Bat Problems & Removal in Bloomington
Bats are one of Bloomington’s biggest pest nuisances. They are known for roosting in the attics of homes and other tight dark spaces. These animals can be very dangerous and can potentially cause structural damage to your home. That’s why the professionals at Critter Control of Bloomington are here to help resolve any pest issue you may have. Give Critter Control of Bloomington a call today for any pest-related problems.
Bloomington Bat Removal Services
If you think you may have bats in your attic, walls, or chimney, our Critter Control of Bloomington professionals will carefully remove the pest and repair any damages left behind. It is important to call immediately if you believe there are bats roosting in your home. When bats are roosting, they leave mass amounts of guano (droppings) lying around, which after time dry up and can cause Histoplasmosis (lung infection) and it doesn’t stop there.
Their droppings are even known to cause structural damage to homes with the capability to rot wood and metal. In addition to their droppings, bats are also one of the leading transmitters of rabies, so it is always better to be safe than sorry when you think there are bats roosting.
How to get rid of bats
When getting ready for bat removal, it’s important to make a plan for humane wildlife control. Many species of bats are federally protected, so to avoid breaking any laws, having professional bat control help is important.
When Critter Control of Bloomington takes care of bat control for your home, we start with an inspection of your house. We wear respirators because exposure to bat guano is dangerous for your health. After the inspection, we will know where the bats are coming from and how to remove them and keep them from coming back.
The most common method of bat removal is a one-way door. This allows the bats to fly out of your home, but not back inside. When we use one-way doors for wildlife control, we are sure to seal any potential entry points before starting the process. Once the door is installed, it takes about a week fo all the bats to leave your home. When we are working with bats in the house, we will use professional tools to safely remove the animals and clean up any guano. Our top priority is keeping you and the bats safe and healthy.
Some bats come back to the same place to roost every year. If you have had bat problems in the past, we want to ensure they don’t come back again. We will implement prevention methods to keep bats out of the house.
How bats get into house
Bats get into your home through existing holes in your house. These holes are hard to find many times as they don't need to be too large for the bats to find their way inside. There may be holes in the siding, holes in your roof, or damage to your chimney cap that are allowing bats into the house, and the holes could be as small as one inch.
Bats can also get into your home accidentally through open doors or windows. If bats are coming and going from your house because they live inside, you can watch them in the evening hours. Simply stand outside your home around sunset, and you can see them flying in and out.
Bats are quite small and can squeeze into tiny spaces. Bats can squeeze in through spaces smaller than an inch. It’s important to seal up any spaces around windows, doors, and vents.
How to keep bats from getting into your house
Bats cannot make holes in your home, so the best way to keep bats from getting into your house is to seal any holes to your home. This includes ensuring holes in the siding are repaired, all vents are properly covered, and the chimney has a screen on it that is in good shape.
You can also discourage bats from coming around your property by minimizing water sources and keeping lights turned out. Bats drink a lot of water, so they will be attracted to water if it’s around your house. Keeping the lights out will prevent bugs from gathering around your home, and since bats like to eat bugs and are attracted to them, you’ll be eliminating their food source.
Keeping Bats Out After Removal
Once the bats have been humanely excluded/removed, we will conduct an inspection around the common areas in which bats may roost in your home. Then, once we make sure every critter is out, we will put exclusion methods in place to keep the bats from coming in through any of their usual entry points. It is best to leave the pest work for the professionals as you don’t want to become ill or further impact any damages.
Bat Damages and Clean-Up
Bats don’t typically cause lots of damage when first entering your home, but that doesn’t mean they don’t cause any damage. It is important to resolve any damages or waste quickly, and as noted above bat droppings can be very harmful to a homeowner’s lungs causing harmful infections. In addition to the infection, their droppings are also super corrosive with the ability to cause structural damage through rotting home materials. The professionals at Critter Control of Bloomington will carefully clean and sanitize any waste and repair any damages to provide residents with a comfortable living space and a safe home.
Bats in your attic? Here’s how to keep them out.
Scratching, squeaking, and fluttering—these are all signs of a bat infestation! Usually making their way inside through the chimney or attic vents, bats are a nuisance animal to have in your Bloomington home.
The signs of a bat infestation are similar to a rodent infestation, but there are a few unique signs to a bat infestation you can look for to help you navigate which problem you have.
How to know you have bats in the attic
Often the first sign of bats in the attic is the sound of scratching, squeaking, or flapping in your ceiling during the night. If you hear scurrying during the day, you likely have a squirely problem, but those quiet nighttime noises might be bats!
Additional signs you have bats in the attic include:
Stains on the attic walls: When bats are in the attic, they all nest together in one concentrated area. Because they all hang together, their droppings run down the walls and cause staining.
Piles of droppings in one concentrated area: No matter where the bats decide to hang out, their dropping compile in one area, generally on top of the insulation under their spot.
Droppings on top of the insulation: Whether the bats are sleeping or flying around, they are leaving droppings behind. You will most likely see the droppings on top of the insulation in your attic because of the color contrast.
Ammonia smell: The droppings left behind by bats in the attic leave a smell behind that will remind you of ammonia.
If you haven’t noticed these signs yet, then you may not have a bat issue! To keep it that way, it’s important to implement bat prevention methods.
How did bats get into my attic?
Bats often find shelter in Bloomington homes during cold weather as shelter. They will also use your attic as a place to give birth to their young. Bats love to live in attics because it’s similar to their native habitat—trees and caves. Because bats can get into your home through a hole the size of a dime, if you have any openings or narrow gaps high on your house, bats will find their way inside. They may also use openings in your siding or holes around windows and doors to make their way inside.
If you suspect any bat problems in your house, give our experts a call today for a phone consultation. Call Critter Control of Bloomington today for any critter-related problems! 812.333.2765