Five Signs that Show that You Have Bats in Attic

Bats in attic can be a real nuisance, as many Atlanta residents know from personal experience. Bat roosts are a common sight in the city. They can be found everywhere – right from trees and caves to homes and commercial buildings. It is really not surprising, considering the fact that the State of Georgia is home to a wide variety of bats – up to 16 different species of these creatures can be found here. 

If you suspect that you have bats in attic, you need to get rid of them as soon as possible. While bats might not physically harm you, their presence could increase the risk of fungal infections and other such problems that arise as a result of bat guano (droppings) buildup. 

Before you do anything, you first need to make sure that there are bats in attic. Given below is a list of signs that you should look for if you think that you might have a bat problem in your home. 

Bat Guano – Bat droppings are the first sign of an infestation. You can find them in the attic, window sills, porches, and also around their entry and exit points. These droppings are usually shinier than that of rats and mice and they crumble under the slightest of pressure. Also, guano is known to produce a strong, pungent odor, which smells very much like ammonia. The droppings from birds or rodents do not produce such an odor. So, the presence of guano, along with the rancid, ammonia-like odor, is very much a sign of a bat infestation in your home. 

• Brown or Black Colored Stains – Bats produce a greasy, oily like substance on their fur, which leaves black or brown colored stains on any object that they come into contact with. If you examine your gable vents and other openings on the roof and the walls, through which bats could enter and exit your home, you might be able to notice these stains. If you do, you can be sure that you have bats in attic. 

• Dead Bats in Your House – If you find a dead bat anywhere near your place, you should immediately check your house for bats. In most cases, a dead bat is a sign that there could be more bats nearby. 

• Scratching Noises – Scratching noises are not unique to bats alone. It could be a sign of a rodent infestation as well. However, when combined with the signs above, a scratching noise coming from your attic could only mean that there are bats in there. Like mice and rats, bats too tend to scamper around the place and scratch and screech their way into the insulation to burrow themselves safely. So, such noises coming from the attic could definitely be a sign of a bat problem in your home. 

• Bats Flying Around Your Home – This is the surest sign that you have bats in attic. If you see one or more bats flying out of your home when the sun goes down, you can be sure that you have a colony of them living safely in your property. Bats, as you probably already know, rest during the day and go out only at sun down. So, you can only observe them in the evening. 

The Solution

Based on the aforementioned signs, you can easily decide if you have a bat problem or not. If you do, you need to contact bat control professionals right away. 

As an endangered species, bats are protected by law – both on state and federal level – and it is illegal to kill them. So, do not try to kill them using poison and do not hire the services of a company which promises to exterminate bats using the same method. Not only is it immoral, as bats are fairly harmless and play an important role in our ecosystem – but it is also illegal, and you could end up paying a hefty fine. 

The best way to get rid of bats in attic is to contact bat control professionals who can safely remove them from your premises without killing or catching them with traps. Once they do, they will clean up your attic and seal off all the potential entry and exit points to make sure they do not return again.