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Bats and Disease
Bats are associated with a few diseases that affect people, such as rabies and histoplasmosis. Rabies is a dangerous, fatal disease, but only about 5 percent of bats submitted for testing are infected with the rabies virus. In recent years, there has been increased concern about the risk of rabies transmission following contact with bats. If an injured or ill bat is found in or around a structure, it should be removed. Because most bats will try to bite when handled, they should be picked up with tongs or a shovel. If a bat has bitten or scratched a person or pet or is found in your home, capture the bat without touching it with your hands and without crushing its head. If the bat is dead, refrigerate it (DO NOT freeze) and then contact your local health department immediately for instructions.
Bats with rabies have been identified in most areas of the state. In recent years, bats have been the most common animal identified with rabies in the state.
The incidence of histoplasmosis being transmitted from bat droppings to humans is not thought to be high. Nevertheless, fresh bat droppings (unlike fresh bird dropping) can contain the histoplasmosis fungus. Bat droppings do not need to come into contact with soil to be a source of the disease.
Ticks, mites and other parasites
Bird or bat roosts can harbor parasites that may invade buildings. Although these parasites can bite and irritate, they are unlikely to transmit diseases to humans. The northern fowl mite and chicken mite are usually the main culprits. Other parasites that may cause problems inside buildings include the pigeon nest bug and the bat bug (both related to the beg bug), soft ticks, biting lice and the pigeon fly. Although most parasites associated with bird or bat roosts die quickly after the birds or bats leave, some may live for several weeks.
Droppings, feathers, food and dead birds under a roosting area can breed flies, carpet beetles and other insects that may become major problems in the immediate area. These pests may fly through open windows or crawl through cracks to enter buildings. If birds or bats are discouraged from roosting around buildings, most of the parasites associated with them will soon die. If the pests are a problem after birds or bats have been excluded, the roost area may be treated with a residual insecticide appropriately labeled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for control of fleas, ticks, mites and similar pests.
Removal and cleanup of bird and bat droppings
If there is a small accumulation of droppings from a few birds or bats, it can be cleaned up with soap and water. If large quantities of bird or bat droppings are present, contact an industry professional for removal and cleaning.
Workers should follow certain precautions to minimize risk from disease organisms in the droppings:
During the cleanup, seal heating and cooling air ducts or shut the system down. Only authorized cleanup personnel should be present. The cleanup should be done by healthy individuals. Wear a respirator that can filter particles as small as 0.3 microns. Wear disposable protective gloves, hat, coveralls and and shoe coverings. Moisten the droppings with a light mist of water to keep spores from becoming airborne and keep them wet. Put droppings into sealed plastic garbage bags. The outside of the garbage bags should be rinsed off before they are placed in a disposal container. When finished and while still wearing the respirator, remove protective clothing and place it in a plastic bag. Wash or shower. Check with local government agencies to verify that disposal of the waste is permissible through standard trash pickup. Modify the structure to prevent birds or bats from reestablishing the roost.
Complete bat removal is a multi part process which includes:
Call and set up an appointment for one of our skilled technicians to come evaluate your home, office, or business. A full inspection is provided with attic access and total exterior bat inspection to locate all entry points and areas in need of repair.
The core of the bat removal process is to repair the open access points where bats are entering attics of homes and set up a live bat exclusion system consisting of one-way doors installed in the high bat traffic areas to filter out the bat colony in attic spaces.
Re-inspection
To guarantee the bat removal process was successful a re-inspection is done 30 days after the initial bat exclusion to ensure satisfaction with the removal of bats from attic space and to remove exclusion door system and complete sealing of home.
This last step is for more severe bat infestations when the home owner has extensive damage to their homes attic space. Bat feces (guano) causes structural dangers and also health risks with the growth of mold and fungus which can be hazardous to residents. Complete attic restoration and spot cleaning are available to remove, disinfect, and mold treat contaminated areas from bat roost.
Drivin’ Me Batty LLC is a locally family owned Michigan bat control company that provides professional bat removal services for your bat problems in the attic or walls of your home office or business. We are a bat exclusion specialist providing full service for bat control and prevention. From the removal of bats from houses to bat filtration systems and one way door exclusion systems to bat guano feces clean up and full attic cleaning and restoration.