Bats Moving into Homes – MyStateline.com
Reported by: Mark Stevens
Friday, August 26 2011
The fall season is just around the corner.
That means critters like bats are prepping for winter.
They're checking out their winter real estate... including your attic.
It doesn't take much for a bat to get into your home. A half inch crack is plenty. Wildlife removal technician Gerrod Walker checks all the usual suspects on a bat call.
"All your doors, windows, anyplace where you might suspect that they just come in, they'll just swoop in."
Walker looks for clues throughout this home. Bat droppings in the attic, potential smorgasbords on the porch.
"This is going to attract a lot of flying insects, what do bats eat? Flying insects."
To get bats out of an attic... try a radio. Wildlife specialist Dom Castaldo says music in the attic will mess with the bats sonar.
"They make squeaks and it bounces back, and if you have music up there, they can't focus on that and so they're going to want to leave."
Once the bats are gone all the cracks need to be filled with non-toxic foam. That'll keep the bats from checking back in. Walker suggest using duct tape to seal cracks. Bats can't chew threw it like mice. And be careful with your windows.
"To keep this top part closed off, to keep that from happening, I found your bat."
It's best to let professionals handle the bats. The animals are protected in Illinois, killing them is illegal. And they can also carry the Rabies virus.
"Since he was inside of a home where people were sleeping, we need to get him tested, and that's direct from the Illinois Department of Public Health."
Castaldo says once you find bats, they shouldn't be too difficult to evict.
"They're kind of like, hey man, help me out here, and get me outside."
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