New York State is home to six cave bats and three tree bats. Most homeowners have experienced a bat in their home and have contacted a pest control professional. Depending on the time of year, the homeowner may have to wait to remove the bats. Bats are protected by law in New York during baby bat season.
Baby bat season
Our office team has been jam-packed these past few weeks, scheduling bat removal and clean up. It is illegal to perform bat exclusions during the baby bat season when the mother bat gives birth and nursing her pups. A maternal colony of mother and grandmother bats could be living in your attic, barn, or garage. These groups of bats and their pups are called roosts. Bats do not cause physical damage to your home like rodents. Bats need a warm place for their babies to grow until the fall when they can take flight on their own.
Therefore, eradicating bats during baby bat season would expose the babies to certain death without the mother nursing and feeding her pups. The pups are grown by late August, and we are now able to remove the bats.
Sweet baby bat on a finger.
Are bats dangerous to humans or pets?
As we said earlier, our calls for bat removal have increased, and we are now treating the homes for customers who called during baby bat season. Most homeowners are afraid of bats believing the bats will attack their family or pets. Bats do not attack humans or go after their hair. Bats are a homeowner’s friend outdoors, eating thousands of bugs every night, but bats do not belong inside your home.
Bat guano is toxic to humans, and looks like mouse droppings only darker, larger, and produces a horrible odor. It stains walls creating unsanitary and dangerous conditions. If not addressed, accumulations of guano afford microorganisms such as histoplasmosis (lung disease) the ability to grow and fester. The infection can spread thru inhalation into the lungs from the roosts present in your walls, attic, barn, or crawlspaces. Large amounts of guano that accumulate can fall in between walls and ceilings. It will be visible to the homeowner.
As experts in pest control and removal, we ask that you please do not touch or catch a bat with your bare hands! If you find them in a small room, close the door and barricade the bottom of the door. They can fit through the smallest of spaces as little as 1/2 inch.
How do I get rid of bats in my house?
Prevention is critical. Bats are creatures of habit and may return to your home year after year to roost with their puppies. The technicians at Accurate Pest Control will evaluate the structure and locate areas where bats have gained entry.
Exclusion Services from AccuShield provide a comprehensive evaluation of the structure and the results are reviewed with the homeowner or business owner. A complete course of action is determined and executed. We install bat cones, allowing the bats to leave the structure but cannot return- it is a one-way tube! Eventually, they all just leave on their own. We do not trap bats unless they are physically flying around your living space. It is recommended to get them evaluated for rabies if found in living spaces.
Removal and cleanup of bat infestation by a professional will return your home to a safe and clean environment for your family and pets.
Call us for 24-hour emergency service at 518.374.0357.
