Bats are very important to human beings … but … (you still probably want get rid of bats … )
Bats are very important for humans and our ways of life, as they provide a number of valuable, environmental services for us. Notably, bats consume gigantic numbers of insects, pollinate flowers, and spread fruit seeds to new locations for natural planting. Bats are timid creatures that will go well out of their way to avoid contact with humans. However, some of the habits of bats, do, at times, conflict with humans.
As such, there are certainly some perfectly good reasons for wanting to get rid of bats in your house, home, and places of business.
Fear – Many people are quite unnecessarily fearful of bats, probably due to centuries of superstition, misunderstanding, ignorance and “old wives’ tales,” not to mention the “magical,” “scary” and “dangerous” ways in which bats have so often and incorrectly been portrayed on television and in Hollywood movies.
Although this fear of bats, especially without relatively close contact to them or their excrement, is mostly unsubstantiated, many people are simply quite afraid of bats and uncomfortable with the idea of being around them. Simply being afraid of and uncomfortable around bats is quite reason enough for many people to want to get rid of bats.
Structural Damage to your Building – Bats don’t damage buildings by chewing on them, or tearing them up. However, they can do a good bit of damage to buildings in other ways. Their excrement will accumulate over time, resulting in this waste dripping through ceilings, contaminating and ruining insulation, sheet rock, plywood, particle board, etc.
Eventually, this will weaken and damage the structure from deterioration. The only way, of course, to prevent your building from being damaged by bat excrement is by getting rid of bats that have moved into your buildings, and preventing them from returning.
Bats Can be a Health Hazard, Especially for Humans – Maybe the Best Reasons for Wanting to Get Rid of Bats:
Bat Mites – Bat Mites are tiny, parasitic mites that feed on a bat host, especially brown bats, that roost in colonies. Given the opportunity, Bat Mites will also bite, and feed on humans. Bat mites prefer living in dark, protected areas and small spaces where they are particularly difficult to locate and get rid of. Bats can and do become infested with and spread Bat Mites, which can live for up to a year, if living in cool areas. The only way to get rid of Bat Mites is to get rid of bats, the food supply of the Bat Mites, and then kill the mites.
Fleas – Bats can also carry and spread fleas, which are also small, parasitic, human and other mammal biting pests. Once fleas infest an area, especially an area where mammal hosts are available for the fleas to feed upon, the fleas can be very difficult to get rid of. The bats that carry and spread fleas have to be removed. Fleas are best controlled by not allowing them to spread into human living spaces in the first place.
Well … yes … Bat Excrement Doesn’t SMELL so Good … and, frankly, the exposure to it can be very unhealthy for humans, as well. This unpleasant and unhealthy smell is also quite reason enough to want to get rid of bats.
Bat feces, known as guano, and bat urine, produce a very unpleasant odor as they dry and chemically break down in attics, wall spaces, and other areas. The smell is distinctively unpleasant, robust and acrid, not unlike the smell of a dead animal decomposing inside the walls of a building. In the right geographical locations, the presence of bat guano can certainly create an environment conducive to the growth of the respiratory disease, Histoplasmosis. (see below).
Bats and Histoplasmosis – Histoplasmosis is a respiratory disease caused by a fungus that grows in soil that has been exposed to animal droppings, including the feces and urine from bats. The fungus is transmitted to humans by spores traveling through the air on dust particles, and being inhaled into the lungs. 90% of all reported cases in humans come from the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys, and adjacent areas. In these areas, the warm and humid conditions are optimal for the fungus to grow. In Canada, and in more northern and western areas of the United States, Histoplasmosis is rare, or even essentially nonexistent.
The majority of Histoplasmosis infections result in either no symptoms, or symptoms rather like the Flu. However, it is possible for some individuals to become seriously ill, especially people who have breathed in large quantities of the histoplasmosis spores.
If you find bat feces (guano) and urine in or around your home, you might want to contact an expert to get rid of your bats. You will also have to get rid of the terrible odor, the bat waste, and Histoplasmosis spores, without exposing yourself.
However, if you choose to clean up areas contaminated with bat guano, be sure and at least use protective gloves. Also, to avoid breathing airborne Histoplasmosis spores, be sure to use respirators that can filter out particles as small as two microns.
Rabies – Rare, but Potentially Dangerous – At best estimate, less than one half of one percent of bats are infected with Rabies. However, those bats that DO carry Rabies are more likely to become sick or disoriented, thus potentially increasing the likelihood of their coming into contact with humans. Of the few Rabies cases reported in the United Stated each year, over half of them are caused by bat bites. The possibility, although slight, of exposure to Rabies is another good reason to get rid of bats.
Bats are relatively timid creatures that will reliably go well out of their way to avoid contact with humans. However, if you come into close contact with a bat, you should be cautious, careful and take precautions not to get bitten. Do not handle bats with your bare hands, rather, be sure and use gloves if you must handle a bat. Depending upon the size of the bat, their bite might not be particularly painful or even noticeable. Some bats are quite small, and have small mouths with small, but very seriously sharp teeth. If you have reason to believe that you may have been bitten by a bat, make every effort to capture the bat, and have it immediately tested for the presence of Rabies.
So … the Purpose of Getting Rid of Your Bats Would Be …
The purpose of getting rid of your bats, then, would be to:
(1) keep their living arrangements separate from those of humans, and
(2) alleviate the possibilities of direct contact, which could result in being bitten, and
(3) prevent bat excrement from being deposited in the buildings and especially the living spaces of humans.
At the same time, we want bats to live freely in the out-of-doors and in the wild, where they can continue to provide their valuable ecological services, without contaminating, compromising or threatening the lives and health of humans.