What Happens to Bats After Bat Removal?

Posted on June 20, 2018 by virginia

Nuisance bats can be a big problem for property owners. They can cause a wide range of structural damages, and can even pose several health risks to people and pets. Fortunately, there are qualified wildlife rescue and control companies that specialize in safe and humane bat removal. They will extract nuisance bats, non-lethally of course, and then bat-proof your property to prevent future infestations. They may even be able to perform cleanup and restoration services for the leftover bat damages, including excrement removal, decontamination, and minor structural repairs (i.e. attic insulation, drywall, floorboards, odor management, etc.).

But once a wildlife control company removes bats, what do they do with them? Continue reading to learn more about the industry practices for bat rehabilitation and relocation.

Virginia Bat Removal and Control 804-729-9097

Where Do Bats Go?

When a licensed and insured wildlife removal and control company arrives to remove a bat, they come fully equipped with everything they need to keep the bat safe and comfortable. They carry a bat rescue kit that contains items like a small escape-proof cage lined with bedding, 1cc syringes loaded with a sodium lactate solution (Ringer’s®) to keep the bat hydrated, meal worms for juvenile or adult bats, leather gloves, an extendable pole, and cloths for wrapping the bat up to be carried to its cage.

Once the wildlife control operator has the bat safely in its transport cage, they transfer it to a wildlife rehabilitation laboratory to be screened for CNS rabies symptoms. Once the bat has been cleared of Rabies, it is time to relocate it to a safe and faraway habitat where it can live out the remainder of its life, peacefully and protected.

DIY Bat Removal is Not an Option

Those with a nuisance wild animal control permit are the only individuals authorized to extract, transport, and relocate bats. They operate their business within accepted industry standards and best practices, and in accordance with local, state, and federal laws that govern wildlife. Here are some laws you should know about before you attempt to deal with nuisance bats on your own:

In Virginia it is illegal to:

1) Transport, release, or relocate a bat anywhere other than the property it was caught on. (4VAC15-30-50)

2) Poison any animal (including bat) other than rats and mice on your property. (4VAC15-40-50)

According to the Endangered Species Act, it is a Federal offense to “harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct” any endangered or threatened species.”

Furthermore…

Out of the 16 common species of bat in Virginia, there are 3 species that are Federally-endangered and protected under the Endangered Species Act. These species include the Gray bat (Myotis grisescens), Indiana bat (Myotis Soladis), and Virginia Big-Eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii virginianus).

If you find a bat in the house with multiple occupants (especially children), the Virginia Department of Health strongly encourages to have the bat tested for Rabies. But do not panic; less than ½ of 1% of all bats carry the Rabies virus.

Virginia Bat Removal and Control

Virginia Bat Removal and Control 804-729-9097

Call Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 for safe and humane bat removal and control assistance in Old Dominion. We serve all of Virginia with 24 hour bat removal, as well as, numerous residential and commercial bat exclusion services, such as bat cleanup and restorations for bat damages. We even provide insurance work! Contact us at 804-729-9097 to request a free estimate, anytime.

Facts About White-Nose Syndrome and Bats

Posted on June 7, 2018 by virginia

White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) is a bat killing disease that has already wiped out millions of bats across the world. Learn more about this debilitating bat disease, and what you should do if you are concerned about bat activity around your house.

Virginia Bat Removal and Control 804-729-9097

White-Nose Syndrome is a fatal disease that affects hibernating bat colonies. It is named after its most distinct symptom, which is a white-colored film that develops on the snouts and wings of infected bats. The disease is caused by a psychrophilic (cold-loving) fungus called Pseudogymnoascus destructans, which is formerly known as Geomyces destructans.

It tends to affects bats since the fungus cannot thrive in temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius. Caves in wintertime make for the perfect growth conditions for this type of fungus; and many bat colonies use caves just like these to hibernate for the season. Bats decrease their metabolic rate and drop their body temperature to save energy during hibernation.

The disease causes bats to wake up more often in warmer temperatures. This disruption in hibernacula jeopardizes their energy and fat reserves. It causes them to use up more energy, lose body fat, and eventually starve to death. In later stages of the disease, infected bats in will also become dehydrated, suffer from acidification, and have scarring of the wings, which hinders their flying abilities. It is suggested by researchers that infected bats use twice as much energy as a healthy bat would.

The disease usually spreads direct contact with other infected bats, or by picking up the fungus from contact with contaminated surfaces. White-Nose Syndrome causes very high death rates and population regressions in various species of bat, such as the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus), federally-protected Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis), and Northern Long-Eared bat (Myotis spetentronalis).

What To Do About Nuisance Bats

Although bats are beloved and significant mammals that provide a wide range of benefits for our surrounding eco-systems, they can sometimes lose their way and become a pest problem for residential and commercial homeowners. If you are concerned that the bat activity around your home or building has continued to increase, it may be time for some professional intervention, just to be sure your property is protected from potential break-ins and infestations. Contact a licensed Virginia bat removal and control specialist for professional inspections, advice, and service. They can provide safe, humane, and effective solutions to your current and future bat problems.

Contact Our Bat Pros Today

Virginia Bat Removal and Control 804-729-9097

Call Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 when you need prompt and professional Virginia bat removal and control you can afford. We use safe and humane methods to deliver effective 24 hour bat control for residential and commercial properties throughout Virginia. We serve all of Virginia, including Richmond, Petersburg, Short Pump, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Newport News, Virginia Beach, and all of their surrounding areas.

The Difference Between a Wild Bat and a Nuisance Bat

Posted on May 17, 2018 by virginia

Virginia Bat Removal and Control 804-729-9097

Bats have had it hard in terms of repute. Many people think of bats a dirty rodents and pests, when in fact, bats are incredibly unique and remarkable species that play an integral role in our surrounding eco-systems. For instance, bats are the only mammal that can fly! This is an incredible attribute, making them very special. Furthermore, they are integral in insect control, consuming more than 1,000 mosquitoes, gnats, flies, moths, and more, every night. That is a great favor for you since it keeps your property clear of unwanted bugs. As you can see, bats are not as bad as they are made to seem. However, there are cases in which bats in the wild become nuisance bats.

Continue reading to learn the difference between a wild bat and a nuisance bat. The distinction is important, especially if you have bats on or around your property.

Nuisance Bats

In Virginia, bats can be abated or excluded if they are deemed a “nuisance” to a residential or commercial property owner. According to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF), “(…) species found committing or about to commit depredation upon ornamental or shade trees, agricultural crops, wildlife, livestock or other property or when concentrated in numbers and manners as to constitute a health hazard or other nuisance.”

Wild Bats

Although bats can fit into the “nuisance” category quite often, it does not include bats that are labeled as “endangered” or “threatened” under federal law. Endangered and threatened species of bat are protected under the Endangered Species Act. This Act makes it a Federal offense to “harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct” to endangered or threatened species.

There are Currently 3 Endangered Species of Bat in Virginia:

☑ Gray Bat (Myotis grisescens)
☑ Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalis)
☑ Virginia Big-Eared Bat (Corynorhinus townsendii virginianus)

What To Do if You Find a Bat

If you discover that there’s a bat in your house, you need to contact a licensed Virginia bat removal company for emergency bat removal services. You can try to isolate the bat to one area of the home. So if it is in the bedroom, simply shut the door and leave one all the windows open to encourage the bat to fly outside. Leave the room like this until the bat removal specialists arrive.

If you find a bat on your property, whether a stranded baby or an injured adult, take your pets inside and leave it alone. Let nature take its course. If you have outdoor pets or children, contact a wildlife rescue company to have the bat safely and humanely removed and relocated. Special permits are required to transport bats and other wildlife.

If you notice bats flying around your property, you are in luck because you have a built-in insect control system. However, you need to have your home inspected and sealed up to by a licensed Virginia bat control company to ensure bats cannot enter your home and cause structural damages.

Virginia Bat Removal and Control

Virginia Bat Removal and Control 804-729-9097

Call Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 for safe and humane bat removal and control assistance in Old Dominion. We serve all of Virginia and its surrounding areas. We offer 24 hour bat removal, as well as, numerous residential and commercial bat exclusion services, such as bat cleanup and restorations for bat damages. We even provide insurance work! Contact us today for a free estimate.

Can I Keep a Stray Baby Bat as a Pet?

Posted on March 19, 2018 by virginia

Virginia Bat Removal and Control 804-729-9097

It is very possible to find a stray baby bat on the ground, especially if you are near forested areas and large bodies of water. Baby bats, known as “kits”, are sometimes deserted in nature for several reasons. Some common reasons include blue jay attacks and storms, but most often, kits are lost in the mix of being moved from one roost to another by their mothers. Other times, baby bats are deserted by their mothers if they are sick or injured. Injuries can occur from high falls, cats and other predators, and more. If a kit is infected with rabies or another transmissible disease, it is likely that they were left by their mothers to, like most rabid animals, find a secluded spot to die quietly.

Regardless of why a baby bat has become isolated and grounded, it is important that you leave it right where you found it, and keep moving. If you suspect that the bat could be rabid, immediately contact a local Virginia bat control company to report the bat and eliminate the hazard. You must understand that you are not qualified to rehabilitate an injured bat, nor raise and care for a wild bat as a pet.

Here’s why you should never keep a stray bat as a pet:

Bat Lifespan

There are many facts surrounding pet bats that should persuade you to never domesticate one. For example, bats can live up to 25 years or more in the wild. However, most bats only live an average of one year in domestication. This is cruel and unusual punishment for such a significant mammal in our ecosystem. Bats are meant to be out in the open, not enclosed in a controlled environment. In order to have a true quality of life, they need to be free from domestication.

Pet Bat Laws

There are also various laws that protect wildlife, including bats, from domestication, hunting, trapping, and more. This means that owning a pet bat is illegal on many levels. State and federal governments closely regulate the capturing and transportation of wild bats from nature. Furthermore, in order to be legally certified to work with bats in these regards, one would require USDA permits from the local Animal Health Inspection Service.

If You Find a Stray or Injured Bat

If you are in nature away from the general public, the best course of action to take upon finding a stray or injured bat is to keep on walking. Do not mind it any attention, and allow nature to take its course. However, if you are in a place where people often visit, such as your neighborhood or a local park, it is important to report the bat to the proper authorities to avoid any future injuries to the bat or other people. Contact a Virginia bat control company and tell them where the bat is located. They will safely and humanely retrieve and relocate the bat.

Virginia Bat Removal and Control

Virginia Bat Removal and Control 804-729-9097

Call Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 when you need prompt and professional Virginia bat removal and control you can afford. We use safe and humane methods to deliver effective 24 hour bat control for residential and commercial properties throughout Virginia, including Richmond, Petersburg, Short Pump, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Newport News, Virginia Beach, and more. Request a free estimate, today.

3 Transmissible Bat Diseases That Can Affect People and Pets

Posted on March 9, 2018 by virginia

Although the actual risk of infection is low, bats, like most mammals, have the ability to carry and transmit several types of bacteria and viruses that can be harmful to both humans and pets. The most common bat diseases include Histoplasmosis, Rabies, and parasitic infestations like mites and lice.

Continue reading to learn some facts about each, and what you can do to protect your home from nuisance bat problems.

Virginia Bat Removal and Control 804-729-9097

❶ Histoplasmosis

Histoplasmosis is a serious lung infection that causes upper respiratory complications. Histoplasmosis is caused by Histoplasma capsulatum fungal spores that grow on animal droppings. The fungal spores become airborne, causing people and pets to contract the illness through inhalation. In mild cases, people infected with Histoplasmosis show no signs or symptoms, while others may show signs of a mild lung infection after 1 or 2 weeks.
Some people may experience more severe complications if it spreads to other parts of the body, known as Disseminated Histoplasmosis. Histoplasmosis is especially dangerous, and potentially fatal, for elderly citizens and those with suppressed immune systems. Most people do not require treatment for Histoplasmosis, however, the young, sick, and elderly will need treatment.

❷ Rabies

Bats are a common rabies vector in North America. But just because they are potential carriers does not mean they are infected. It is important to note that it is very rare for a bat to be rabid, and even rarer for a person to contract Rabies from a bat. However, pets are a higher risk of contracting rabies since they may stumble upon a rabid lone bat in the yard. If a person or animal does contract the Rabies virus, there is no treatment. Unfortunately, it attacks the nervous system, making it fatal in most cases. It is vital to have your pets vaccinated annually for Rabies and more.

❸ Bat Mites/Lice

Although parasitic outbreaks are not fatal, they are extremely aggravating and difficult to eliminate. Common infestations are bat mites, lice, and fleas. Not only are these highly contagious and transferrable, they can be spread by both humans and pets. Virtually all bat infestations will come with some sort of parasitic infestation, primarily bat mites. Parasites like these are very common, and they grow at incredibly fast rates. If such outbreaks are not managed efficiently, it can take a lot of time, money, and construction to resolve.

How to Get Rid of Bats in Virginia

Virginia Bat Removal and Control 804-729-9097

Call Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 when you need prompt and professional Virginia bat removal and control you can afford. We use safe and humane methods to deliver effective 24 hour bat control for residential and commercial properties throughout Virginia. Aside from extensive experience and expert knowledge of the bat removal and control industry, we set ourselves apart from our competitors by offering superior client support and maintaining economy-based prices. Request a free estimate or advice, today.

The Differences Between Megabats and Microbats

Posted on January 5, 2018 by virginia

There are two primary suborders that all bats can be categorized in depending on their particular biologics and physiognomies. These suborders are Microchiroptera and Megachiroptera. Continue reading to learn about them both, and the attributes that set them apart.

Megachiroptera – Fruit Bat

Classification of Bats

Bats are part of the Animal Kingdom, and further broken down into narrower classifications, including the Chordata Phylum, Mammalia Class, and of course, the Chiroptera Order. Within the Chirptera Order, bats are categorized into one of two suborders: Microchiroptera and Megachiroptera. Also referred to as microbats and megabats, these suborders are quite different in size, diet, habitat, and more.

Microchiroptera – Microbats

Microchiroptera bats are small, echolocating bats that maintain an insectivorous diet, with the exception of Vampire Bat species, which retain a dietary trait called hemotophagy, and consumes small droplets of blood on livestock like cows, horses, sheep, and goats. Other than Vampire Bats, microbats primarily eat a wide variety of insects, including moths, flies, mosquitos, grasshoppers, dragonflies, crickets, beetles, termites, ants, and more. It is rare, but some larger species of microbat hunt birds, lizards, frogs, smaller bats, or even fish. They generally roost in trees, caves, abandoned mines, and buildings in forested or wooded areas that are near bodies of water. Microbats make up the nuisance bat populations in our area of the country, with 9 species of bat native to Virginia.

Microchiroptera Bat

In appearance, microbats are much smaller than megabats. They have much smaller bodies and smaller eyes, but they are not blind. They can see quite well, and use their echolocating abilities to better dive and dart for prey. Microbats also lack the claw at the second finger of the forelimb. As for ears, microbats have larger ears that retain a tragus, which is thought to aid in echolocation. Megabats have small ears and no tragus, but large visual cortexes that allow them to see well.

Megachiroptera – Megabats

Megachiroptera bats only includes one family, Pteropodidae, but can be further narrowed into 7 Subfamilies, including Nyctimeninae, Cynopterinae, Harpiyonycterinae, Macroglossinae, Pteropodinae, Rousettinae, and Epomophorinae, and 166 different species. Also known as megabats, old world fruit bats, and simply, fruit bats, Megachiroptera is a significantly different suborder of bats compared to Microchiroptera. They are much larger in size, and live in tropical and subtropical climates. The most significant difference is that they do not possess echolocation abilities, nor do they eat insects.

Instead, megabats have large eyes and have great vision. Furthermore, they maintain nectarivores and frugivorous diets that primarily consist of plant material, such as fruit, nectar, or pollen. Megabats make their homes in trees, shrubs, and sometimes caves located near edges of water. They play an integral role in the surrounding ecosystem because they help to spread seeds and pollen through feeding and elimination.

Virginia Bat Removal and Control

Virginia Bat Removal and Control 804-729-9097

Call Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 for safe and humane bat removal and control assistance in Old Dominion. We serve all of Virginia, including Richmond, Petersburg, Short Pump, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Newport News, Virginia Beach, and all of their surrounding areas. We offer 24 hour bat removal, as well as, numerous residential and commercial bat exclusion services, such as bat cleanup and restorations for bat damages. We even provide insurance work! Contact us today for a free estimate.

Which Bats are Native to the State of Virginia?

Posted on December 20, 2017 by virginia

Virginia Bat Removal and Control 804-729-9097

There are two main categories of bat: Microchiroptera and Megachiroptera. Megabats are also called fruit bats because they primarily feed on the pollen and nectar of fruits. For this reason and more, they generally live in warmer, tropical habitats. Since Virginia is not a tropical climate, we are left with the other suborder of bats: microbats. Microbats are smaller in size and feed on insects like moths and mosquitos. They are widely known for their use of echolocation, but also for being quite to nuisance to residential and commercial properties.

Although microbats are the common suborder of bat found in Virginia, there approximately 1,000 species found around the world. Here in Virginia, there are not that many species flying around. In fact, there are only a select few that are the most common among nuisance bat problems. Continue reading to learn which species of microbats are common here in Virginia, and what you can do to protect your home from an infestation.

Let’s Start With Endangered Species

There are 3 particular species of bat in Virginia that are Federally-endangered, and 1 that is state-endangered (Rafinesque’s Big-Eared Bat). All of them are currently protected by the Endangered Species Act. This act strictly prohibits anyone from attempting to “harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, collect, or attempt to engage in any such conduct” with any endangered or threatened species of wildlife, including bats. The bats that are on this list include:

🦇 Gray Bat (Myotis grisescens)
🦇 Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalist)
🦇 Virginia Big-Eared Bat (Corynorhinus townsendii virginianus)
🦇 Rafinesque’s Big-Eared Bat (Also known as the Southeastern Big-eared Bat)

Additional Species of Bat in Virginia

Aside from endangered species, there are 12 other non-game protected species of bat that are commonly found in Virginia. These include the Eastern Small-footed Bat, Northern Long-eared Bat, Eastern Pipistrelle Bat, Silver-haired Bat, Eastern Red Bat, Hoary Bat, Seminole Bat, American Long-Eared Bat, Lump-Nosed Bat, Ozark Big-Eared Bat, Townsend’s Big-Eared Bat, and the Northern Myotis.

Nuisance Bats in Virginia

In terms of nuisance wildlife problems, the species of bat that are often found dwelling inside attics, garages, decks, crawl spaces, and more include the Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus), Evening Bat (Nycticeius humeralis), and Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus). Bat removal specialists often come across these three species when providing humane bat extraction and exclusion services in our state.

Virginia Bat Removal and Control

Virginia Bat Removal and Control 804-729-9097