Top 5 Places Bats Hide

Are you hearing noises that you think could be coming from bats? It wouldn't be surprising. When bats get into a home, they usually give themselves away by making bumping, scraping, scrambling, fluttering, or chirping sounds. But, these sounds can come from other home-invading wildlife such as mice, rats, birds, squirrels, and more. So, it is important to do an inspection to determine what animal is making all of that racket. If those noises are bat noises, here are 5 places you might be able to find more clues.

Tight Spaces

The most common of all places you'll find a bat is in a tight space. If you have a picture in your mind of a giant cave with a ceiling covered in bats hanging by their feet, you might want to get that out of your head. In your home, you are most likely to find bats squeezed into nooks, crannies, and cracks.

The two bats we deal with most in our service area, the little brown bat and the big brown bat, can squeeze into spaces that are as small as a ½ an inch wide, or less. So, as you read through the other places in this top 5 list, bear this in mind.

We start with "tight spaces" because there are just too many to list. If you see a gap or a space that looks like a tiny creature could squeeze into it, you might have a bat problem. Look closely for black stains in entry and exit locations.

Chimney

In older homes, it is common for a gap to form between a chimney and the exterior wall of a home, especially up near the roofline. When this happens, these tiny critters can easily squeeze right in and gain access to wall voids, rooflines, attic spaces, and the space between the attic ceiling and the outside shingles. Once again, that black staining is going to help figure out if you have bats.  

Attic

It is not common to find a few dozen bats in your attic hanging by their feet. In fact, most attic spaces will feel unwelcoming to bats, especially if you keep your attic neat and clean. But, an attic is a good place to search for evidence of an infestation. If you go up there at night, you may find a bat fluttering around. If you go up in the daytime, you can search for bat droppings (also called guano) to confirm your suspicions. But, for the most part, bats will only enter attic spaces on hot days when the confined spaces they prefer are too hot.   

Rooflines

It may look like your roofline is sound but, more than likely, there are gaps. Over time, a home settles. This can cause gaps that are more than large enough for a little brown bat to squeeze into.

If you're not able to get up there and do a close examination, and you're not ready to call a wildlife control technician yet, you may be able to see black staining on your eaves or soffits, or find piles of bat guano beneath entrance and exit holes.

Ventilation ducts

Bats loves ventilation ducts, but this can be bad for a family. It is bad enough when bat guano lands on walkways and steps and kids track it into the home but ventilation ducts can allow illness to occur from inhalation of airborne particulates.

If you have bats in your ventilation ducts, you should be able to hear them exiting at dusk to go out for a meal. Put your ear to any exposed ducting and have a listen.

Bat Control

The Wildlife Control department here at Thomas Pest Control takes care of bat problems. We'll do a detailed inspection, safely remove any bats present, and apply exclusions to keep new bats from taking up residence in the future. We'll also address issues of contamination to make sure your family is protected.

While bats are beneficial creatures, capable of eating truckloads of mosquitoes, they can be a threat to a family when they get into a home. Exposure to guano can lead to illness, and bats are a known carrier of the rabies virus. Use caution any time you are dealing with a bat.

For more information or to schedule service reach out to us today.