Dealing with bats can be a very tricky subject, given the fact that they are a protected species. It is illegal to knowingly possess, injure, or kill a bat, and their roosting areas are similarly protected. To homeowners, this can be a very difficult restriction to abide by, but there are some steps you can take to rid your home of bats without stepping outside the law.
The reason bats are afforded this kind of protection is because they are capable of consuming thousands of mosquitos and other insects in a single night, so they are a critical component of any ecosystem. They also only give birth to a single pup each year, which makes their population quite vulnerable. Here’s what you can do if you discover you have a bat infestation in your home.
How to Deal with a Bat Infestation During Winter
First of all, if you should find that you have a bat problem in the middle of winter, you might as well resign yourself to the fact that they will be with you until springtime. There is literally nothing you can do in the winter which would be legally appropriate, and if you do attempt any illegal kind of trapping or killing, you and your family might well be exposed to any of the quite numerous diseases they can carry. The first thing you should try and do, with a view toward their eventual elimination, is to identify exactly where the entry points are which they’ve been using to gain access to your home.
All these entry points should be sealed up, and then you should install one-way bat doors, so when the bats come out of hibernation in the springtime, they can fly out of the house, but cannot return. These one-way bat doors are the most humane way of ridding yourself of any bats which may have taken up residence in your attic, basement, or garage. They prefer quiet, dark areas like these, and that’s most likely where you’ll find them when they are ready to hibernate, sometime between September and November.
In the spring, the bats will emerge from hibernation and will want to become more active and fly around. That’s when they’ll exit your home through the one-way doors, but they will not be able to regain entry, assuming that you’ve installed some worthwhile bat doors. At this point, all your bats should have left the premises, and you’ll have some cleanup work to do.
You’ll probably notice a pungent odor from bat urine and guano, and you’ll have to remove all this and disinfect the premises. You might have to re-install insulation and there may be other damage you’ll have to address, but you should at least be rid of the infestation. If you’ve sealed up all the possible entry points, you should not be troubled with the same problem during the following winter.
Preparing for Bat Removal During a Michigan Winter
If you have a bat problem during the winter months, you cannot remove a bat colony right away, but you can start on the process to prepare for spring time when the bats come out of hibernation.
Bat removal should always be left to the professionals who are licensed, trained and experienced in what needs to be done. We offer bat removal and bat control services at an affordable price. If you think you might have a bat infestation get in touch with us today for professional bat removal service in Michigan.
