The Sacramento area has millions of bats. In fact, the colony of Mexican free-tailed bats living at the Yolo Causeway is the largest colony in California, numbering over 250,000 animals. Colonies in other natural areas also number in the hundreds of thousands, so a number of bats moving into the attic or walls of a home is a frequent occurrence in the region.
Despite their bad reputation, bats are one of the most important animals we have. They are instrumental in our environment, consuming thousands of insects each night – especially mosquitoes – and ensuring that our homes are safer and more comfortable. But they are a health concern, and can be destructive. That means that when bats do start to turn your home into their living and breeding area, it is something that needs to be addressed.
ADAPT Pest Management is a Roseville based wildlife management company that can get rid of bats from your home or commercial property and return them to the outdoors. If you’ve noticed bats have moved in, call us at 916-755-6555 for the area’s leading exclusion services, and to help keep bats and other animals from coming in.
Signs You Have a Bat Infestation
Bats are nocturnal animals, generally leaving their roosts around dusk to spend their nights hunting for insects. They return near dawn and spend the day sleeping in dark and quiet spaces. Their nighttime habits mean you might not notice an infestation at first, or see the animals at all. To check for a bat infestation, look for:
- Bats Flying Around at Sundown – Stand outside your house shortly after the sun sets and you might see bats coming and going. Bats simply flying around the area are not a concern, but those that seem to appear from a crevice around your roof or in your walls could be coming from their nest.
- Rustling Noises – A large colony of bats will result in many wings and the rustling noise could be loud enough to hear in other parts of the house. The noise will be most prominent at morning and evening when bats are most active.
- Droppings – Bats often leave droppings as they come or go from their nests. The droppings might collect on siding or window ledges beneath the bats’ entry place.
- Black Stains – A bat’s body secrets an oil that rubs off on the surfaces the bat touches. The oil will then collect dust, turning it grey. Black smudges around a hole can mean bats are squeezing through.
In Roseville, bats are most active in the summer, and either hibernate or migrate during colder months. Bat will return to the same roost night after night, and migratory bats will return to the same place every year so long as they can enter it. This means that once bats move in, they won’t leave on their own.
While blood sucking vampire bats don’t exist in Roseville and the surrounding cities, our local Mexican free-tailed bats, big brown bats, and other species are still a health risk. They can carry diseases, especially rabies, and transmit the disease to a person or another animal through a bite or scratch.
Bat droppings are also especially problematic. While a single dropping or two isn’t considered a safety risk, when more bats move in, the droppings can pile on top of each other. As the droppings collect and turn to dust, they grow a fungus. The fungus enters the air and causes respiratory issues if inhaled, a disease called histoplasmosis. Histoplasmosis continues to be a threat even after a bat population is removed.
Our Bat Exclusion Process
Because bats are so important for the environment, we always remove them without causing harm. This means no traps or poisons, and we make sure not to seal any bats inside where they may unable to escape. Rather, exclusion relies on their natural routine of leaving during the night and keeps them from returning in the morning. It’s safe for the bats, reduces the risk of bat related illnesses for you, and prevents bats from returning indefinitely.
We perform bat exclusions at homes and commercial properties around Roseville and Sacramento. The approach we use may differ depending on the challenge, but typically includes:
- Inspection – We start by determining which species of bats are present, how many are in the colony, and where they go in and out. These spaces can be less than an inch wide for smaller bats, so we work carefully, looking for loose siding, under soffits, around attic vents, in chimneys, and more.
- Install One Way Exits – We place special screens over the bats’ entrance. These screens enable the bats to freely leave your home, but keep them from coming back inside. Instead, they are forced to fly elsewhere to find shelter.
- Confirm Removal – We provide a few days for all bats to leave your property through the one way exits. Then we perform another thorough search of the nest area to be sure that no bats remain.
- Seal Up Property – All exit points are permanently sealed, either through wire mesh or replacing damaged areas. As long as the home remains in good repair, this will keep bats from returning later.
Bat exclusion is harmless for bats as long as it is done carefully and outside of breeding season. During the breeding season, baby bats are not leaving the nest, so keeping the adult bats from returning strands the pups. For this reason, we confirm that it is not breeding season, which occurs in spring, before beginning exclusion.
Since bats are so prevalent in this area, we can also take preventative steps even if you don’t currently have a colony living on your property. We can locate any potential risky spots for bats to enter and close them up preemptively, reducing the chances of property damage or health problems from bats.
Removing bats is not recommended as DIY wildlife removal. It’s important to call an expert that knows how to remove bats safely. That’s why you should always call a bat control company you can trust when you notice bats at your home. ADAPT Pest Management has years of experience successfully excluding bats from both residential and commercial properties. Let us use our knowledge and extensive training to help keep your home bat free. Give us a call today if you suspect bats to schedule an inspection.