Why You Need a Professional to Get Rid of Bats

Posted on June 16, 2022 by virginia

Nuisance bats can cause quite a disturbance. Not only are they capable of producing a massive amount of damage and destruction to homes and buildings, but they can also pose several health and safety risks to both people and pets. There are hundreds of reasons why bat extraction is reserved for trained professionals only, but the top three reasons involve risk, damage, and the law.

Continue reading to learn more about these top three reasons why bat removal is not something you can do yourself, and where to start when you need to get rid of bats.

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Licensing

The primary reason why it is important to hire a professional to provide wildlife extraction and abatement services has to do with the law. Most states make it illegal to possess, injure or kill a bat. Furthermore, bat habitats are also protected under Federal and State laws. A person must retain specialized state permits and licenses to work with wildlife, including trapping, transferring, and relocating.

It is important to choose certified professionals who adhere to all industry-accepted standards and best practices, as well as operate within all local, state, and federal laws that govern wildlife. They are trained to avoid non-target animals, and never use poisons, repellents, fatal devices, nor environmentally-damaging or toxic products.

Safety and Health

Bats are known carriers of several infectious diseases, viruses, and parasites. All of these contagions are transmissible to both humans and pets and can pose several safety risks. Professional bat abatement specialists retain the proper training, equipment, and resources to work with nuisance bats without harming themselves, the bat, nor your property. They can also identify signs of residual hazardous left over by bats, and suggest or implement solutions for decontamination, which brings us to the 3rd reasons why you should always trust a professional for bat removal.

Cleanup and Restoration

Bat infestations are not easy to clean up after. Not only can leave behind a large amount of structural damage, but they also create an unsanitary mess with their droppings. In fact, bat guano is known to produce mold spores that can cause a harmful respiratory illness in humans. Mold spores become airborne and get inhaled by occupants of the home or building, thus leading to respiratory complications, possibly an illness known as Histoplasmosis.

Dogs and cats are also susceptible. Bat damages render a property structurally unsafe and highly unhygienic, which is why they require professional intervention to replace and repair insulation, floorboards, roofing, shingles, siding, electrical wiring, and more. A licensed Virginia bat removal company generally offers cleanup and restoration service, and might even be able to provide homeowners’ insurance claim work.

Go With a Pro to Get Rid of Bats

For these reasons and more, it is vital to get rid of bats as soon as you are aware they are a problem, and even more important to entrust the job to a licensed professional. Choose a bat removal company in Virginia that has the credentials to prove they are dependable and skilled. Look for licenses, experience, and past work.

Do you think you have a nuisance bat problem in or around your house? Contact Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 for comprehensive bat removal and control services in Richmond and all surrounding Virginia areas, including Fairfax County, Norfolk, and Manassas. We serve residential and commercial clients.

4 Questions You Want to Ask Yourself About Bats in the House

Posted on May 20, 2022 by virginia

When a homeowner begins to suspect that there are bats in the house, a starting off point can sometimes be hard to find. Feelings of panic and dread can often cloud the path to resolution. If this sounds like you, continue below to learn the 4 questions you should be asking yourself about bats in the house to get you started off on the right track toward a bat-free home.

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Got a Possible Bat Infestation? Ask Yourself These Questions:

Where are the Bats?

Bats like to hide in all sorts of spots within a dwelling, mostly the attic, but also in wall voids, garages, basements, and crawl spaces. You might even come across bats in the chimney or outside in your kid’s tree house! Bats want darkness and privacy, so focus your search on areas that mimic a cave or crevice-like environment. If you find bats, never attempt to intervene. Turn around, walk away, and contact a licensed Virginia bat removal contractor.

How Many Bats are in the House?

Once you locate bats in your house, you want to ask yourself just how many there are. Bats are not solitary critters, so where there’s one there’s usually a lot more. Bat colonies can range anywhere from a few dozen bats to several hundred or more. Bat colonies can get as large as hundreds of thousands or even millions of bats. Of course, you won’t find this many bats in your house! The average bat colony found in residential and commercial dwellings range between a handful to a few dozen. In worst case scenarios, there could be 100 or more bats. This usually happens in cases of long-term bat infestations, especially in abandoned or vacant buildings.

Have Bats Caused Any Property Damages?

Bat infestations are destructive in all scopes. Not only do they cause a wide range of structural damages to floorboards, ceilings, walls, insulation, and electrical wiring, but they also saturate their surroundings with massive accumulations of urine and guano. These droppings can seep through drywall and show as stains on walls and ceilings. They can also cause lingering odors in the home. Look for these signs to verify a bat infestation in your home.

What Should I Do Next?

The only solution to getting rid of bats in your house safely is to hire a licensed Virginia bat removal company. They have the proper licensing, insurance, training, and resources to safely extract bats and clean up after them. More established and reputable companies can also offer minor restorations such as attic insulation replacement.

Do you think you might have bats in the house or around your home? Contact Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 for prompt and professional bat removal and control you can afford. We serve residential and commercial clients.

The True Facts About Bats and Blindness

Posted on December 15, 2021 by virginia

Have you ever used the adage, “blind as a bat?” If so, you may be disappointed to learn that you were incorrect. That is because bats are not actually blind. But don’t be ashamed if you always thought this; many people share the same misconception. The truth is that there are more than 1,400 bat species in the world, and not one of those species is blind. What’s even more interesting is that they actually have quite good vision, especially Megachiroptera species (fruit and old-world). This makes sense, as they are night-hunters. So, vision is important for darting and dashing for prey.

Continue reading to learn more interesting facts about bat vision, echolocation, and more.

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Megabats and Microbats

There are two main categories of bat species: Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera, also known as megabats and microbats. Megachiroptera, or megabats, are large bats that live in tropical and subtropical climates. They maintain a diet of fruits and nectar, but some species are also known to consume small amphibians and fish.

As for vision, Megachiroptera have large eyes and a pronounced visual cortex that allow them to see very well. They also have a good sense of smell. Some species, like Flying Foxes, actually see well during the day, and are dependent on their daytime vision to fly around on moonless nights. They can also see in color!

Microchiroptera, or microbats, are different from megabats in many ways, however, their vision is just as good. Despite their poorly developed small eyes, scientists have confirmed that microbats have both rods and cone photo-receptor cells in the retinas, giving them the ability to see in the day, in color, and at night.

Furthermore, Microchiroptera (not all species, but most) have a built-in sonar system called echolocation, which emits high-frequency ultrasonic pulses into the air that bounce back and outline the surrounding environment.

Bat echolocation is why many people believe these mammals are blind. But echolocation is simply a bonus attribute that allows microbats to hunt faster and with more precision.

How to Manage Nuisance Bat Problems in Virginia

You will know you have a bat problem when you begin to identify the signs. Common indications include strange noises coming from walls and ceilings, yellow or brown stains on walls or ceilings, foul odors in concentrated areas of the home, bat guano or bird-like droppings, and seeing bats fly around your home at night.

If you are concerned about bats in the attic or around your property in Virginia, there are many safe and affordable options for animal proofing, inspection, and extraction. If you find a bat in the house, never attempt to catch, trap, touch, harm, or kill a wild bat. Instead, contact a 24 hour Virginia wildlife removal company for licensed bat removal and control you can trust.

Are you having problems with nuisance bats around your house? Contact Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 for comprehensive bat removal and control services in Richmond and all surrounding Virginia areas, including Fairfax County, Norfolk, and Manassas. We serve residential and commercial clients.

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Why Landlords Should Never Ignore a Bat Infestation

Posted on December 7, 2021 by virginia

Landlords have a lot of responsibility, from property and tenant management to facility maintenance, building code compliancy, insurance coverage, business expenses, record keeping, tax planning and preparation, and more. So, it is not a surprise that many landlords tend to fall short when it comes to critter control. A few animals scurrying around here and there can be harmless, but when an infestation occurs, it’s a whole other ballgame. As a landlord, it is important to fully understand the consequences you can suffer if you neglect to resolve a critter infestation, especially if that infestation is bats.

Continue below to learn why landlords should never ignore a bat infestation or nuisance bat problem, plus where property owners can get reliable critter control and animal-proofing services in Richmond, Virginia.

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Landlord Liability and Bat Infestations

Landlords and property managers have a legal responsibility to make sure their premises are safe from reasonably-foreseeable dangers and hazards. This legal responsibility is known as duty of care, and the law takes this duty very seriously. There are many consequences you can face as a landlord or property manager if you fail to address a bat infestation anywhere on your commercial premises. Top consequences include premises liability lawsuits, building damages, and expensive repair work.

Premises Liability Lawsuits

If a landlord fails to take care of a bat infestation within a reasonable timeline, and as a result a tenant is seriously injured and suffers damages and losses, that tenant can take legal action against the landlord. Such claims, which can turn into lawsuits if no settlement can be negotiated, are known as premises liability lawsuits, and they tend to cost landlords tens of thousands of dollars. Not only will legal fees add up and potentially devastate the business but losing a premises liability lawsuit can lead to a large settlement payout. Keep in mind that bats are carriers of the Rabies virus, and if a tenant or pet is exposed from a bat bite, it could quickly lead to a lawsuit.

Building Damages

Bats are not great housemates. They are highly destructive in a short amount of time. Bat droppings accumulate at a massive rate, plus pose several health and safety hazards. Everything from roofing and siding to electrical wiring, insulation, window screens, vents, floorboards, ceilings, and walls will be damaged by a long-term bat infestation. If the bat infestation remains for too long, a building can suffer severe structural damages, possibly even leading to it being condemned until renovations are completed and approved by the city.

Renovation Expenses

Resolving a bat infestation does not stop at removing the bats. There will be a lot of cleanup and repairs needed to bring the environment back to a healthy condition that is up to code. Bat infestations that are neglected over a long period of time tend to require the most invasive renovation work, and therefore, very expensive. And in many cases, insurance policies will not cover repairs that are required as a result of facility negligence. After all structural repairs are made, animal-proofing strategies must be incorporated, which adds to the overall cost. The last step is hygienic cleanup, which sanitizes the area and mitigates any lingering pest infestation, like lice, ticks, fleas, bat mites, and similar parasites.

Do you want to make sure your business and tenants are protected against bat intrusions? 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.

Top 3 Reasons Why You Need to Get Rid of Bats in the Barn

Posted on November 18, 2021 by virginia

Bats in Virginia like to take shelter inside easily-accessible edifices. Although commonly found roosting in attics and crawl spaces of one’s very own home, there is another prime location bats love to take over, and that is your barn. If you currently have bats in the barn or have spotted bats near it, you would be wise to take action as soon as possible in order to avoid all the trouble they can cause.

Continue below to learn the top 3 reasons why you need to get rid of bats in your barn before the month’s end, plus who you can trust in the Richmond areas for affordable bat removal service.

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Getting Bats Out of the Barn

Bats love dark, warm, secluded places to roost for the winter and rear their young come spring, and barns provide the perfect environment for them. Here in Virginia, Big Brown bats and Little Brown bats are the two most prevalent species removed from barns and similar structures like sheds and garages. Both species are small enough to squeeze through an opening as little as 3/8ths an inch, so barns are an easy target for them to access.

3 Problems With Bats in Barns

So, why don’t you want to share your barn space with bats? The answer is, they are a nuisance that will cost you money and pose several risks to your health and livelihood. Bats are highly destructive, capable of causing extreme structural damages to all parts of a barn, inside and out. Also, bats are known carriers of several infectious and transmissible diseases that can affect people and animals, namely, your livestock.

❶ Bat Damages

All behaviors that are innate within bats are destructive to the interior and exterior of barns. Bat guano, or bat stool, as well as the urine are both highly damaging to wood, metal, siding, and roofing. Bat urine, for instance, contains uric acid, which is very damaging to metal. So, all metal components that are exposed to large quantities of bat urine will eventually deteriorate, which can lead to dangerous collapses of eaves, ledges, shelves, and beams. Bat droppings, both guano and urine, can cause wood rot and decay as well. All of these damages require invasive and costly structural repair.

❷ Bat Diseases

Bats are known carriers of several contagious and transmissible diseases, as well as infectious parasites like bat mites, lice, ticks, fleas, gnats, and more. The rabies virus is one of the most dangerous illnesses carried and transmitted by bats. There is no cure for rabies, making annual pet vaccinations vital for safety and survival. Because bats produce massive amounts of guano and urine accumulations, they can also pose a health risk of Histoplasmosis. Histoplasmosis is an upper respiratory illness that is contracted through airborne fungal spores that grow on bat guano.

❸ Livestock Threats

Because bats are known carriers of several transmissible and dangerous diseases, having bats in your barn can be a serious health and safety threat to your livestock or any other animals that you house in your barn. Horses, cows, sheep, goats, chickens, roosters, and pigs can all be infected by diseases transmitted by bats. If your livelihood depends on the well-being of your livestock, and all of the other inventories within your barn, then having bats in the barn is a very risky situation that should be resolved as soon as possible. Otherwise, your bottom line is at risk.

Are you looking for professional critter control company that can help you get rid of bats in the barn or shed? Contact Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 for professional bat removal services in Virginia, including Richmond and surrounding counties. We serve commercial and residential clients.

Virginia Bat Pros is a Bat Standards Compliant and Certified Company

Posted on May 27, 2021 by virginia

Here at Virginia Bat Pros, we are proud to be a Bat Standards Compliant and Certified Company. But that is not the only reason why you should choose us for safe and affordable bat abatement service in Old Dominion! Continue below to learn more about us, including why we are a leader in bat removal and control assistance and how to get started with a free quote or advice, today!

The Leading Bat Removal and Control Experts in Virginia

Virginia Bat Pros is a licensed, bonded, and insured bat removal and control business with more than 27 years of experience in the wildlife rescue and control industry. We offer a wide range of services for both residential and commercial clients, including bat extraction, exclusion, prevention, cleanup and sanitation, damage repairs and restoration, emergency 24 hour service, estimates, inspections, and much more.

An Environmentally-Conscience Company

We never use inhumane or unsafe methods to remove bats. Instead, we carefully implement scientifically-proven strategies that safely gets rid of bats without harming us, your home, or the surrounding environment. Once extracted, bats are relocated to a faraway, safe habitat where we can live out the rest of our lives in peace.

Innovative Advancements and Key Credentials

Aside from being a Bat Standards Compliant and Certified Company, our seasoned teams at Virginia Bat Pros retain the latest technologies and state of the art equipment to solve bat problems safely, effectively, and efficiently, doing everything in our power to ensure your property is protected against nuisance bats. And as members of the National Wildlife Control Operators Association (NWCOA), you can trust even more that we take our job very seriously.

Ready to get a free quote or advice about your nuisance bat problem or concern? Contact us directly at 804-729-9097 for prompt and professional bat removal and control services in Virginia, including Midlothian, Richmond, Manassas, Mechanicsville, Fairfax, and all surrounding counties.

You Should Also Read:

Do You Have Bats in the Attic?
Can I Get Rid of Bats Myself?
Common Signs of Bats in the Wall