Although Utah is home to 18 species of bats, most Utahns will probably never encounter one. Most bat encounters typically occur in July and August. If bats are using a home as a roost or nursery during this time frame, homeowners will begin to hear odd noises emanating from attics and crawl spaces as the young bats become more active.
Bats typically become active at dusk, emerging to feast at night on flying insects. If you observe bats feeding at this time around your house, you will know bats are somewhere in the area.
To determine if they are coming from your house, consider enlisting the help of your family and neighbors to conduct a “bat watch.” Position the volunteers around your home from dusk until dark. They should be able to see as much of the house as possible. The first person to see a bat should call out. By identifying the location around the house where a bat is first seen, you can concentrate your efforts to locate a possible entry point. Typical entrance points include areas near chimneys, broken or cracked siding, fascia board and soffits. Look for areas that appear smudged. Bats do not fly directly into a small opening. They will land near it and crawl into the opening where body oils will darken the area around it.
Look for piles of mouse-like fecal material in your attic or on the ground outside your house. Bat droppings tend to be clustered as they pile below where bats are roosting. Bat droppings have a shiny, speckled appearance from eating insect wings and will crumble like dust when touched. Mouse droppings on the other hand, tend to be scattered about and become hard when dry. To confirm that the fecal material is not last year’s, lay a piece of newspaper down and see if any more droppings fall. If more appear on the newspaper, you will know you have bats. Be cautious around the droppings. They can carry a fungus known to cause Histoplasmosis. Don't breathe the feces, and avoid contact. Ideally, you should wear a HEPA filter mask and spray the fecal material with a10 percent bleach solution.
If you confirm you have bats using your attic, consider these dos and don’ts.
• Do not spread moth balls in your attic. Although moth balls can be irritating to bats, there are dangers of using them in your home. In addition, getting bats out of the house with moth balls will likely require enough moth balls to drive your family out of the house too.
• Do seal the openings. Most bats that are found in the attics of Utah homes use the attics as nursery colonies. By mid-to-late August, they leave in search of areas for hibernating. Some will migrate. Once they leave the attic, the opening can then be sealed. Sealing the opening before the young bats can fly may trap them inside. Good weatherization is your best bat roost prevention technique.
• Do install exhaust fans. Bats need hot temperatures to raise their young. Installing an attic exhaust fan that turns on when the temperature gets too hot will help discourage bats from living in your home. Do this before the bats return from winter hibernation for best results. The fan temperature gauge should be set at 70 F.
• Do not touch bats. One of the main concerns about bats is rabies. The majority of humans who have died of rabies (also known as hydrophobia) in the United States have died from the bat strain of rabies. As such, some states have changed their protocols for dealing with potential bat exposures. Part of the reason for this change is that bat bites don't leave a mark large enough for most people to notice. If you awaken and find a bat flying around your room, it is best to assume that you or a family member was bitten. If you find a bat in a room with an unattended child, whether sleeping or not, or if you find a bat in a room with someone who was mentally unable to assess whether he or she was bitten, assume they were bitten.
• Do not let the bat escape. If you suspect that a person or pet in your home has come into contact with a bat, it must be captured. Rather than take additional risk, call your local health department or police and inform them of your situation. They should be able to help you catch the bat and tell you where to have it tested. If the bat cannot be captured and tested and someone in your household has come into contact with it, consult with your family physician or local health care provider immediately.
• Do not handle a pet if you suspect it has been bitten. Rabies is carried in the saliva and nerve tissue of its victim. If your pet has bitten the bat or was bitten by it, you won’t know where the bat saliva might be on your pet. If you must handle your pet, do so only with rubber gloves and contact your veterinarian immediately. The likelihood of your contracting rabies from bat saliva on your pet is remote. However, it is safest to take extra precaution.
By: Terry Messmer - Aug. 8, 2009