Bats in the Belfry

 

Scenario:  

Coworker departs for Charleston for back surgery; gone a couple of days. Returns and his daughter tells him that she thought his house had been broken into after finding the front door standing wide open. Police were called and with weapons drawn, conducted a room to room search. No criminal activity was discovered.  

And now for the rest of the story:

Evidence of intruders were detected in the attic…bats…they had been homesteading there undetected apparently.  

What do you do when you discover a critter infestation? You call an exterminator, right?  

Exterminator says hold onto your bats, these winged rats are protected in South Carolina. Protected…are you kidding? They’re bats. Normal pest control could not touch this. Okay, here at the beach they have the Snake Chaser so possibly they have the Bat Bouncer.  

Nope...friend was given a number and agency to contact. Confirmed a second time, he could not harm the bats that were living and breeding in his attic. Experts would be sent to apply netting to capture the invading species. All entry ways would be obstructed and a new doorway would be installed to funnel the bats in and out of the attic until all were captured or deterred from returning. 

Having back surgery…scary

Finding bats living in your attic…nasty

Removing bats from premises…priceless…not hardly…came with a price tag of $2100.

Leaving one’s front door open…a game changer…maybe even senior moment...

I grew up in the south and never heard anything about bats being protected. Papa and Granny lived in a four room mill house. Bats would often get inside the eves of the house. My grand folks would hear them squealing and fluttering about. Got bats, Who you gonna call?  

The T. Allen teenage version would be summoned by Papa. Armed with a can of Raid I would climb atop the roof and ease along the house eves to the pitch, both sides, spraying the bug juice underneath the eves. Bats don’t like the smell apparently. They’d exit by the hundreds so it seemed, flailing wildly about. Some would make crash landings on the ground. Papa manned with a bat, the wood kind, would batter her up, playing long ball with those falling short of the plate. Yep, Papa killed them dead. We could have been ruthless law breakers back then…that is if anyone actually cared about the extermination of bats. I was an accomplice…a willing partner in the crime…but you do what your papa asks you to do. Besides, it was sort of fun on top of that roof. Back in the day I walked in the shadow of the man I admired, no questions asked, just glad to be there. Bats, we didn't need no stinking bats..

 

Bat Facts:  

Most bats are protected under SC law and should never be maltreated or killed in any circumstance. Always use a reputable and industry specific animal removal and control company.  

Bats are among South Carolina’s most interesting and unique mammals and probably one of the most misunderstood. There are many myths concerning bats that cause some people to unnecessarily fear these mammals. Bats rarely, if ever attack people or "get tangled in your hair." In fact, most bats in the South Carolina are biologically useful mammals. They feed primarily upon insects, many of which are pests to agriculture. However, bats can be harmful pests if they take up residence within buildings. There are good reasons for not tolerating their presence. The scratching and squeaking noises they create are annoying. Their droppings and urine not only stain walls and ceilings, but also cause objectionable, persistent odors that may attract insects such as roaches and other bat colonies, even after the original colony is eliminated. Long-term accumulation of these droppings in attic spaces has been associated with the respiratory disease Histoplasmosis. This disease is caused by a fungal spore called Histoplasma capsulatum. Bat droppings that have decomposed provide an ideal habitat for spore growth and reproduction. And finally, there is a slight chance of someone contacting a rabid bat, although the great majority of house-infesting bats in South Carolina are NOT rabid.  

If you discover a bat colony living in or around your home, it is suggested that you act fast. The longer you wait to resolve a bat infestation problem, the more damages will incur and the more costly the restorations and removal will be. As soon as you suspect possible bat intrusion, contact a local animal removal company. We recommend you do not call an ordinary pest control company! Many pest control companies will advertise that they can remove and trap bats, but this seldom the case.  Pest Control companies specialize in bugs and most do not carry the proper licenses, equipment, and species knowledge to safely and effectively remove bats from a property. These pest control companies are known to use poisons and illegal bat traps to get rid of bats, and in accordance with South Carolina laws, this is far from the right way to remove bats.

I still say Raid goes a long way but that was then, this is now.