Asked on Mar 15, 2012
So today was up in the attic and low and behold we were surprised to find out we have free-renters!! Stay or Go??
by
Ana M
+33
HELP?!?!? So should we mesh the airholes on the side of the house that they are coming in through, or let them be? Someone told us to let them be and welcome them since they will keep mosquitoes away, but REALLY how many mosquitoes can 3-4 little Bats keep away??? I really do not want them telling all their little Bat friends that we have a great B&B they can stay at!
Stay or Go???
32 answers
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Bats can actually eat a ridiculous amount of insects, but mosquitoes aren't typically their favorite. Still, they are not bad to have around. I recommend making a bat house and attracting them away from the house, and sealing wire mesh over all the vents and other openings in the roof. Here are some more opinions and info: http://www.hometalk.com/activity/80630
3po3
on Mar 15, 2012
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Almost every house has them...
HandyANDY - Handyman & All Repairs, LLC
on Mar 15, 2012
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Yea, I agree with Steve. Lure them out and give them an alternative place to live. You never want to run the risk of one coming into the house and you accidentally getting scratched or bitten. they rarely carry rabies but it's better to be safe than sorry. But a bat house would keep all parties safe and happy.
Laura
on Mar 16, 2012
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They are not fun to find when you are at the top of a ladder painting a vent. Nice picture.
Peace Painting Co., Inc.
on Mar 16, 2012
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Charge rent. . . but check their credit rating! LOL
WallsTreat Studio/ Kass Wilson
on Mar 16, 2012
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I am with Steve. You don't want a collection of bat guano (although it is great for the garden I bet) in your house. Get a bat house or two and lure them out of the house. Having them around is great. Now if you decide to keep them, I can get you a renter's agreement. :D
Kevin M. Veler, Law Office of
on Mar 16, 2012
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As one who had more than my share of bats in my previous houes (an 1898 victorian) I vote get rid of them!!! Every spring and summer they would fly around our bedrooms and scare the sh*t our of us in the middle of the night, or make their way down to the first floor and interrupt dinner. one year our cat got got one and killed it (also in the house) ugh....bats are a huge nuisance!
Karen M
on Mar 16, 2012
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I recently watched this show on Animal Planet called Infested. http://animal.discovery.com/tv/infested/ they will wreak havoc on your home and the guano stinks - Get them and seal the place up. Our neighbors in Arlington had them - thousands of them. We'd sit with our evening wine and watch them come out. He had them exterminated (illegal in many cases they are a protected species) but they came back.
Donna McCrummen
on Mar 16, 2012
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Steve has it...keep them around...but have them set up camp "outside" an attic full of bat poo = no fun.
KMS Woodworks
on Mar 16, 2012
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Install the mesh at night while they are out flying. Because bat droppings really stinks. Your entire attic will smell bat droppings. Good luck
Johnny J
on Mar 16, 2012
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Shabby, we saw the same show two days before we discovered the bats!!! I keep thinking these little bats are going to tell all their friends and I am them then going to be featured on Animal Planet! YIKES
Ana M
on Mar 16, 2012
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They are helpfull to hang around but not healthy to have them in your attic. My Mom paid big bucks to seal her home when she found they were living in her roof space. They can cause deciese as the dropings cake your atic.
Cin R
on Mar 16, 2012
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Ana wasn't that gross? Get rid of them. Good advice from Johnny J seal up at night hopefully there aren't any babies up there that can't fly yet.
Donna McCrummen
on Mar 16, 2012
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About a week ago I read about "BAD" in fact HORRIBLE lady bugs/beetles in Georgia. I like lady bugs because they eat aphids. However, I really don't want lady bugs/bats/rats or anything comparable in my home. They belong outside and normally stay there. On this posting I read about bats & the tone is equally bad. I know nothing about bats. Are these just cycles for these critters and what I like today I will want to kill tomorrow? Or should I just be aware!
Sherrie S
on Mar 16, 2012
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Lady Bugs good - Bats bad
Donna McCrummen
on Mar 16, 2012
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Those bats are very beneficial but if you don't want them around why don't you consider leaving them there for the season, they will migrate in the winter time, and block your holes off this winter so they can't come back next year. That is what I would do if I didn't want them hanging around.
Paul M
on Mar 17, 2012
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Very gross Shabby Daze, at least it's not the roaches or rats one!!!
Ana M
on Mar 18, 2012
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THANKS EVERYONE! Will be meshing up those vents, when hopefully they are "out" definitely do not want them as free-loaders!
Ana M
on Mar 18, 2012
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Did you see my post with a video on bats in a roof? (Posted today) roofer taking off roof tiles, must have been hundreds..check out the post! I never knew this could happen. Yikes!
Bernice H
on Apr 20, 2012
- See 1 previous
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Ewwww Bernice! And I saw a show on TLC about that same thing! Ewwww!
Ana M
on Apr 22, 2012
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Skeeter eaters!
Jamie M
on Apr 23, 2012
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I like having bats around just not in my house. I put up a bat house outside where they used to go in under an eave. First put up a bat house, watch and when they fly out of the area you don't want them (usually at dusk) seal it so they can't get back in. They will soon take up residence in their new home. I live in a fieldstone home so hard to get bat house tight to wall so some live in it and some live behind it.
Gail
on Dec 22, 2014
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FYI, the smell of bat guano is nearly impossible to be rid of.
Barb Vault
on Dec 22, 2014
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put a bat house outside
Regina
on Dec 22, 2014
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Be nice to BATS. :-) They are dying at an alarming rate due to a fungus ( not harmful to humans ). Go to BATWORLD.org or a few other of the very knowledgeable sites. They eat their body weight in bugs nightly. They only have 1 pup per year so if it dies in your attic it's a big deal. *** There are wildlife rehabbers who can help and may be able to relocate them for you. Bat World is also on Facebook. They are worth more than their weight in gold. No bats = more pesticides. Never touch them barehanded. The rehabbers have had pre-exposure shots to protect them in case one is ill.
Brenda Wells
on Jan 15, 2015
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Hi - bats are a 'protected species' and if you don't want them they have to be removed only by professionals who actually deal with bats. Therefore you need to ring one of them - perhaps look in your Yellow Pages or the internet to find someone in your area who can deal with them. I was in the UK and bought an old farmhouse and renovated it and that is what we had to do and they took them away and placed them somewhere else. Good luck :)
Denise Hardy
on Jan 15, 2015
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We moved into an old farmhouse many years ago and discovered hundreds yes hundreds of bats in the attic. You need to let them leave then cover any entry point. Bats return to their place of birth and will continue to return unless you prevent it. We thought we had eliminated them, but at least one or two got back and now we are faced with the same problem again. Good luck.
Terri
on Jan 15, 2015
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Bats are wonderful !!! Please let them stay.
Wendy Vasion
on Feb 22, 2015
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Bats are good for pest control but their poo is very dangerous. As an FHA Appraiser I had to report a bat infestation. State law requires bat abatement. The bats had to be removed and because of the bat poo the sellers had to spend over $5,000 for removal, disposal of affected building materials. Then everything had to be put back together. When dry the poo is a fine dust that causes severe respiratory problems and even death.
Pat1136152
on Feb 22, 2015
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Yes bats are great, however, the roosting in attics is not good for humans. My friend had terrible bat problem--bats not being the problem, but their poo. Professionals removed the bats-no harm done-then had to wear hazmat suits to remove the guano (poo). Bats poo carries histoplasmosis. Quote from CDC " Histoplasmosis is another disease associated with bats. Its symptoms vary greatly, but the disease primarily affects the lungs. Occasionally, other organs are affected. When this happens it can be fatal if untreated. In addition, Histoplasmosis is caused by a fungus that grows in soil and material contaminated with droppings from animals, including bats. Droppings, also known as bat guano, can contaminate the soil and cause infectious spores to be released when the soil is disturbed." Bats are also carry rabies. Please read article from CDC and others on web. Three little bats can become hundreds and the cost of removing is $$$$. Who wants a floor above your head full of guano?
Helen
on Oct 05, 2016
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you can buy bat houses that mount to the exterior of your home. And those tiny little bats can eat up to 3 million insects each per night. keep them.
Constance G
on Oct 08, 2016
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secondly collect the guano and add it to your compost pile. Its amazing fertilizer.
Constance G
on Oct 08, 2016
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