Bats are usually able to exist near human homes without making their presence known. However, with decreasing amounts of habitat available for bats (e.g., trees being cleared), bats may find their way into man-made structures. Bats use existing openings (cracks as small as 1 ¼ inch by 3/8 of an inch) to enter buildings or to roost in attics.
What time of day are bats most active? Bats are the most active at night between the hours of dusk to dawn. As night approaches, bats begin to increase their activity. They will start flying around their cave and then leave in search of food and water. Bats will typically feed for about an hour or two, rest for a bit, then feed again before daybreak.
What does bat pee smell like? Bat excrement produces an unpleasant odor as it decomposes in attics, wall spaces, and other voids. The pungent, musty, acrid odor can often be detected from outside a building containing a large or long-term colony.
4 Myths To Get Rid of Bats in the Attic
- Install an Ultrasonic Bat Repeller.
- Make the attic an undesirable place for the colony of bats by installing an ultrasonic bat repeller next to their roosting spot.
- Set up Bat Houses.
- Scare Bats Away with Christmas Lights.
- Block their Entrance Points.
Is it bad to have bats around your house? Bat droppings, called guano, can cause health issues in humans, bats can get into the living area of a home, bat infestations left unchecked can lead to damage to the home as the weight of the guano can affect the attic floor/living quarters ceiling. The guano can also attract insects into the home.
How long does a bat live? Between 20 and 40 years. Compared to a similar-sized animal like a rat that lives only two or three years, bats live between 20 and 40 years. Researchers theorize this has to do with the ability of bats to fly.
What happens if you have bats? It is illegal to intentionally kill, injure or take any bat or to recklessly damage, destroy or block up their roosts or disturb them. Because bats tend to return to the same roosts each year, these sites are protected whether the bats are present or not.