Bats might be cute but you don’t want them taking up residence in your attic or home. A bat infestation can destroy your home’s structures and can also make you and your family very sick. It’s important to know the warning signs and dangers of a bat infestation in your home.
Signs of a Bat Infestation
There are a few signs that indicate a bat infestation might be at work in your home. Consider the following:
Bat Guano – Guano is bat feces or droppings. When squeezing into and out of entry points, bats often excrete guano so finding bat guano on the outside of your house, is one tell-tale sign.
Entry Point Staining – Bats typically use one or two main entry points to get into your home. These entry points will become dirty due to grease from the bats’ fur and from the release of guano as they squeeze in and out. The combination of the grease and guano at entry points can stain the siding of your home in that area.
Unusual Sounds – Bats are fairly vocal creatures, particularly in the evening when they wake up to head out in search of food. If you’re hearing strange sounds coming from your attic or walls, you might have a bat problem.
Why is a Bat Infestation Dangerous?
Bat infestations can be very hazardous to your health. Here are a few of the issues that make bat infestations dangerous.
Rabies – Next to raccoons, bats are the second most common carriers of rabies. While the most common way of transmitting rabies is through a bite, you can also catch rabies from bats’ blood, urine and guano. Never attempt to handle bats yourself or you risk contracting rabies.
Histoplasmosis – Histoplasmosis is a fungus found in bat guano. When guano dries out, it becomes a powdery, airborne substance. Once you breathe in the guano particles, you can develop a serious lung infection (also called histoplasmosis). If not treated promptly, histoplasmosis can be fatal.
Bacteria – Aside from rabies and histoplasmosis, bat guano is also teeming with dangerous bacteria. This bacteria can cause a number of illnesses for you and your family. It can also soak into and destroy the wood and insulation in your attic, causing structural instability over time.
If you discover a bat infestation in your home, always call in the professionals to handle it. Never attempt to handle live or dead bats, clean bat guano or otherwise interfere with an infestation. You can get dangerously sick. The professionals at Pee Dee Wildlife Control are trained in the special handling of bat infestations and can help remedy the problem for you.