The 4 Federally Endangered Bats in Virginia

Posted on April 28, 2022 by virginia

There are several species of bat that are common to the Virginia state, from Little Brown bats and Big Brown bats to Northern Long-Eared bats, Hoary bats, Townsend’s Big-Eared bats, Eastern Red bats, Eastern Small-footed bats, Seminole bats, American Long-Eared bats, and many more. Of the 15 total bat species in Virginia, sadly, 4 are listed as Federally-protected or threatened.

Continue reading to learn more about the endangered bats of Virginia, and reasons why their species are in decline.

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Endangered Bat Species in Virginia

Virginia Big-Eared Bat (Corynorhinus townsendii virginianus)

The Virginia big-eared bat was officially made our state bat 14 years ago. They range consists of eastern Kentucky, eastern West Virginia, southwestern Virginia, and northwestern North Carolina. As for their conservation status, the Virginia big-eared bat was categorized as an endangered species by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in 1979. This makes it strictly-protected under state and federal law. In better news, a recent report provided by a Loab’s ‘Conservation and Management of Eastern Big-Eared Bats’ study estimated that a 77% increase in their populations took place between 1983 and 2009.

Gray Bat (Myotis grisescens)

The Gray bat was categorized as both federally and state-endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in 1976. When initially placed on the endangered species list, there were an estimated 2 million Gray bats. Happily, through continuous and successful conservation efforts, they are now estimated to be around 2.3 million and counting.

Rafinesque’s Big-Eared Bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii)

Rafinesque’s Big-Eared bats look so similar to our state bat, that they are often confused for one another! Sadly, Rafinesque’s Big-Eared bats are a state endangered bat and currently on the conservation list. The loss and degradation of their natural habitats is a top cause of the declining Rafinesque’s Big-Eared bat population.

Indiana Bat (Myotis solidalis)

The Indiana bat is a federally-protected, endangered species of bat. Sadly, there are less than 300,000 Indiana bats remaining in the United States today. During summer months, they roost in tree cavities and underneath dark bridges; but when winter arrives, Indiana bats start looking for warmer shelter, such as limestone caves, abandoned buildings, mines, and more.

Are you having problems with bats in the attic or chimney? 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.

What is a Bat Valve and How Does it Prevent Bat Infestations?

Posted on April 18, 2022 by virginia

Bats are simply remarkable. They are the only mammal capable of true flight, and responsible for the survival of several plants and crops used to make medicines, vaccines, and even chocolate! Bats are Ecologically important for many more reasons too, but that does not mean we want them living inside our homes. Due to land over-development and loss of natural habitats, bats are common nuisance critters among residential and commercial properties.

They like to take shelter in attics, wall voids, and crawl spaces, but they are often found in many other segregated areas of a home or premises. Bat infestations lead to loads of destruction, plus pose several health and safety threats. But because bats are protected by law and so important to our society, you cannot exterminate them. Instead, you must find a safe, humane, and non-lethal method of getting rid of bats.

One such strategy used by bat control companies is to install bat valves. Continue below to learn what a bat valve is, how it works, and where you can get access to one in Old Dominion.

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Bat Control Using Bat Valves

Have you ever seen a swinging door? How about a revolving door? These commodities are very similar to the design and function of a bat valve. A bat valve is essentially a door for bats. But it is a one-way door, meaning it allows bats to leave the space they are infesting, but it will not allow them to return. Have you ever heard of a fish basket? It works in a similar way, allowing a fish to swim inside, but inhibiting the fish to find its way back out.

Bat valve installation is a form a safe and humane bat extraction and exclusion. Not only will a bat valve help to get rid of bats in the attic or area of your home, but it will also prevent them from re-entering in the future. Bat valve doors can even work for other common nuisance species of wildlife, like birds, squirrels, and chipmunks.

Choosing a Bat Valve to Get Rid of Bats

Bat valves come in many versions. In fact, they do not often look like doors at all. Bat valves are usually tube-like, narrow canals that direct and divert bats out of a space. They are generally installed on the roof and/or siding, over a soffit, a corner, ridge vents, openings in bricks, and frieze boards.

You might be quick to assume that bat valves will look obvious or unattractive on the outside of your home or edifice, but they are not. Bats are very tiny in Virginia, most weighing no more than three pennies worth. They are often an inch or two in length, so bat valves are very small and virtually indiscernible from a distance.

Be sure to hire a local Richmond VA bat removal and control company for proper bat valve procurement and installation. They will also offer bat remediation services to clean up the mess left behind from the infestation, and even make minor repairs like attic insulation replacement.

Are you having problems with nuisance bats around your house? Contact Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 for fast and affordable bat removal services in Richmond, VA and its surrounding areas. We serve residential and commercial clients.

Do Bats Use Sounds to See?

Posted on April 8, 2022 by virginia

There are many species around the world that use sound reverberation to better navigate their surroundings, including toothed and baleen whales like dolphins, porpoises, killer whales, sperm whales, gray whales, and rorquals. Even certain species of bird are hypothesized to use a type of sound navigation system. The ability to both emit ultrasonic sound waves and use the sound reverberations to map the environment is a biological, built-in system known as biosonar, which is also referred to as echolocation. Like the species of echolocating animals, microbats also use sounds to see.

Continue reading to learn more about echolocation in bats, including how bio-sonar works and why bats use it.

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Microbats Have Echolocation Abilities

As discussed in many blogs prior, there are two primary species of bats: microbats (Megachiroptera) and megabats (Megachiroptera). Megabats are also known as fruit bats or old world fruit bats because they mainly eat the juices and nectar of fruits and flowers. Megabats do not retain echolocating abilities. However, some recent studies show that some might, like the Egyptian fruit bat. Because megabats do not prey on living organisms, they do not need to rely on flying accuracy and agility, so it makes sense that they would not have echolocating abilities.

Microbats, on the other hand, are insectivores and can eat their body weight in flying insects each night. All microbat species use echolocation, such as Big Brown Bats, Little Brown Bats, Lesser Long Nosed bats, and even our beloved state bat, the Virginia Big-Eared bat. But why? Well, it’s not because they are blind or have poor vision.

Bats are Not Blind

Many people correlate bats and blindness, and assume it is the reason they have echolocation capabilities. But the truth is, bats can see very well. They use their echolocation to improve the precision and speed of their hunting abilities. Echolocation allows bats to better dive and dart more accurately for mosquitoes, gnats, flies, moths, and all the other flying insects they consume each night. Microbats are nocturnal, so they are usually out hunting during dawn and dusk when lighting is very low or gone entirely.

How Echolocation Works

Echolocation is the process of emitting ultrasonic sound waves that are discharged into the surrounding area. These sounds reverberate and bounce back toward the bat, which in turn provides a more descriptive mapping of its surroundings. We can measure how bats use their echolocation because they emit a clicking noise when echolocating. Amazingly, bats compare the outbound pulsations with the returning echoes to generate a detailed mental image of their surroundings.

Are experiencing heightened bat activity around your property, thus causing you concern about structural damage and possible infestation? 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.