Bats
WHAT WE DO FOR YOU
Bats are small, warm-blooded, mammals with the unique ability to fly. Bats use echolocation to find small insects and can eat up to three times their body weight in insects each night. Bats can roost in caves and cliffs, but most often form colonies in homes and buildings. Once inside, bats enjoy the consistent temperatures offered by walls and attics. Although colonies can vary greatly in size, bats can cause building damage and pose serious health risks.
Why fall is a busy time for bats
Early autumn is a bat’s most active season. Bat pups are reaching the point where they are able to fly and forage on their own, and insect populations are at their peak. Bats are extremely sensitive to the temperature change and reduced insect populations, and will begin looking for a sheltered place to hibernate in mid-autumn. Traditionally, as the stereotype goes, bats would hibernate in caves, however in our urban areas caves are much less common. Attics provide bats with everything they need for hibernation: warmth, shelter, and solitude.
It’s imperative that homeowners deal with a bat infestation before the bats begin to hibernate. In most areas of North America, bats are a protected species. This means bats cannot be harmed or killed in the removal process. Skedaddle’s exclusion measures include sealing up all potential entry points around the roof line, and installing one way doors allowing bats to exit the home for food, but not re-enter. Waking bats from hibernation when their food supply is non-existent would put their lives at risk, which means homeowners have a very small window of opportunity to remove bats before the cold weather arrives. We encourage homeowners to take a walk around their property and look for signs of bat entry or accumulations of droppings along the roofline before the temperature cools down.
Assess and Remove
Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control’s Wildlife Technicians are trained to identify bat entry points (they can fit through a hole the size of a dime!), followed by locating the bat colony and determining the phase of the breeding cycle. To ensure a humane and economical removal, within the boundaries of the law, our strategy involves removing the entire bat colony from your home. Our knowledge of bat behaviour and biology ensures that breeding bats do not leave behind their babies, a situation that can increase health concerns and costs.
How to humanely remove bats from your home
Why do bats live in homes?
How do I know if I have bats?
Clear and Clean
Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control’s wildlife removal strategy is humane, safe and reliable. Part of our process involves clearing and cleaning any contaminated material, like droppings or carcasses, that can pose serious health risks. Your Wildlife Technician will advise cleaning and clearing tactics, like insulation repair and attic restoration, depending on the severity of contamination. This will help ensure a safe and healthy future for you and your family.
Prevent and Protect
The next step in Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control’s process after humanely removing and safely cleaning up after wildlife, is ensuring that your home and family are protected. To prevent against future re-entry, your Wildlife Technician will use Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control’s pioneered exclusion sealant to fill even the tiniest gaps and holes leading into your home. For your protection, our Wildlife Technicians will advise you to contact your local Public Health Department, who will determine whether or not to test a bat that has entered your home for rabies, and if those at risk for contact require post-exposure rabies shots.
How do bats get into my attic?
Do it yourself bat control measures that don’t work
Bat Facts
Although bats provide a very important role in our environment (a single bat can eat up to 3,000 insects, including mosquitoes, in one night), they can also be dangerous if they roost in buildings or come into contact with people. It’s a myth that bats in Canada fly in your hair or suck your blood, but there are many other problems they can cause, leaving many wondering how to get rid of bats.
FACT: Bats can bite you when you’re sleeping or if you attempt to catch them. If inhaled, bat droppings can cause histoplasmosis, which is characterized by flu-like symptoms. The very young, very old and those with impaired immune systems are at greatest risk for severe illness.
FACT: Bats hibernate when temperatures dip below 10°C (e.g. September to April) and young bats may be left to die if a parent is killed. They typically feed on a 24-48 hour cycle – removing the active bats from your house may mean you’re only catching half the colony.
FACT: A bat can fit through a hole the size of a dime. Simply closing holes doesn’t work. Bats will often find another way out (and back in again) and if they die in your house or business, they will cause odour and damage.
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