control

Call 502-553-7622 for professional Louisville bat removal and control, if you suspect you have a bat problem in or around your property. Our DNR licensed and insured bat control technicians have decades of experience and training working with nuisance wildlife. We provide commercial and residential bat removal and control services, as well as, bat cleanup and animal damage repair. Call 502-553-7622 for a free estimate or to schedule a consultation for bat removal services in Louisville, KY and its nearby counties.

How to Hire a Reputable Bat Removal Company

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As soon as you are aware of a bat infestation problem in your home, you should immediately begin looking for a solution. The first place to start would be hiring a professional to remove bats from your home and prevent them from coming back. How do you know which company to trust? Read on to learn what to expect from a reliable bat exclusion company, and signs to avoid when interviewing each business.

Bat Control Contractors

There are certain qualities and services to expect from a reputable bat control company. These services and qualities will speak for the integrity of the business. First, a dependable and trustworthy bat exclusion company should be listed as an accredited member of the BBB, which stands for the Better Business Bureau. This marks them as a reliable and recognized company.

The next quality to look for is experience. Be sure to inquire about their business’s longevity and specialties. What do they specialize in? How long have they been in business? You don’t want to hire a pest control company that doesn’t particularly specialize in bat exclusion. The company of your choice should specialize in bat control and retain the proper equipment and industry knowledge to remove bats and prevent them from coming back. Exterminators that claim they can “remove anything” often use improper equipment and harmful chemicals to kill or catch bats. This is not the right, or safe, approach to bat removal; and bats should never be exterminated because they are assets to our environment and amazing mammals. They just don’t belong in our homes!

Never be afraid to ask about a company’s equipment and practices they use to carry out their services. It is important to know what kind of machines and tools will be used inside your home, as well as, how equipped they are to even do the job correctly. Inquire about their methods and theories on bat removal, if they use a bat trap (which should never be the case), and how they inspect for bat colonies and infestations. This is information you have every right to know before giving your money away.

A great quality to explore in a bat exclusion company is references. Any professional company should have multiple references, testimonials, fan pages, or other sources of customer reviews to prove their merit. Be sure to investigate all these avenues before deciding on a company to trust.

Bat Removal and Control in Kentucky

Call 502-553-7622 for prompt and professional bat removal and control in Louisville, Kentucky. Our wildlife rescue contractors use the latest technologies and state-of-the-art equipment to safely remove bats and facilitate effective bat prevention. We never harm or kill bats, and have been a fully insured company, as well as, A+ Accredited BBB members, for more than 20 years. If you suspect you have a bat problem in your home or office, call us right away at 502-553-7622 for Louisville bat removal and control you can trust.

Are Bats Aggressive?

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Many people immediately panic out of fear when they discover a bat in their house. This is mostly a result of a stigma influenced by Halloween, bedtime stories, vampire movies, and more. But the truth is, there is not much to be afraid of in terms of your own safety, because bats are not naturally aggressive mammals, and are not likely to “attack” a human. The only way you can be harmed by a bat is if they are infected with a disease or virus, and that virus is passed along via blood, saliva, or other bodily fluids from direct contact. If you are simply in the same vicinity as a bat, there is no need to panic. Simply take a breath, and then review some tips for handling a bat in the house. Continue reading to learn more about the surprisingly docile demeanor of bats, and what to do if one gets into your house.

Bats in the House

In the case that a bat has somehow made it into your house, there are a few things to remember about them before you run for the door screaming for help. For one, bats are not aggressive mammals. As mentioned before, they are not likely to attack a human. They would be simply too frightened to do anything of that nature. And although they are not known to harm humans intentionally, bats are known carriers of certain dangerous diseases, so it is best to avoid directly bodily contact with it. They are known to bite if provoked, so don’t get your fingers to close to its mouth, especially without heavy-duty gloves!

Second, bats that are perched off the ground, perhaps on a curtain rod or banister, are likely to take flight again. So if you approach a bat in your house that is in a high location, be prepared for it to fly away. But don’t be scared, they are flying to reach safety from you, not to attack you! Oppositely, if a bat is on the ground, it is not going to attempt flight again. Instead, they will crawl until they reach something they can climb. This is a good situation to be in because you can simply grab some gloves, goggles, and a long sleeve shirt and scoop it with a shoe box to release it outside. If you do this, be sure to release the bat somewhere high up, like a picnic table or tree branch, since you already know they can’t take flight from flat ground.

It is not suggested to try catching and releasing the bat, but if you insist on trying, the above method is a good start. It is better to simply open all doors and windows, and encourage the bat to fly back outside. This way, you can avoid direct contact with the bat, eliminating the potential of harming yourself or the bat. The best method of handling a bat in the house is to call a professional bat removal and control company. They retain the proper tools, licenses, and training to safely and humanely remove the bat and release it into a faraway habitat.

Louisville Bat Removal

Call 502-553-7622 for safe and humane bat removal in Louisville, Kentucky. We are DNR licensed and insured bat exclusionists with decades of experience in the wildlife control industry. We offer a wide range of bat removal and control services for residential and commercial properties. When you have a bat in the attic, we are the experts to trust for safe and efficient service you can afford! Call 502-553-7622 to get rid of bats in Louisville, KY today.

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

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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.

Consider Installing a Bat House for Microbats

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Microbats can certainly be a nuisance animal for homes and buildings, but they also play an important role in our surrounding eco-system. For this reason, it is helpful to find a happy medium between bat control and bat preservation. Homes and properties located near wooded areas and bodies of water are prone to higher bat activity, and cannot entirely prevent bat presence on their lands. In cases like this, if you can’t beat them, join them. There are ways to control bat activity on your property, and one method is installing a bat house. Continue reading to learn tips for controlling bat presence on your property, as well as, the benefits of a bat house for microbats.

Bat Control and Prevention

Some homes are located in areas where bat presence is a guarantee and there is no way of completely eliminating bat populations. For these homes, it is wise to do whatever you can to prevent bats from entering or being attracted to your property. Hire a professional contractor to inspect the doors, windows, siding, and roof shingles on your home, and have them sealed to prevent animal intrusion. Then, take certain measures to keep bats off your property; for example, install motion sensor lighting, or sound machines outside to prevent bats from entering your premises. But precautions like these won’t keep bats away entirely, so there are other methods of bat control you can use to prevent bat damages and intrusion on your home. One helpful method is a bat house.

Bat Houses

Bat houses are perfect for microbats since they love to take shelter somewhere cozy, safe, and accessible. A bat house provides all of these elements for a bat, thwarting them from looking to your home as a means of shelter. A bat house attracts bats, and controls their location by keeping a certain distance between the home and the bat house. The best type of bat house is one that mimics the space between bark and tree, since bats generally spend their summer and winter months inside trees, under bridges, and in buildings. This means it should be narrow, dark, and insulated to stay warm. If you provide this sanctuary for bats, they will use it and stay far away from your own home.

When you wish to install a bat house, be sure to choose an area with the right elements. The location of the bat house should be in sun, at least 15 feet off the ground, and nearby a source of water. Although bats often take shelter in trees, it is not a good idea to place a bat house in a tree. This invites certain predators and other nuisance wildlife activity, and doesn’t allow the sun to naturally heat the inside since it’s blocked by branches.

To find the perfect bat house for your property, simple search and shop online or visit your local wildlife supply or garden store. They are relatively inexpensive, and range in price depending on the retailer, quality, and design. Choose one that you would like to roost in if you were a bat!

If you are experiencing bat infestation problems, or need to get rid of bats in the attic or other area in your home, call a licensed bat control contractor right away. They retain the proper tools, training, and equipment to safely and humanely remove bats and relocate them to a faraway habitat. Never harm, trap, or kill bats! Ask your wildlife contractor about installing a bat house and they will be happy to assist you.

Louisville Bat Removal and Control

Call Louisville Bat Removal and Control at 502-553-7622 to get rid of bats in the attic, or other part of your property. We are DNR licensed and retain several years of experience in the wildlife rescue and control industry. We provide a wide range of bat removal and control services for residential and commercial properties, using only safe and non-lethal methods of exclusion. Call 502-553-7622 to learn more about bat houses and bat control in Louisville, KY.

The Best Treatment for Bat Control

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Wild bats are commonly found out in the country, or rural areas of Kentucky. But of course, they are frequently spotted in urban city areas too. Where ever your property is located, bats can potentially be a problem, if they haven’t been already. If you want to truly curb bat infestation and activity near your home or building, trust the best and most effective treatment for it: preventative maintenance. Continue reading to learn why prevention is the best method to protecting your investments from nuisance wildlife damage,
and how to get started today.

Bat Prevention Tips

The first place to think about for bat prevention is the exterior of the property. Roof shingles, windows, doors, siding, overhangs, awnings, porches, and more should all be inspected for openings and vulnerabilities. A licensed contractor should be hired to provide professional sealing and repair services to ensure this step is done properly. Once you know your property is adequately sealed from the outside, you can move onto the next phase of bat control and prevention.

There are several products available on the market for nuisance bat control. You can consider trying out some of these devices to see if they can work for you. If they do not seem to add any value, simply return them for a refund. One such device available is an ultrasonic wave machine that use high-pitched sonar emissions to keep bats away. You can also consider a sound machine that emits the sounds of certain predators bats fear.

Aside from home repairs and electronic devices, you can also install automatic lights outside of your property to keep bats from entering your territory. Bats like the dark, so they will stay clear of bright, lit-up areas. By having them set on motion sensors, you can save energy and keep other nuisance wildlife away.

If you live in the country or rural area, try compromising with the local bat population by setting out bat houses far from your home. These are just like bird houses except the opening is at the bottom, allowing bats to fly in and hang from the top. This will not only keep them occupied and away from your living quarters, it can also give licensed exclusionists an advantage when relocating them to a safer habitat.

Call a professional bat removal and control service for problems with bat activity near your home. They retain the proper licensing and training to LEGALLY and safely remove bats and prevent their return. Never try to catch, harm, or kill a wild bat. Call a bat removal service instead! They use safe and non-lethal methods to remove bats and relocate them to a faraway habitat.

Bat Removal in Louisville

Call 502-553-7622 for prompt and professional bat removal service in Louisville, Kentucky and its surrounding counties. We are DNR licensed wildlife specialists with decades of experience working with bats. We only use safe and humane methods to exclude bats, also providing preventative maintenance and attic repairs for bat damages. Call 502-553-7622 for affordable and reliable bat control in Louisville, KY today.

Do You Think Bats Are Blind?

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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?

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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.

Use These Common Kitchen Spices to Keep Bats Away

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Bats are a wonderful advantage to us, being nature’s number one most effective insecticide. Bats consume millions of insects each night, eating their entire body weight in insects and more! They help keep our backyards, bon fires, camp grounds, and more, bug-free and comfortable! But bats can pose a problem for us as well, that is, if they find their way into the exterior or interior areas of our homes.

Bat infestations can cause costly structural damages and more, and it is no secret that bats can carry and spread infectious diseases like the Rabies virus. Also, their bat droppings grow spores that can cause a respiratory illness called Histoplasmosis.

They are helpful in nature, but a problem-pest in our homes. For this reason, it is wise to take action in order to keep bats away from your property. One effective precautionary trick to keeping bats away is using spices from your very own kitchen! Bats do not like certain scents, and some spices irritate their senses so they steer clear from their vicinity. These spices can be used to protect your property from regular bat presence and problems. Continue reading to learn which spices bats do not like and how to use them to keep bats away.

Organic Bat-Proofing Spices and Smells

Simply use these ordinary kitchen spices to create a perimeter around your property, or around any area you know bats have been more than once (i.e. entry points, hangout areas, etc.). Sprinkle a generous amount of one spice, or a combination of multiple spices, to create a boundary between your home and the bats. Bats will not like these smells and go other places that do not irritate their senses, remembering to not come back to your area.

Here are some spices that will do the trick!

• Menthol
• Eucalyptus
• Peppermint
• Cinnamon
• Cloves
• Chili Powder
• Spearmint
• Cayenne Pepper
• Mint Extract
• Menthol Cough Drops (crushed)

If you have a bat infestation or bat problem, call a local bat removal and control company for safe and humane exclusion services you can trust. They retain the proper licenses, tools, and training to efficiently and effectively remove bats without killing or harming them. It is illegal to kill, poison, fumigate, or harm bats in anyway. It is strongly recommended to leave bat exclusion in the hands of experienced professionals.

Bat Removal in Louisville Kentucky

Call 502-553-7622 for professional bat removal and control services in Louisville, Kentucky and its surrounding counties. We offer a wide range of bat exclusion services for both residential and commercial properties. And our prices are the most competitive in town! Call 502-553-7622 and speak with a DNR licensed and insured Louisville bat removal and control specialist about getting rid of bats in your home or property.

Will My Homeowners’ Insurance Pay for Bat Removal Services?

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It is very expensive to repair damages from a long-term bat infestation in your home. Bats can cause a substantial amount of damage; in even a short amount of time. Bat Removal Companies do offer services to repair these damages; such as bat proofing, Histoplasmosis mitigation, bat guano cleanup, exclusion, and more.

The extent of time the bats were in the home, plus the degree of damage incurred, will roughly determine the cost of the repairs, renovations, and exclusion services. Once a professional Bat Control Company inspects the property and begins their exclusion process; can they accurately convey if there will be more unexpected costs.

Usually at this point, homeowners are sweating the total bill. How can they pay for all these repairs and services? Insurance is usually a first thought. Interestingly enough, many homeowners are in the dark on whether or not their home is covered on bat damages. Continue reading to learn more about standard homeowners’ insurance policies in relation to bat removal services and repairs.

Bat Removal Insurance Policies

Animal damages are not typically covered by home insurance plans. They imply that it is the homeowner’s responsibility to prevent animal infestations, and to eradicate them on their own before damages accumulate. If an extensive amount of damage occurs, it is considered the homeowner’s burden for not tending to the situation before it got too bad. The insurance companies call pest and animal infestations “maintenance issues”, which are not covered in many policies. Regularly inspect your home for problems like these; to prevent future costly repairs that won’t be covered by insurance.

Bat Removal Louisville Kentucky

Call Bat Removal Louisville Kentucky at 502-553-7622 for superior bat cleanup and attic restoration services you can afford. We are highly trained and certified bat control specialists with over 20 years of experience in the bat exclusion industry. We offer a wide variety of services; such as bat removal, bat cleanup, bat proofing, inspections, repairs, and more. Call 502-553-7622 to speak with a DNR licensed bat exclusion professional about getting rid of bats in the attic in Louisville, KY fast!