In the summer months, we receive phone calls from people daily who have bats in their attic or flying around in the living spaces of the home at night. Understandably, this can be a little unnerving especially if there are young children in the home.
I assure callers the problem can be corrected and without harming the bats. Basically, we evict the bats (get them out) and the seal up the home (usually the roof areas) so that they can not return.
One question that I am often asked is what about bat houses? That is a good question. I think of bat houses installed in your yard as more of a conservation effort than a prevention one.
Another-words, while they will never fix a bat problem you already have in your home, they can be a good idea for the bat population as whole from a conservation standpoint. Similar too installing a bluebird house to give the birds a place to nest and raise their young, thereby assisting in the species well being.
The difference between bat houses and bird houses though is important. Put a bird house up in your backyard and you will probably have resident birds in short order. A bat house has no such success rate in CT.
When installing a bat house, certain rules apply and even when they are all followed, success with nesting bat's can take years, if it ever happens at all.
A bat house needs to be on a pole, not a tree that will leaf out in the spring and put the house in the shade. This is important because in Ct. a bat house needs to be in full sun. It even helps to paint or stain it a dark color. Bats like it hot! In my experience over the years, a majority of homes in our area do not have enough sun to support a bat house, due too the many trees in our state.
A bat house must also be properly constructed so purchasing from a bat conservation organization is best, such as http://batconservation.org./ or http://batcon.org/
It should also be high above the ground, 20 feet is good. Higher is better.
Considering these thoughts before investing in a bat house is a good idea and may help with success or save you from the expense and time of something that may not work in the long run.
Remember that a bat will never leave your warm insulated attic, ceiling or wall to go hang in a cold box outside.
Bats are an important part of our environment and should be protected. Keeping them out of your home is important though because their guano can accumulate and have a strong odor, bat bugs can accompany the bats and we certainly don't want those in the house and of course, bats can carry the rabies virus.
I hope to post here on a regular basis and some topics on my mind are bats and white nose syndrome, how to choose a wildlife operator if you have a problem and the risks of cleaning up after mice.
There's a lot of talk lately about the bears in our area as well and it seems everyone knows someone that has seen one. They are here to stay it seems.
Lenny Gorski
Shoreline Wildlife Management llc
Clinton CT
http://www.shorelinewildlife.com/
