Educational Facts About the Virginia Bat

Posted on January 31, 2022 by virginia

The Virginia Big-Eared bat is one of three federally-listed endangered species of bat in Virginia. In fact, it has been categorized as endangered since 1979 by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. There are several interesting facts about the Virginia Big-Eared bat species, adding more reason to keep these precious critters protected and preserved.

Continue reading to learn more about the Virginia Big-Eared bat, and what to do if you suspect you are having nuisance bat issues around your property.

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Scientific Classification for the Virginia Big-Eared Bat

The Virginia Big-Eared bat is indeed our state bat! It is part of the Animalia kingdom, Chordata phylum, Mammalia class, and Chiroptera order. Their scientific name, Corynorhinus townsendii virginianus, is derived from their genus (Corynorhinus), species (C. townsendii), and subspecies (C. t. virginianus).

Physical Appearance

This special species is distinguishable by its large ears, which can reach lengths of 2.5 centimeters or more. When resting, their ears reach back to half the length of their body! In addition to their most distinguishable trait, these mammals have long, soft, brown fur that ranges in shade depending on their age.

Weighing and average of 7 to 12 grams (0.25 to 0.42 ounces), it is one of the largest Microchiroptera species in its range. With rounded muzzle and elongated nostrils, the Virginia Big-Eared bat can grow to 98 millimeters (3.85 inches) long by adult hood.

Behavior

The VBE bat usually mates in the fall and winter. Females actually store the male’s sperm until they begin ovulation, which generally occurs in late winter or early spring. Females have a gestation period of 3 months, and give birth to only one baby, called a “pup.”

The pup stay with the mother for up to 8 weeks, in which time they are fully-developed and capable of flight. These bats generally roost in caves, where they also hibernate for the winter. Because they prefer it, they are mostly found in mountainous limestone caves surrounded by forest with oak and hickory trees.

Range

Although they are called the Virginia Big-Eared bat, they are not just native to Virginia. They are also found in states like Kentucky and North Carolina. The Virginia Big-Eared bat species is not a migratory one; they stay in their caves all year, whether hibernating or not.

They only leave to hunt for food at night, which they do with the help of their amazing sonar abilities called echolocation. Bats see quite well, opposed to common belief, and only use their echolocation abilities to better dart and dive for insects. They are nocturnal, so it also improves their night-time navigational skills.

Nuisance Bats

If you are experiencing wildlife problems with bats, on or around your property, it is vital to contact a licensed Richmond VA bat control company for safe, humane, and non-lethal critter abatement services. Never attempt to trap, touch, harm, or kill a bat under any circumstances. This is also important since you never know if it is a federally-protected species.

Are you dealing with persistent nuisance bat problems? Do you suspect that you might have a bat infestation in the house? Contact Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 for prompt and professional bat removal and control you can afford. We serve residential and commercial clients.

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Top Ingredients to Use for a Nuisance Bat Repellent

Posted on January 20, 2022 by virginia

We love animals. We just don’t want them taking shelter in or around our homes and businesses. Animals like bats are highly beneficial to our Eco-system and economies, but they are also highly destructive, even known carriers of several infectious diseases. So, although we don’t want bats hanging around, we also don’t want them to be affected by our animal abatement methods in a negative way. Fortunately, for people like you and me, there is a safe and humane way to get rid of bats using a homemade, nontoxic solution.

Continue reading to learn how to make your very own bat repellent using the top 3 most effective and safest ingredients.

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Animal Repellent Spray Supplies

A spray solution is the easiest way to make an animal repellent for bats, plus the easiest to apply. To make a homemade bat repellent, you will need clean water, a clean plastic spray bottle that is at least 16 ounces, and a few household ingredients. Now, there are several ingredients you can add to your bat repellent solution, but the top ingredients that bats really seem to hate include putrescent egg, capsaicin, and menthol.

It is also suggested that mothballs work well to repel bats, however they may not be safe for homes with children and pets. Likewise, capsaicin may also irritate the eyes, nose, and throat, so aim to apply your repellent far away from children and pet play areas. If that’s not possible, it may be a good idea to leave it out of your solution, altogether.

Why They are Suggested to Work

Putrescent egg is scientifically formulated to mimic the smell of a decaying animals, which bats perceive as a predatory zone. They will steer clear is such danger zones. Capsaicin is the main ingredient in hot peppers. It is responsible for the burning, tingling sensation that you experience when you eat something with hot sauce or hot peppers in it. Bats do not like these smells and sensations, and will stay away from them at all costs. The same applies for menthol. If you cannot access capsaicin, you can substitute it with cayenne pepper or red chili pepper. If you cannot access menthol, mint works well too.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

▶ Clean Water
▶ Clean Plastic Spray Bottle
▶ Putrescent Egg Solids
▶ Capsaicin Oil
▶ Menthol Oil

Where to Buy Animal Repellent Ingredients

You can purchase putrescent egg at any local home improvement or garden store. You may be able to purchase them at local farmers’ markets and through private sellers, online. Capsaicin oil and menthol oil can be purchased online through any common retailer, or you can purchase them at any local department store. The grocery or drug store might even have them in the pharmacy more wellness section.

How to Make Bat Repellent:

➀ Fill the plastic spray bottle 3/4 of the way with clean water.
➁ Add ¼ cup of putrescent egg solids.
➂ Add 10 drops of capsaicin oil.
➃ Add 10 drops of mental oil.

How to Use Bat Repellent:

➀ Make sure that To the bottle is secured on tightly.
➁ Gently turn upside down and right side up a few times to ensure the solution mixes.
➂ Spray in high traffic areas or around the perimeter of your property to keep bats out.

Does it seem like no matter what you try you continue to have a problem with nuisance bats? Just contact Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 for licensed and insured bat removal and control you can afford. We serve residential and commercial properties.

Do I Have to Worry About Attic Bats in the Winter?

Posted on January 10, 2022 by virginia

Many homeowners believe that bats hibernate in the winter, and therefore, cannot pose any structural damage or infestation threats to their property. But this is not always accurate. Although bats do have a hibernation season around this time of year, and the need for bat removal service significantly declines through the winter, bats can still pose several types of hazards to your property.

This winter, learn what you need to do to protect your home or business from intruding bats in the attic. This is especially important for those who live near large bodies of water or forested areas. Bat populations tend to be much higher and more concentrated in prime habitat locations like these. If you do live in a location like this, you already know that wildlife can be a nuisance, which is probably why you are wondering about attic bats in the winter.

Continue reading to get started for some top tips for preventing and getting rid of the bats in the attic.

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Common Bat Species in Virginia

Although there are nearly 20 bat species native to Virginia, the ones that are most likely to inhabit your attic space include the Big Brown bat, Little Brown bat, and the Evening bat. These are the most common types of nuisance bat species in Virginia, and they all can display different migrating patterns.

While the Big Brown bat prefers to hibernate close by, the small brown bat tends to migrate south towards warmer weather and more abundant food supply, but not all of them. Many Little Brown bats hibernate in Virginia, which is why they are often found roosting in attic spaces.

The Evening bat may migrate south for the winter, but usually they stay within the borders. Evening bats do not hibernate in caves, and instead look to rock crevices, hollowed trees, and of course, attics.

Bat Intrusions in the Wintertime

Because the top nuisance bats in Virginia do not typically migrate in large populations, they are often the culprits behind attic infestations. Bats look for warm, safe shelter to hibernate and reproduce their offspring in the winter. Factors like land over-development and habitat dispersal have impacted bat populations, forcing them into our urban and suburban communities. Attics, wall voids, crawl spaces, chimneys, barns, and sheds are common places chosen by Virginian bats.

Animal Proofing Prevents Bat Intrusions

So, although bats are likely to hibernate in the winter, that does not mean you are in the clear of a bat intrusion. In fact, you could be at an even higher risk. Animal proofing strategies are the best way to ensure your home is protected through the winter against wildlife infestations. Talk to a local Richmond bat removal company about sealing up your property to keep bats out. They can help you achieve this safely, humanely, and within a reasonable budget.

How to Check for Attic Bats

Unless you look for or spot the signs of a bat infestation in the house, it is not likely that you will catch it until spring. When bats emerge from hibernation, also known as torpor, they will begin to make a lot of noise, shuffling around, coming and going, raising their pups, and more. In fact, strange noises are one of the first signs of a bat infestation noticed by homeowners.

Here are additional signs that you have bats in the attic:

▷ Lingering Odors
▷ Wall/Ceiling Stains
▷ Guano Presence

Are you interested in learning how you can protect your home or business against nuisance bat damages? Perhaps you need to repair your attic after an infestation? Contact Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 for professional and affordable Richmond bat removal and attic restoration services for bat damages. We serve residential and commercial properties.

Is Bat Urine Harmful?

Posted on December 31, 2021 by virginia

When it comes to discussing the consequences of bat infestations in attics and similar structural areas of a house or building, guano is often the topic most touched upon. Solid bat waste, known as guano, can cause an extensive amount of damage to a surrounding space, whether it comes into physical contact with a structure or not. Insulation, walls, floorboards, ceilings, ductwork, electrical wiring, and much more can be destroyed by guano accumulations. But guano is not the only bat excrement to worry about if you suspect you have bats in the attic. You mustn’t overlook the harm of bat urine.

Continue reading to learn how bat urine can be harmful, how to clean up after a bat infestation, and how to protect your home from bat intrusions, year-round.

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The Dangers of Bat Urine

There are many reasons why bat urine can pose several health and safety risks, as well as structural hazards around your home or business. First, let’s discuss the contents of bat urine. Bat urine is primarily composed of uric acid, which is an insoluble compound strong enough to corrode metal. It is also found in the urine of reptiles, birds, and even some insects.

Bat Urine Damages

After learning the power of uric acid, you can imagine how easily high concentrations of bat urine left untouched over time can cause an extensive amount of structural damage to anything it has saturated. Not just metal but wood and plastic, too. The usual suspects damaged by bat urine include HVAC units, electrical wiring, floorboards, wall beams, ceiling beams, insulation, ceilings, drywall, window frames, gutters, roofing, and even mortar.

Bat Diseases

Aside from structural damages, which can lead to costly and invasive renovations and repairs, bat urine can also pose several health and safety risks. As for safety hazards, bat urine can damage structures over time, causing them to weaken and warp. This can lead to slip and fall accidents, blunt force impacts, collapsing, sink holes, and other dangerous accidents and injuries. Additionally, bat urine can be a source of a potentially deadly bacterial disease known as Leptospirosis. It is transmitted through broken skin, or the eyes, nose, or mouth.

You must also keep in mind that, where there’s bat urine there’s likely bats, and bats are known carriers of several infectious and transmissible diseases that can affect both people and pets, including the Rabies virus.

Common Signs of Bat Urine:

▷ Lingering Odors
▷ Bubbling Or Peeling Wall Paint
▷ Wall And Ceiling Stains
▷ Wet Walls That Never Dry
▷ Damp Drywall
▷ Mold on Wall Frames

Cleaning Up After a Bat Infestation

If you suspect that you have bats in the house or somewhere infested within your property, it is important to contact a local Virginia back control company for that removal service. They can inspect your property and determine the best strategies for extraction and prevention. The first step to cleaning up after about infestation is bat exclusion, which is implement by modifying the property in a strategic way to prevent bats from accessing high interest areas.

Once the home or building is animal proved, decontamination and sanitation phase can commence. This may include pest mitigation, which is sometimes necessary to get rid of lingering lice, gnats, ticks, fleas, rodents, or bat mites. You can find trusted bat cleanup and restoration services for affordable price, as they are often covered under homeowners’ insurance.

Are you now sure that you have bats in the attic, or a bat in the house? Contact Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 for prompt and professional bat removal and control services at the right price. We serve all of Virginia, including Roanoke, Midlothian, Fredericksburg, Glen Allen, and more.

The True Facts About Bats and Blindness

Posted on December 15, 2021 by virginia

Have you ever used the adage, “blind as a bat?” If so, you may be disappointed to learn that you were incorrect. That is because bats are not actually blind. But don’t be ashamed if you always thought this; many people share the same misconception. The truth is that there are more than 1,400 bat species in the world, and not one of those species is blind. What’s even more interesting is that they actually have quite good vision, especially Megachiroptera species (fruit and old-world). This makes sense, as they are night-hunters. So, vision is important for darting and dashing for prey.

Continue reading to learn more interesting facts about bat vision, echolocation, and more.

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Megabats and Microbats

There are two main categories of bat species: Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera, also known as megabats and microbats. Megachiroptera, or megabats, are large bats that live in tropical and subtropical climates. They maintain a diet of fruits and nectar, but some species are also known to consume small amphibians and fish.

As for vision, Megachiroptera have large eyes and a pronounced visual cortex that allow them to see very well. They also have a good sense of smell. Some species, like Flying Foxes, actually see well during the day, and are dependent on their daytime vision to fly around on moonless nights. They can also see in color!

Microchiroptera, or microbats, are different from megabats in many ways, however, their vision is just as good. Despite their poorly developed small eyes, scientists have confirmed that microbats have both rods and cone photo-receptor cells in the retinas, giving them the ability to see in the day, in color, and at night.

Furthermore, Microchiroptera (not all species, but most) have a built-in sonar system called echolocation, which emits high-frequency ultrasonic pulses into the air that bounce back and outline the surrounding environment.

Bat echolocation is why many people believe these mammals are blind. But echolocation is simply a bonus attribute that allows microbats to hunt faster and with more precision.

How to Manage Nuisance Bat Problems in Virginia

You will know you have a bat problem when you begin to identify the signs. Common indications include strange noises coming from walls and ceilings, yellow or brown stains on walls or ceilings, foul odors in concentrated areas of the home, bat guano or bird-like droppings, and seeing bats fly around your home at night.

If you are concerned about bats in the attic or around your property in Virginia, there are many safe and affordable options for animal proofing, inspection, and extraction. If you find a bat in the house, never attempt to catch, trap, touch, harm, or kill a wild bat. Instead, contact a 24 hour Virginia wildlife removal company for licensed bat removal and control you can trust.

Are you having problems with nuisance bats around your house? Contact Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 for comprehensive bat removal and control services in Richmond and all surrounding Virginia areas, including Fairfax County, Norfolk, and Manassas. We serve residential and commercial clients.

Why Landlords Should Never Ignore a Bat Infestation

Posted on December 7, 2021 by virginia

Landlords have a lot of responsibility, from property and tenant management to facility maintenance, building code compliancy, insurance coverage, business expenses, record keeping, tax planning and preparation, and more. So, it is not a surprise that many landlords tend to fall short when it comes to critter control. A few animals scurrying around here and there can be harmless, but when an infestation occurs, it’s a whole other ballgame. As a landlord, it is important to fully understand the consequences you can suffer if you neglect to resolve a critter infestation, especially if that infestation is bats.

Continue below to learn why landlords should never ignore a bat infestation or nuisance bat problem, plus where property owners can get reliable critter control and animal-proofing services in Richmond, Virginia.

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Landlord Liability and Bat Infestations

Landlords and property managers have a legal responsibility to make sure their premises are safe from reasonably-foreseeable dangers and hazards. This legal responsibility is known as duty of care, and the law takes this duty very seriously. There are many consequences you can face as a landlord or property manager if you fail to address a bat infestation anywhere on your commercial premises. Top consequences include premises liability lawsuits, building damages, and expensive repair work.

Premises Liability Lawsuits

If a landlord fails to take care of a bat infestation within a reasonable timeline, and as a result a tenant is seriously injured and suffers damages and losses, that tenant can take legal action against the landlord. Such claims, which can turn into lawsuits if no settlement can be negotiated, are known as premises liability lawsuits, and they tend to cost landlords tens of thousands of dollars. Not only will legal fees add up and potentially devastate the business but losing a premises liability lawsuit can lead to a large settlement payout. Keep in mind that bats are carriers of the Rabies virus, and if a tenant or pet is exposed from a bat bite, it could quickly lead to a lawsuit.

Building Damages

Bats are not great housemates. They are highly destructive in a short amount of time. Bat droppings accumulate at a massive rate, plus pose several health and safety hazards. Everything from roofing and siding to electrical wiring, insulation, window screens, vents, floorboards, ceilings, and walls will be damaged by a long-term bat infestation. If the bat infestation remains for too long, a building can suffer severe structural damages, possibly even leading to it being condemned until renovations are completed and approved by the city.

Renovation Expenses

Resolving a bat infestation does not stop at removing the bats. There will be a lot of cleanup and repairs needed to bring the environment back to a healthy condition that is up to code. Bat infestations that are neglected over a long period of time tend to require the most invasive renovation work, and therefore, very expensive. And in many cases, insurance policies will not cover repairs that are required as a result of facility negligence. After all structural repairs are made, animal-proofing strategies must be incorporated, which adds to the overall cost. The last step is hygienic cleanup, which sanitizes the area and mitigates any lingering pest infestation, like lice, ticks, fleas, bat mites, and similar parasites.

Do you want to make sure your business and tenants are protected against bat intrusions? Contact Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 for comprehensive bat removal and control services in Richmond and all surrounding Virginia counties. We serve commercial and residential clients.

Information About Bat Exclusion For Attics

Posted on November 29, 2021 by virginia

The attic is the most common location of a bat infestation. Even residences without attics have voids and spaces between the ceiling and roofline that can be accessed by roosting bats. If you suspect that you have bats in the attic in Virginia, then you will need to contact a local critter control company to schedule a bat inspection. If the inspection determines bats in the house or attic, then you will need to move forward with bat exclusion.

Continue reading to learn pertinent information about bat inspections, bats in the attic, and bat exclusion in Virginia, including who to trust for honest and dependable service.

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Bat Inspections are the First Step to Getting Rid of Bats

In order to determine your need for bat exclusion, you must first confirm that you actually have bats in the house. Bat inspection services are the first step of the process, but they must be implemented by licensed and well-equipped professionals in the wildlife removal and control industry.

It is critical to choose a dependable and experienced Virginia critter control company to ensure quality, safety, and efficacy. A critter control company will begin their bat inspection by examining the outside of your house, predominantly focusing on the roofing, siding, and gutter system.

You see, bats in Virginia are very tiny, and can squeeze through gaps and openings in the exterior of an edifice smaller than 3/8^th of an inch. Trained professionals can spot such vulnerabilities and examine them for signs of bats. Oily spots, bat guano, and tampered structural material are common indications of roosting bats.

Bat Exclusion Services

If it has been determined that you indeed have bats in the attic, or perhaps in the wall voids or crawl space areas of your home, the next step is to remove them. This is known as bat exclusion. Bat exclusion services involve structural modifications and installations that direct the bats out of the residence through one-way devices, and then disables them from returning through strategic obstruction.

Bat Control

Once all the bats have left their roost, the wildlife control professionals can finish the process by sealing up all the open and vulnerable areas of your home that bats can access. This will prevent future bat infestations. Sealing and structural repair are a critical part of the bat control process, and may include wire mesh screening, vent protectors, roof repair, siding repair, and more. Additional bat control strategies include automatic or motion-sense lighting, ultrasonic repelling devices, predator radio, and more.

In comparison to bat exclusion, bat removal more specifically describes live bat trapping and relocation.

Again, it is imperative to have a trained professional remove bats in the attic because they have the proper knowledge, experience, and equipment to do so safely, and humanely. Accordingly, you should never attempt to harm, kill, trap, or touch a bat under any circumstances.

Attic Restoration for Bat Damages

Bats cause a lot of damage to the environment they occupy. They also generate a highly unsanitary and health-hazardous environment with their urine and dropping accumulations. Since attics are warmer and therefore, have more moisture in the air, wood rot can be exponential, and odors can become intolerably putrid.

Floorboards and ceilings can become saturated and warp, crack, or stain. Insulation is often destroyed by bat roosting activities and urine. For these reasons, the last step of the bat exclusion process is an important one. A trained and reputable bat removal company can provide cleanup and attic restorations for bat damages. They may even be able to perform homeowners’ insurance claim work.

Would you like to learn how to protect your home from bat intrusions and damages? Contact Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 for bat removal and control in Richmond, Virginia. We serve both residential and commercial clients in all surrounding counties and locations.

Top 3 Reasons Why You Need to Get Rid of Bats in the Barn

Posted on November 18, 2021 by virginia

Bats in Virginia like to take shelter inside easily-accessible edifices. Although commonly found roosting in attics and crawl spaces of one’s very own home, there is another prime location bats love to take over, and that is your barn. If you currently have bats in the barn or have spotted bats near it, you would be wise to take action as soon as possible in order to avoid all the trouble they can cause.

Continue below to learn the top 3 reasons why you need to get rid of bats in your barn before the month’s end, plus who you can trust in the Richmond areas for affordable bat removal service.

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Getting Bats Out of the Barn

Bats love dark, warm, secluded places to roost for the winter and rear their young come spring, and barns provide the perfect environment for them. Here in Virginia, Big Brown bats and Little Brown bats are the two most prevalent species removed from barns and similar structures like sheds and garages. Both species are small enough to squeeze through an opening as little as 3/8ths an inch, so barns are an easy target for them to access.

3 Problems With Bats in Barns

So, why don’t you want to share your barn space with bats? The answer is, they are a nuisance that will cost you money and pose several risks to your health and livelihood. Bats are highly destructive, capable of causing extreme structural damages to all parts of a barn, inside and out. Also, bats are known carriers of several infectious and transmissible diseases that can affect people and animals, namely, your livestock.

❶ Bat Damages

All behaviors that are innate within bats are destructive to the interior and exterior of barns. Bat guano, or bat stool, as well as the urine are both highly damaging to wood, metal, siding, and roofing. Bat urine, for instance, contains uric acid, which is very damaging to metal. So, all metal components that are exposed to large quantities of bat urine will eventually deteriorate, which can lead to dangerous collapses of eaves, ledges, shelves, and beams. Bat droppings, both guano and urine, can cause wood rot and decay as well. All of these damages require invasive and costly structural repair.

❷ Bat Diseases

Bats are known carriers of several contagious and transmissible diseases, as well as infectious parasites like bat mites, lice, ticks, fleas, gnats, and more. The rabies virus is one of the most dangerous illnesses carried and transmitted by bats. There is no cure for rabies, making annual pet vaccinations vital for safety and survival. Because bats produce massive amounts of guano and urine accumulations, they can also pose a health risk of Histoplasmosis. Histoplasmosis is an upper respiratory illness that is contracted through airborne fungal spores that grow on bat guano.

❸ Livestock Threats

Because bats are known carriers of several transmissible and dangerous diseases, having bats in your barn can be a serious health and safety threat to your livestock or any other animals that you house in your barn. Horses, cows, sheep, goats, chickens, roosters, and pigs can all be infected by diseases transmitted by bats. If your livelihood depends on the well-being of your livestock, and all of the other inventories within your barn, then having bats in the barn is a very risky situation that should be resolved as soon as possible. Otherwise, your bottom line is at risk.

Are you looking for professional critter control company that can help you get rid of bats in the barn or shed? Contact Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 for professional bat removal services in Virginia, including Richmond and surrounding counties. We serve commercial and residential clients.

Frequently Asked Questions About Bat Infestations

Posted on November 8, 2021 by virginia

Nuisance bats are not something you want loitering around your home. Bats are known to cause extensive amounts of damage to both interior and exterior areas of a home or building. Since local bats are tiny, they can squeeze through an opening as small as 3/8ths of an inch! That means the smallest gap, crack, or opening is a wide open door for bats. They are best at gaining entry into attics but can also be found infesting areas like crawl spaces, garages, roofs, sheds, and more.

If you suspect that you have bats in the attic or a bat infestation problem on your property, review these frequently asked questions about bat infestations and bat damages to learn your options for remediation.

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Bat Infestation FAQS

What Kinds of Damage Do Bats Cause?

Bats cause a lot of damage, mostly with their droppings. Wherever they reside or roost, bats will leave behind urine, feces, and food debris. Floorboards, ceilings, walls, insulation, electrical wiring, and more will become saturated and stained overtime. They may also gnaw on electrical wiring, drywall, insulation, and more. On the exterior of a home, bats will leave behind an oily residue around their entry points. This oil comes from their fur and leaves behind black-ish brown stains that are indicative of a bat infestation. Bats can also damage roof shingles, siding, and gutters.

Where Do Bats Like to Hide Out?

The most common areas for bats to roost is hollowed trees, roofs, attics, crawl spaces, under porches, in garages, and in sheds. They prefer quiet, dark, and warm spaces. If they can find access to any of these areas, they will roost there for as long as they can.

How Many Bats Do I Have in the Attic?

The only way to know how many bats you have in your attic is to hire a professional critter control company in Virginia to diagnose the problem. However, it is helpful to understand that bats are not solitary mammals. So, where there is one or two bats, there are likely many more. Furthermore, you are likely to find bats in the attic over any other part of your house.

Is Bat Guano Dangerous?

Guano, or bat stool, can be a highly useful resource under the right circumstances. However, the accumulation of guano in your home can pose some serious health risks, making it quite dangerous indeed. Guano can grow fungal spores called Histoplasma capsulatum, which can cause a serious lung disease called Histoplasmosis.

Histoplasmosis is also known as “Cave disease”, “Darling’s disease”, “Ohio valley disease”, and “spelunker’s lung.” Histoplasma capsulatum fungal spores can become airborne and then inhaled by both people and pets. Guano can also develop and transmit viruses, bacteria, and parasites, which become airborne too.

How Can I Repair Bat Damages?

The only way to properly renovate damages caused by bats in the attic or other area of your house is to hire a professional Virginia bat removal and control company that provides wild animal damage cleanup and restoration services. In many cases, homeowners’ insurance policies cover bat damages to some extent, and many wildlife control companies accept and perform insurance claim work. They will cleanup, decontaminate, sanitize, fumigate, and repair the mess left behind.

Are you looking for safe and affordable bat infestation removal and attic cleaning service near you? Contact Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 for affordable bat damage cleanup and restoration in Richmond, VA and its surrounding counties. We serve residential and commercial properties.

Why You Should Thank Bats For Tequila and Chocolate

Posted on October 28, 2021 by virginia

Do you love margaritas? Do you relish in the indulgence of anything chocolatey? If so, you should be grateful for…BATS! For the sake of the Halloween season, let’s discuss why bats are ecologically important for many of the crops we love the most across the world.

Continue reading to get started for all of the fun bat facts!

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The Incredible and Undeniably Impressive Attributes of Bats

Bats are an incredible and unique species of mammal. That’s right; bats are mammals, just like us! Not only are bats mammals, but they are also the only mammal capable of true flight. Other mammals might be able to glide or drift or float on air currents, but bats can actually fly like a bird. Bats are also incredible at flying. They are some of the fastest mammals on earth, with some species, such as Mexican free-tailed bats, capable of reaching speeds of up to 100 miles an hour.

But the incredible attributes of bats do not end there. Bats also retain an incredible, built-in sonar system known as echolocation. Although not all bats use echolocation, the ones that do are certainly fascinating. Bats are not blind, but echolocation allows them to dart and dive for prey with precision and accuracy. It also allows them to navigate through dark caves and tree canopies with astute precision.

Speaking of prey, bats consume a massive quantity of flying insects each night. One single bat can eat more than its own body weight in insects, such as mosquitoes, gnats, flies, moths, and more. This brings us to our love of tequila and chocolate!

The Ecological Importance of Bats for Farming

Local and global bat populations serve a variety of ecologically important purposes, namely with farming and crops, but also with local economics. You see, bats are one of the best pollinators in the world. In fact, more than 549 known plant species are either pollinated or dispersed by bats! Some of their favorite crops to pollinate include guava, bananas, mangoes, and cacao, which happens to be the central ingredient in chocolate! So yes, you can thank bats every time you indulge in some tasty chocolatey sweetness!

Richmond VA Bat Removal and Control 804-729-9097

In addition to helping with pollination and disbursement of plant species, bats also help farmers protect their crops from damaging pests. As mentioned, bats eat a lot of insects, the very insects that like to pillage some of our most important agricultural crops, such as cotton. With such beneficial protection, farmers can abate the use of pesticides, as well as harvest and sell more crops, thus boosting the economic advantage in our communities.

Now for the tequila. You might wonder how bats could possibly contribute to your beloved margaritas, salted tequila shooters, and palomas. Well, the answer is Agave. The Lesser long-nosed bat is notorious for their love of the blue agave cactus. They are one of the main pollinators of this important herbaceous plant species, which is the key ingredient for many types of tequila.

✨So, the next time you enjoy a delicious margarita with a slice of torte cake, you can give a grateful toast to bats!????

Are you impressed with the various attributes of bats, but are dealing with a nuisance bat problem on your property? Contact Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 for safe and humane bat removal and control in Richmond, Virginia and its surrounding counties. We serve both residential and commercial clients the most competitive rates around.