Ask Your Uncle: Are Bats in the House Dangerous?
Welcome to Ask Your Uncle, a regular feature at LGBTSr.com answering questions big and small. Have something to ask your uncle? Email us at Uncle@LGBTSr.com.
Q: We live in a house and every summer we get at least one bat flying around inside. Are they dangerous? And how can we safely remove a bat?
A: Uncle lives in a house, too, and ours is in the woods. We have the same issue. It can be especially alarming to see a bat flying around the bedroom ceiling. But let’s examine this a little and find some answers. Harming the bat is never one of them.
Bats are very small and can fit through the tiniest opening. Sometimes they get into a house through a torn screen door or an opening in a window. They can also find their way in through an attic. It’s always by accident – bats don’t want to be inside any more than we want them there! Let’s start at the top … the attic.
How Do Bats Get Into Attics and Basements?
Bats are small and it is not difficult for them to sneak into even the tiniest crevasses in your home which leads to bats in basement or bats in attics. It is also common for bats to enter through unscreened fireplaces or open windows. If you hear unpleasant noises around your house at night, you may have a bat problem or bats in the attic.
Signs of Bats in the Home
If youʼve noticed droppings, or stains on the side of your house or noises from bats in attics, itʼs possible that bats have made their way inside. Droppings and staining are common identifiers of bat entry. You may also have bats in your house if you hear scratching sounds in the attic, or within the walls. If you experience any of this in your house, the next step is to perform a bat watch. You will likely notice bats flying in and out of your house around sunset. If you see any bat activity in or around your house, call [a local bat expert to do an inspection and offer suggestions on keeping the bats out of your attic and house].
Uncle says: Bats are protected in many states for their contribution to the ecosystem. They help keep the insect populations down and are harmless in the vast majority of cases. In New Jersey, where Uncle lives, it’s illegal to harm a bat, unless you have contained it and called animal control to have it tested for rabies. Bats are one of just a few native species to carry the rabies virus, and that’s where most of our fear comes from … along with the startling sight of a bat zipping around the room.
How to Safely and Humanely Removes Bats from Your House (the Human Society)
Sometimes a bat may go off course and accidentally find their way into a home. This is no cause for alarm. Stay calm and follow these steps to remove them safely and humanely.
Remain calm and keep pets and children away. The bat will tend to fly in a U-shaped path, flying higher near the walls and lower in the center of the room, so keep near a wall.
Close interior doors and give the bat a way to get outside. If the bat doesn’t exit on their own, it is best to wait until they land to try to catch them.
Important: Never try to handle a bat with your bare hands.
Wear thick work gloves—but not cotton, as most bats can easily bite through cotton. If gloves are not available, you can capture a bat in a rolled-up T-shirt or something of similar material. Make sure there is enough thickness to the material used so you will not be bitten. (Don’t use a towel, as the bat’s claws might get snagged in its loops.)
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. Now you are ready to release the bat outdoors.
Because most bats cannot take flight from the ground, tilt the container or allow the bat to climb a tree trunk or other vertical surface.
Important: If there is a possibility that a bat has bitten someone, the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) recommends the bat be tested for rabies. Contact your local animal control agency about this.
Next, find how they got in. The bat may have been roosting somewhere in the house and mistakenly found their way to the living space. Common entry points include gaps and openings that lead to attics or cellars—places that may harbor more bats. Inspect thoroughly and seal potential interior entrances.
Uncle says: The bat is not out to get you! It wants to fly free, just like we do. Make every effort to let it get out on its own, or safely trap it and take it outside. Uncle has used a large strainer with a long handle, then carefully slid a piece of cardboard under it with the bat inside the strainer. Head outside, put the strainer on the ground so the bat can fly away, and go back inside. Bats are part of nature. The movies made them scary, but the’re just as afraid of us as we are of them. Don’t let them drive you batty!
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