Many different species of bats live in the United States, and with the differing species come different winter behavior. Some bats migrate when the weather gets cold, while others hibernate for the winter. By understanding the behavior of bats, you’ll be able to clearly see why bats choose to roost in people’s homes over the winter season.
A Place to Hibernate
Hibernating bat species find themselves looking for places to hibernate with a specific temperature, typically between 35 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Attics in people’s homes tend to be right around this temperature during the coldest parts of the winter season. However, that’s not all people’s homes have to offer.
Benefits of Attic Hibernation
Caves have served bats for millions of years, but over the past couple of millennia, they’ve found another solution: attics. These areas have the perfect temperature and humidity levels for bats to roost. They tend to have nearby food sources available, as well as protection from the predators that can often be found in caves.
Potential Issues and Concerns
Bats are known for spreading rabies, but it’s actually fairly uncommon for bats to spread this disease to humans. Guano can spread disease in some cases. The main risk with bats is that they’ll damage property with their urine, feces and scratching habits. Healthwise, there’s more risk of humans coming into close contact with bats and making them sick than the other way around. Bats are pollinators and bug eaters, making them essential to the ecosystem. That’s why bat removal must be handled by professionals.
Tips to Deter Bats from Choosing Your Home
To deter bats from entering your home, start by inspecting and sealing potential entry points, like holes in the walls or foundation. You can also build a bat house if you’re looking for a humane way to keep them away, but you need to be sure to maintain this type of structure and recognize that it can take bats up to a year to be attracted to it. Your best bet is to make sure your home doesn’t have easy access points.
Seeking Professional Assistance
When you start seeing — or hearing — signs of bats, you should seek professional help from a qualified bat removal specialist. Look for someone who will remove bats from your home in a safe way during the right season when it’s legal to do so. This may vary depending on where you live. Since many species of bats are endangered, it’s crucial to ensure that anyone taking care of bats in your homes is following the local laws.
During the winter months, having bats in your home could be a form of free pest control. However, when they become more active in the spring, they start to cause trouble. The West Des Moines bat control experts at Pro-Staff can inspect your home and work with you to schedule a humane bat removal. Call us at 515-279-7378 or contact us online to schedule an inspection.
