Bat Removal
Bats, Bats, Bats, they are my favorite animal here in South Carolina they are creatures of habit and true resilience and South Carolina has a huge population of bats(specifically 14 different species) . Bats are incredible they are the only mammalian that is capable of sustained flight. Their flight rivals the flight of birds in that they have fingers so they are capable of hovering, flying backwards, and rolling.. This all plays a major role in their predation of insects, they use echolocation in order to find the insects that they are pursuing. Echolocation is the location of objects by the projection of sound. As they are honing in and getting closer and closer to their prey they increase the pulses admitted not only to hone in on where the insect is at but also to know their surroundings. Although bats are incredible fliers they are not able to start flight from the ground they must be elevated at least 3 feet in the air to start their flight, thats why they are found in attics, chimneys, soffits, and behind shutters. Bats are also incredible in the fact that bats mate in the fall and are able to store sperm until spring when food is more abundant. After mating, bats will split into different colonies in which the male and female bats will separate and pregnant “moms” will have their own colony these are called maternal colonies. These usually take place during the summer months and bat removal during this time of year is in humane because the young are not old enough to fly and hunt on their own. If an exclusion process goes on during this time it would be killing all the pups of that maternal colony. About 4 weeks after birth is when a bat will have its first flight meaning they will be able to feed on their own by late summer usually around august first all pups will be flying and hunting on their own. This is the time to exclude the bats. Bats also will usually have two roosts one for the spring, summer, and fall and one that they travel to for the winter, this could be hundreds of miles away or right around the block from their other roost. So if bats just get up and leave one day dont think your that lucky, they will come back to your home. A winter roost needs to be between 35 and 50 degrees to support a population of bats, thats what makes being down here in Charleston so beneficial for bats. Having a temperate climate means less travel, and all of our mosquitos means more food. Its an ideal location for our furry friends. As cool as bats are they can cause serious damage to your home and your health.
They can carry rabies along with other detrimental diseases such as histoplasmosis,. Histoplasmosis is a fungus that is found naturally in our ecosystem. It presents itself in bat droppings or otherwise known as guano. Histoplasmosis effects as high as 80 percent of a population of humans where the mold spores are present. The main way people contract Histoplasmosis is through inhalation; the guano, after excreted from the animal will eventually dry up. Once dry the mold spores can become airborne if the guano is disturbed spreading the total area with little spores that get into your lungs and can cause serious injury or death. Death is not common though. As few as 800 cases are recorded yearly. Most common symptoms include fever and flu like symptoms and in severe cases respiratory failure. Disease is not the only thing you should be worried about. Depending on the size of bat colony that you have their guano can add up quick. Pounds and pounds of guano can accumulate quickly in your home, leaving no choice but to do a full attic restoration. Guano can ruin insulation and cause rot for supporting beams of your home. DO NOT let bats live in your home for long. The shorter that they are there the less damage they will cause and the cheaper it is to remove them. This all being said bats need to be handled by professionals. So you might be asking what are some signs that you might have bats:
Hearing rustling in your attic or high pitched chirps when moving around your home
The smell of must or ammonia in your attic or throughout your home
noticing brown stains on your attic vent or soffit
noticing droppings in or around your home sometimes on the sides or roof of your home.
seeing the bats leave a dusk
So how do we handle bats?
Here at Mustard’s Wildlife Removal we take all precautions to ensure a safe environment for your family and for our wildlife service technicians. All this being said we DO NOT intend to harm any bats they are a federally protected species and very important for our ecosystem. The process that we use involves setting up one way doors for bats so they can leave freely and are not granted access back in. As simple as that sounds bat jobs are some of the hardest jobs to deal with because although bats are not prolific chewers they can squeeze into an area about 3/8 of an inch or bigger meaning a full exclusion of your home is usually mandatory. Even if bats have been in your home before and are currently not the smell of their guano will bring in other bats and it will be a roost again at some point in time. The sooner a bat situation is handled the easier and cheaper it can be done. So don’t waste time if you are seeing droppings below dormers, on the side of your house, or anywhere around your house call your South Carolina bat specialists immediately and we will be out to help you promptly!
