CONFLICT WITH BATS IN BUILDINGS
- One the one hand, human expansion has resulted in loss of habitat, forcing bats to look for alternative roosts in which to live and raise their young. On the other, human structures provide substitutes for refuges that are scarce in the wild. Roof voids, attics, vacant buildings and lapas all provide bats with warm, safe places to live.
- Bat colonies living in human structures may sometimes be noisy or create unpleasant odours. Fruit farmers may experience damage to their crops by fruit bats.
- Some people just don’t want them in their homes, even though they may have been there for years before being discovered.
Make sure that your fears are not unwarranted(See About Bats, Bat Myths & Bat Facts).
How do you know that there are Bats in your Roof?
- Bats can sometimes be detected by the presence of black or brown stains from body oils or droppings around cracks or crevices formed by ill-fitting building materials.
- Bat droppings may also appear on walls, under porches or decks, or on floors beneath dilapidated ceilings.
- Bat droppings are dark and do not contain any white material. Although they may resemble small hard rodent pellets, bat droppings are soft and easily crushed, revealing shiny insect parts.
- The bats flying and foraging in your garden during the evening, are not likely living in your roof as well. You actually have to witness them exiting.
Be careful never to blame bats for squeaking, scratching and thumping sounds heard in roofs and attics – they may be other pests such as rats, mice or mynah birds
Reasons not to exterminate bats
Hiring an exterminator or “doing it yourself” may seem like the simple, very direct solution. Consider these thoughts before attempting any exterminating:
- It is inhumane when better options exist.
- It will ultimately fail because the roost is still available for other bats, and it is unlikely to kill all of them.
- Chemicals that can kill bats are also just as hazardous to humans & pets.
- There are no chemicals licensed for use on bats in the South Africa, thus making it an illegal practice. Any company proposing to do so should have their practices questioned.
- Some services will offer to catch and release bats far away, but bats have been proven to return from up to 600 kilometres away; a few weeks later they will be back.
- Sealing the structure and providing an alternate roost (a bat house) is the permanent solution