Summer is a busy time for bats in Canada. Juvenile bats are beginning to take flight and adults will be looking to bulk up before fall hibernation.
Bat species in Burlington commonly roost inside the walls and attics of houses. If you share your home with a colony of these winged mammals you’re most likely to encounter them in the living space during July and August.
Living with a colony of bats can lead to sleepless nights for homeowners. Fortunately there are steps you can take to humanely remove bats from your house and keep them out for good.
Bats and summer
Baby bats born earlier in the season begin to take flight during July and August. Summer is an important time of year for juvenile bats as they transition away from their mother’s milk and begin to leave the roost in search of insects outside.
Bats are nocturnal and leave their roosts at dusk to feed on flying insects, like mosquitos. They can eat 600-1000 mosquitos in a single hour.
Hibernation begins in fall, as temperatures cool down and insects become harder to find. During hibernation bats can lose between one-quarter and one-half of their prehibernation body weight. Bats need to store fat during summer to help them survive hibernation that can last as long as six to seven months in northern climates.
This bat was humanely removed from a living room and will be released on site
Bats in the house
The most common bat found inside houses in Burlington is the big brown bat. There are two scenarios in which bats will be discovered inside a home and they are usually related to one another.
A single bat flying around the house
Most homeowners become aware of a bat problem when they find an individual bat flying around the living space of their home. These bats are typically lost and will circle around rooms in search of exit before they tire themselves out and find a place to land. Incidents of bats inside houses tend to occur during summer when juvenile bats are learning to fly.
A colony of bats inside the attic
If you’ve had a bat in the house then it most likely came from a colony living elsewhere in the structure. Bats that roost inside buildings can get lost inside the wall cavities and emerge into the home through openings in the drywall, often in unfinished basements.
Spaces like these, between the roof and the aluminum soffit are large enough to allow bats to enter the attic – you can even see droppings accumulating in the gap
Professional Bat Removal
If you’ve experienced a bat inside your home then it’s best to call in a professional bat removal service to deal with the problem. Bats are known carriers of rabies, and in 2013 a bat found inside a Burlington home in the Plains Road East and Brant Street area tested positive for rabies. In June 2016 a bat tested positive in Oakville.
The Halton Region Health Department advises the public not to touch or come in contact with any bat inside your house. If you see a bat inside your house it’s best to avoid chasing it around and prolonging the incident.
Try to confine the bat to as small an area as possible and call a professional wildlife removal specialist who is vaccinated and trained to deal with potentially rabid animals.
Bat droppings like these indicate a colony living inside the attic
Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control
Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control has been removing bats from Burlington homes since 1989.
Our friendly technicians have the equipment and training needed to get rid of bats inside your house and humanely evict the colony from the attic to prevent future incidents.
Call us today! 905-574-7777.
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