Steps We Take
Why Bats Are There
Though we don’t often see bats, different species inhabit every continent in America except for Antarctica because they are an animal that needs warmth. They are more abundant in rain forests and tropical climates. Maternal colonies choose caves to deliver their young because they want shelter and safety from predators. For this reason an attic, garage or barn can be an ideal space for them.
Bat colonies tend to roost in places that are up high like an attic. But, occasionally a bat will follow a wall cavity or pipe looking for space to sleep as well. The following could be signs of bats in your attic:
Fluttering In Your Walls
Bats tend to be very quiet mammals. They are nocturnal but leave their roost at night to feed. You will probably only hear bats if they are living in your walls and they get disturbed by a slamming door or some other loud noise. Bats make small squeaking noises and you may hear them crawling (sounds like scratching) at dusk and dawn when they are waking or returning to the roost.
Bat Droppings On Your Walls Or Windowsills.
Bats are creatures of habit. They roost together in the the same place year after year. And one other thing you can count on is that bats will leave guano droppings (aka bat feces) on the entrance to their roost area every night. These droppings may accumulate on a wall, windowsill, or porch, or other place directly below the place where the bats are entering your home. Guano resembles mouse droppings, only larger.
Signs That Bats Are In Your Attic
It is not unusual for a person to find they have bats in their attic, garage or other outbuildings. Unlike larger nuisance animals like raccoons, it can be difficult to know you have a colony of bats until you have many. Inspect your attic windows for visible droppings and be on the look out for any obvious openings in the exterior where bats are getting in and out. It will probably be up high, but if the bat colony is large, it’ll be hard to miss the guano. One of the easiest ways to tell if you have bats is hearing their scraping, rustling or squeaking. These noises can come from your walls, attic or chimney. You may also see issues when outside around dusk or dawn. You can hear the slight peeping and see bats swooping around. Often people think this swooping is the bat diving in trying to attack people. In actuality, the bats are diving to snatch up bugs. If you hear this peeping and see bats, it’s good to pay attention to where they go. Often you will see them head toward a section of the house and even disappear. This will help you know how they are getting in and you can use this knowledge when it comes time to exclude them. Another way to tell if you have a bat problem in a building is to look for signs of guano on the outside of a home. Often when they enter or exit a home they will leave droppings or urine. You may see staining around areas a bat can use to enter your home. Brown or grey streaks can be left near soffits, the roof and chimneys and are prime indicators of a bat colony. These stains are left by the oil on their skin and/or urine.
How Bats Get In
Bats actually don’t need much space to enter your home. Some of the most common species only need an inch by half inch to get in. These spaces can be found in siding, under roof shingles, near paneling, near attic fans and by soffits. Generally bats are going to enter a home near the roof or attic. For this reason you will likely need a ladder if you are going to hunt for their point of entry.