Bat Exclusion

During the spring and summer is when bats tend to start roosting in the attics of homes here in Chapin and Lexington County. Bats are very beneficial in the United States, however, it is sometimes necessary to exclude them from our home or businesses to prevent contact with humans in habituated areas. Most of the time exclusions are performed in residential areas, due to homes being very close to each other.

Bats live in colonies. There are many of them, and they live very close to each other. Most bats take care of others young as a colony, while the mother goes out foraging. Very few animals possess this trait. During the spring and summer is when large colonies start to form in Lexington County.  These colonies are called nursery colonies. They are made up of mother bats. The female colonies are the ones that will need to be excluded.

If bats are in your home, they need to be excluded. If they are not kept out there is always the possibility of getting bit by bats. There is also the issue of contamination caused by guano. If you have bats, you will have guano and it will need to be cleaned up. Many health departments have strict regulations that deal with bats in residential areas. Often, if a bat is found in a house it will need to be tested for rabies. if the bat cannot be found the whole household is recommended to get a rabies shot. Health departments take bats in the home very seriously even though only .25% of bats carry rabies. But remember, bat colonies can number in the thousands, and some are numbered to a million.

While it is true that some states have a blackout period where you cannot exclude bats. But in Chapin, South Carolina there are no blackout periods. It is however strongly advised against exclusions between April 1st and July 31st. This is to protect the mothers and their nursing young. But due to the health risks posed by bats, you can still ask us at All Things Wild Removal to exclude those bats for you if you feel unsafe.