Bats are often persecuted due to the fact that most people have no understanding of bat ecology and the important role they play in controlling night-flying insects. Bats are not blind, and they do not intentionally get tangled in your hair. Many people seem to think that all bats have rabies. This is not true. Quite the contrary, as less than 1% ever contract rabies, and it is highly unusual for a bat to contact a person, though a sick bat may have no fear of a human or other animals. Almost every person who gets bit does so because they pick up a sick or injured bat. Like any other wild animal, bats should never be handled at any time, especially when found on the ground or in a home.
If a bat is found in your home and you are not able to contact a wildlife control operator, always wear thick leather gloves and use a net, towel, plastic container, or other method for capturing. NEVER try to catch a bat with your bare hands! Unless you are 100% certain the bat in your home had no contact with anyone, bats found inside your home should be taken to your local health department for rabies testing. Even though rabies in bats is not common on a statistical basis, rabies is a deadly disease. If anyone in the home was unknowingly bitten or scratched, by the time rabies symptoms appear it is too late for help. IT IS A FATAL DISEASE. Every state has different protocol regarding bats found in homes, so before releasing them outside call your local health department or animal control for information.
Bats are not rodents, and have little in common with mice or rats. Bats are not filthy little critters. They are meticulous about keeping their fur clean and groomed. The smell associated with bats is due to the accumulation of guano and urine below their roosting areas. They have tiny little teeth, but are still able to inflict a bite to human skin. This would occur when a bat is picked up or otherwise mistakenly contacted. If a bat would accidentally land on you, your reaction would most likely be to brush it off. The bat would bite only as a defensive action. They are not aggressive.
The bats most commonly found using homes for roosts are the Little Brown Bat and the Big Brown Bat. Don't let the "big" name fool you, as a Big Brown only weighs about 1/2 ounce, but has a wingspan from 11 to 13 inches. This makes them look much bigger, especially if one is flying around inside your home. To most people they look like an eagle or condor when cruising around in their house. They are about 4.5" in length when roosting. When feeding, the flight pattern of a Big Brown is fairly straight, and they usually fly from 20 to 30 feet high, often emitting a chatter while flying.
The Little Browns only weigh about 3 to 4/10ths of an ounce, and are only 3 to 3.5 inches long when roosting. Their wingspan is from 8.5 to 10 inches, which still makes them appear large when they are flying indoors. Their outdoor flying pattern when feeding is a very erratic pattern, usually darting back and forth and making quick direction changes. Both Little Browns and Big Browns often emit a chattering sound as they get ready to exit their roosting areas at sunset to begin feeding. The sound is similar to a cricket or katydid noise. I also compare it to the squeaking sound made by quickly rubbing pieces of styrofoam together.
There are no vampire bats in the United States, although they can be found in South America and there are a few in Central America. The bats in our neighborhoods are insectivores, which of course means they live on insects. They consume a tremendous number of night flying insects every night during the spring, summer, and fall seasons.Since bats consume extremely high numbers of mosquitoes and other night-flying insects, they are very beneficial to have around. Many homeowners are installing bat houses on their property to provide a natural method of insect control and reduce the need for pesticides. Bat houses do not increase the chance of having bats in your home. If bats find your home favorable to them as a roosting site, they are already in there. Bat houses are not a solution for a bat problem in a structure. Bats are not going to "move" from your home into a bat house.
Bats do not attack people, and a fear of bats is caused by a lack of education about them. Their echolocation system enables them to locate a tiny insect flying in total darkness. How could anyone think they would run into a person? When people are outdoors at night, insects are attracted to us by heat and smell. The reason bats sometimes appear to be swooping towards us is due to the fact they are simply zoning in on the insects we attract. The next time you see a bat pass close by, you should be thankful. It may have just eaten a West Nile Virus infected mosquito that was about to bite you!
Bats only become a problem when they decide to use an attic or other section of a home or building for a roosting or nursery colony. Most people do not tolerate that idea very well, and it becomes necessary to evict the bats and repair the structure as needed to prevent them from entering in the future. Accumulations of their droppings (guano) can cause odor and bug problems, which is the primary reason bats should be excluded from a structure occupied by people. Bats may use caves or old mining shafts for roosts, but many of those areas are becoming scarce. Bats are adapting by using man-made structures for roosting and nursery colonies. They are able to locate very small openings into homes and buildings, and it seems churches are one of their favorites. Bats do not chew their way into structures!They only use gaps and holes that already exist, and locate them by sensing air currents and temperature. They are simply opportunists. Taller structures are more likely to receive less maintenance due to a lack of access for repairs. People seldom notice small cracks or gaps on higher buildings, but a 1/2" crack in a mortar joint 30 or 40 feet off the ground becomes a superhighway for bats to enter a structure. Since they are nocturnal and for the most part very quiet animals, they often use attics for years before the odor from the build-up of droppings alerts us to their presence.
Never seal your home without performing an exclusion!
Most people will panic when they discover bats are living in their home. The first reaction is to immediately seal all the holes on the structure. It is the absolute worst thing you can do, but unfortunately the most common step that is taken. People who fail to research the subject will usually seal the holes during the day when the bats are roosting inside. The first night after a homeowner closes all access holes becomes quite a memorable experience, as the bats usually find their way into the living quarters as they desperately seek a way out of the structure. Now instead of an odor problem, you have a colony of stressed-out bats flying around in your house. If they are not able to find their way into your living quarters, they die in the attic. You can guess how pleasant that becomes after a week or so.
