How do you find a bat hiding in your house? Bats will most likely land somewhere they can hang—behind curtains or upholstered furniture, on hanging clothes, or in house plants. Carefully place a plastic tub or similar container over them. Gently work a piece of cardboard or stiff paper under the container, trapping the bat inside. Humane Society
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.
How long can a bat live inside a house? 6 months. Generally, they enter the living quarters through unfinished basements, loose attic hatches, or through unlined cold air returns. It is a rare bat that simply flies through the front door as a random occurrence. Depending on the time of year and the climate, bats can live over 6 months without food and water.
Why are bats important? By eating insects, bats save U.S. agriculture billions of dollars per year in pest control. Some studies have estimated that service to be worth over $3.7 billion per year, and possibly as much as $53 billion. This value does not, however, take into account the volume of insects eaten by bats in forest ecosystems. U.S. Department of the Interior
Do vampire bats really exist? Yes, but not in most of the United States. Of the three species of vampire bats in North America, only a single specimen has been recorded for the United States in extreme southwest Texas. Vampire bats do not suck blood--they make a small incision with their sharp front teeth and lap up the blood with their tongue.
Bats become a nuisance when they roost in large numbers in human dwellings. The rapid accumulation of guano (bat droppings) is unsanitary, and serves as a fertile breeding ground for a fungal disease called Histoplasmosis, which is transferable to humans who breathe in the fungal spores.
Not all wildlife removal companies are the same. Some have experience with bat removal projects, and are familiar with the proper methods for bat exclusion. But others use incorrect techniques, such as bat traps, summer exclusions, or worse, fumigants.