Bats

Few creatures generate as much fear in people as bats. Their translucent, leathery wings and little faces frighten us; their swooping and screeching causes panic. They are popularly believed to be carriers of disease, and since time immemorial they have been associated with vampires in popular culture. Even looking at pictures or videos of hundreds of bats roosting in a cave can give us the shivers. It can be particularly alarming to a homeowner when bats take up residence in the home. The presence of bats in the same house with us is not something we are willing to tolerate; frequently people will panic if they see a bat in their home or even suspect they might be in the attic, walls or ceiling.

Fortunately, there is no need to panic! Creature Control's expert bat technicians are at your disposal.

Bat characteristics

Bats account for nearly 18% of all mammals in the world and are the only species of mammal that can truly fly. While there are over 1,080 species of bats worldwide, only eight are native to Michigan. The little brown bat and the evening bat are the most common species in the state. These bats form maternity colonies in buildings and homes, which they choose for their warmth, dryness, security and darkness; if you’re "lucky" enough, you might even experience a colony of big brown bats in your attic!

Other species of bats found throughout Michigan forests (but not in attics or buildings) are the silver-haired bat, eastern red bat, hoary bat, Indiana bat, and tri-colored bat. There are no "blood sucking" bats in Michigan and, contrary to popular belief, bats do not "swoop" at people and try to land in their hair. They may dive erratically and sometimes appear to be swooping at you; really they are only trying to get the small insects that are flying around you.

All bats found in Michigan are insectivores that feed off flying insects. Bats are the largest predator of night flying insects. Though most people are afraid of bats, they are very beneficial to the ecosystem. By eating a tremendous number of crop damaging moths (whose larva are crop-eating worms) the bats save farmers an incredible amount of crop damage and reduce need for excessive pesticide applications. In some localized regions of agricultural communities its estimated that bats save farmers over $1.5 million a year in pesticide applications; this of course means the bats reduce the amount of pesticide that is introduced to the environment. They also serve as a natural check on the growth of the mosquito population, something we should all be grateful for. Bats are present throughout Michigan, both in rural areas such as Gregory, Pinckney and Dexter, as well as more heavily urbanized cities such as Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Jackson, Lansing and Detroit.

For more information on the life cycles and habits of bats, check out the wonderfully informative site hosted by Bat Conservation International, available here.

How do I know if I have a bat problem?

Despite the benefits bats give to the ecosystem as a whole, they become a problem when they take up roosting in an attic, soffit vent or barn. How can you tell if you have a bat problem in your home?

The most common sign that you have a bat infestation is a constant scratching sound coming from your attic. The scratching may be constant or intermittent and may occur at night or during the day, though usually at night. Note that this is distinct from gnawing, which may be a squirrel or other rodent.

Sometimes a pungent, ammonia-smell may be a sign of a bat infestation (the odor from large amounts of bat droppings), but as the odor only accumulates gradually, it may not be noticed by many homeowners and is not necessarily present in all infestations.

How not to handle your bat problem

An unfortunate misconception many people hold about bats is that they are migratory and will eventually leave an attic or barn where they have begun roosting. This is untrue; bats are not a migratory species and they will not go away if left alone. When bats take up residence in your home, they are looking primarily for somewhere stable and safe to raise their young and roost; in other words, they are looking to find a permanent home, not a vacation property! Bats may take up temporary roosts outdoors between feedings, but they will always return to your home once they have established it as their roosting site. The colony will only get larger until it is removed.

Some online companies are selling ultrasonic pest-control devices that purport to deter bats and other pests by emitting a pulse of sound at a very high frequency that the bats do not like. These devices, which can be very costly, are now generally known to be ineffective and the claims about their efficacy fraudulent. The Federal Trade Commission has even issued a statement warning retailers and consumers that many of the claims made about these ultrasonic devices are "false and deceptive advertising" and not supported by any scientific evidence. Do not waste your money and time on them.

Many homeowners attempt to mitigate their bat problems by erecting what are known as "bat houses," wooden structures meant to divert bats from the home by providing them with an alternative roosting location. However, since your home is most likely going to be warmer and dryer in the winter than the bat house, nearby bats will still prefer your attic. Bat houses are not a means of eviction; once bats decide to roost in your home, they will not abandon their roost;for a bat house. Bat houses are good to have once the bats are evicted, but are no subsitute for eviction.

In most cases, effective bat removal is beyond the scope of what a homeowner can accomplish on his own and requires the service of professionals; attempts at bat removal can actually be dangerous for the untrained. Though fears about bats and rabies are often blown out of proportion, (for example, only two to four rabid bats are found in Kent County each year) it is true that bats can carry the disease and that it can be transmitted to humans; as recently as 2009 a Michigan man died of rabies contracted by an untreated bat bite (source). Furthermore, guano (bat feces) is very unsanitary and should not be approached or cleaned save by trained technicians wearing the appropriate protective gear. Besides its pungent odor, bat guano can contain the fungus spore Histoplasma capsulatum that can cause a disease known as histoplasmosis if the spores are inhaled. Bats may also carry mites, ticks, fleas and other unwanted pests. Bat removal also involves climbing into attics and up on rooftops, which can be dangerous to amateurs. If you suspect you have a bat infestation in your home, it is safest and most efficient to call the professionals at Creature Control to handle it.

Call the bat experts at Creature Control!

Creature Control technicians will conduct an thorough inspection of your home to identify all points of entry, starting from the peak of the roof and combing over every seam and junction until he reaches ground level. Once points of entry are identified, bat exclusion valves will be attached to the entry points that will both get the bats out of your home and prevent them from returning. Our exclusion process combines a series of properly coordinated valve installations with repairs to points of entry in order to ensure a complete and permanent eviction. All repair work will be done with respect to the cosmetic appearance of your home.

The exclusion process is a detailed and delicate service that requires experience. Creature Control has performed successful bat exclusion work for residents, businesses, municipalities and churches all across southeast Michigan.

Call us today at 1-800-441-1519 to schedule an inspection or for more information on our bat treatments.

Things to be wary of when choosing a bat control professional

Bat removal and exclusion is a very delicate, time-sensitive process. For exclusion efforts to be successful, it is essential that the process is carried out with care and a maximum amount of professionalism. You should be wary of any wildlife control company that:

Advertise flat rate services.
Try to sell regular or yearly "maintenance plans" (wasn’t the bat exclusion done right the first time?)
Lack a professional appearance.
Provide estimates without physically entering onto the roof and/or inspecting the roof and soffit areas at eye level and in hand's reach.
Offer generic estimates and service plans that lack line-by-line specification and a detailed account of individual tasks performed during the process.
National wildlife firms that only refer customers or sub-contract services and don’t provide the service them-selves.

What do I do if the bat is flying around my home?

1 )Attempt to close the bat into a confined space that has few objects in it for the bat to hide in or behind (bathroom, laundry room, or empty spare bedroom).

2) Firmly stuff a towel along the base of the door to the room you have closed it into.

3) Call Creature Control (1-800-441-1519) and get a Tech sent to the home to extract the bat.

4) If you lose sight of the bat, shut every door in the home and be sure to close doors behind you while moving through the house. If and when the bat takes flight again, follow the instructions above.

CALL CREATURE CONTROL TODAY FOR ALL YOUR BAT-RELATED NEEDS! 1-800-441-1519

Bats in the News

Rabid bat bites Grand Rapids woman? (6/27/11)

The bat news out of Grand Rapids this month is an allegedly rabid bat that bit a Kentwood woman in her home. According to MLive.com, the woman flipped on her bedroom light and saw what at first looked like a “big bird” flying at her. She grabbed a fly swatter to fend off the attacking bat and on the third swat, it fell to the floor before shooting back up and latching onto her neck, leaving two staple-looking marks below her left ear.

Many have been presuming that the bat was rabid because of its aggression, though until testing is complete on the animal, we can't be certain. Creature Control bat removal professional Jason Sutton has his suspicions about the bat being truly rabid: "Every report we hear on this is talking about rabid bats, but nobody is discussing the test results, just that the woman got shots and vaccinations for bat bites. Rabies tests are always positibe or negative; there is no in between. Just because a bat may bite does not mean it is rabid."

Creature Control has a very precise process we go through when we believe we may be dealing with a rabid bat. Jason explains: "Creature Control bat removal technicians first capture and remove the bats from the customer's property and placesthem in a bite proof container. They are then handed over to the health department for testing. Later, the health department sends us the results; that's the way it goes every time. Why is there no mention of confirmed results in this story? We don't want to frighten people about rabid bats if it is not necessary."

Jason goes on to explain that the vast majority of bats handled are not rabid: "Out of the thousands of bats we have removed, only a very tiny fraction were rabid. In all the years Creature Control has been providing bat control and bat exclusion services, we have only removed two rabid bats from customers homes; neither of these cases was in the greater Grand Rapids area." The biggest damage caused by bats, especially bats in the attic, is damage to insulation done by guano (droppings); rarely do bats attack humans.

Michigan bats seem safe from White Nose Syndrome - for now (6/22/11)

The DNR has recently concluded a study of 24 known hibernation sites for bats throughout the state and has declared that the dreaded fungal disease known as White Nose Syndrome (WNS) has not made any inroads among the Michigan bat population, for the time being. It was feared that the disease, which came from Europe via Canada, would decimate michigan's bat population, as it has already decimated the endangered Indiana bat (which hibernates in the Grand Rapids-Manistee area). All of Michigan's bats are at risk, including the little brown bat, the big brown bat, the tri-colored bat, and the northern long-eared bats, but especially the cave-dwelling bats who hibernate together where the disease is easily spread.

Farmers, animal removal specialists and conservationists are all gladdened by the news. Creature Control technician Jason Sutton, who handles bat removal in Grand Rapids and the surrounding areas, was quite pleased with the DNR report. "Bats are very important to the local ecosystem. They eat a ton of insects that would otherwise damage crops, so they actually save a lot of money," Sutton said. It is estimated that bats save farmers around $508 million per year by eating insects that could be potentially harmful to agriculture.

Despite the good news, all of our bats are still at risk, as there is no reason the disease could not spread into our bat populations. Wildlife control personnel and the DNR will be monitoring the development and spread of this disease very closely.

To learn more about WNS and Michigan's bats, click here or here.

Rabid bats found in West Michigan

A woman in west Michigan found several dying bats on her property. One of the bats she prodded with a stick she saw to be foaming at the mouth. The woman caught the bat in a jar and took it to the health department to be tested for rabies. Since then, she has found even more dying bats around her property. This has resulted in a rabies scare in western Michigan, though authorities and animal removal professionals say there is no cause for alarm. See the original story here.

Consumer's Energy discusses building tower north of Muskegon to study bat migration

Consumer's Energy is seeking permission to build a tower north of Muskegon that would study bat vocalizations, hoping to identify whether or not there are any endangered Indiana bats in the region. The tower is part of a preliminary environmental analysis that must be completed before the utility company can place wind turbines in the area.

The tower would use an acoustic device to record bat sounds for up to two years. The tower is being put up over concerns that wind turbines are a danger to bat populations. Every year many bats are killed at wind turbines, some by striking blades, but a good deal of them from something called barotrauma, fatal internal hemorrhaging due to sudden changes in air pressure that bats experience when they fly in close proximity to wind turbines. Unlike birds, the lungs of the bat less rigid and not able to endure rapid changes in air pressure. The sudden drop in pressure that bats experience as they get close can cause their lungs to rupture, causing death.

This is of especial concern north of Muskegon, where some are worried about the potential for the turbines to do damage to the already declining population of Indiana bats that are believed to be in the area. If the study of bat vocalizations proves that there are no endangered Indiana bats in the area, the company will most likely be able to go ahead and build its wind turbines. The project is of great concern to residents, wildlife control professionals, bat conservationists and utilities officials alike.

Third bat tests positive for rabies in Muskegon County (2007)

In case you wondered whether the idea of bats carrying rabies was just an urban legend, we can look back to 2007 when three rabid bats were found in Muskegon County alone. Health officials say the bats were all found in the same area - specifically, Muskegon's Lakeside neighborhood, which is across the street from the Cross-Lake Ferry. The Muskegon County Health Department sent the three bats to Lansing to be tested. In each case the rabid bats were found inside the homes of residents. Though the residents do not believe they have been bitten, they received treatment for rabies anyhow, due to the possibility that they were bitten and did not realize it (wildlife control professionals say that this it is very unlikely that a person could be bitten by a bat and not realize it, though it cannot be ruled out).

Muskegon County workers believed there could possibly be a colony living somewhere in or near the Lakeside neighborhood, though subsequent investigations by the county and Muskegon animal control professionals did not turn up anything. Nevertheless, county officials reminded residents need to start taking caution. "This is a disease that, once symptoms set in, you're going to die," says Ken Kraus of the Muskegon County Health Dept. "So if people are not aware of what to do it can be very lethal." If you happen to run across a bat, rabid or not, county officials say avoid touching them. If you have to, wear some type of gloves. Also, bat-proof your home by closing any openings larger than a quarter inch, since bats can get in through chimneys, vents, and even loose shingles. If you are bitten, wash the wound immediately and seek medical help. If you believe you have bats in your home, call a professional animal removal service rather than attempting to remove them yourself (click here for the original story from Channel 13 out of Muskegon).

Animal control professionals concerned about spread of white-nosed syndrome in Michigan bats

The city of Grand Rapids, MI. is taking note of the devastating effects of the white-nosed syndrome in bats. White-nosed syndrome is a deadly fungal disease that is currently spreading out of control in Michigan's bat population. Victor Skinner of the Grand Rapids Press reports that officials in Lansing are giving considerable attention to the issue as more than one million bats have fallen victim to this epidemic to date.

Unlike rabies, white-nosed syndrom cannot be transferred to humans via human-bat interaction; in fact, humans are not susceptible to the fungus at all. This does not mean that the threat can be taken lighlty, however. The continued spread of the disease could cause a significant reduction in the bat population, which in turn would have untold economic, regulatory, and ecological effects.

Bat control and animal removal specialist as well as wildlife rehabilitation centers (also known as "bat rehabilitaters") were among the first to be notified of the fungus. Due to their constant interaction with bats, animal control and pest control firms can play an important part in the fight to reduce the spread of white-nosed syndrome. Wildlife control expert Tim Rea believes that the western portion of the greater grand rapids area is especially susceptible:

"Higher concentration of bats in areas such as Holland, MI.,Grand Haven., MI, and Muskegon have been reported during our regular bat control service operations. This is due to an overabundance of flying insects in the greater Grand Rapids area. Western Michigan in general provides excellent waterside breeding habitats for the local bat colonies. High humidity in these shoreline regions also contribute to the problem, since the fungal disease spreads faster in bats found hibernating in humid areas. Customers reporting wildlife control problems in Grand Rapids and Holland, MI. noticed bats demonstrating erratic behavior, such as flying out of control and roosting in broad daylight during the winter. In Muskegon, Grand Rapids, and Grand Haven, bats with signs of scarring and disfigurement have been reported by both local clients and wildlife control technicians working in the area."

All the irregularities mentioned above are common side affects found in bats suffering from the white-nose syndrome disease. Please see our blog post here for more on white-nose syndrome.