What You Need to Know About Bats if You Have Some Around Your Property

Posted on March 17, 2022 by virginia

Bats are an incredible species of mammal, and we are lucky to have them as a part of our surrounding Eco-system. Their high metabolic needs and diverse diets significantly impact our ecological communities by playing a vital role in pollination, seed dispersion, crop fertilization, insect control, protozoan hosting, ecotourism industries, and more. But where there are advantages, there are also disadvantages. If you have spotted bats around your property on a nightly basis, it is essential to better understand their behaviors so that you can better protect your home or business from bat damages and associated risks.

Continue reading to learn what you need to know about bats if you have them around your property.

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Nuisance Bats

Bats are common nuisances for home and business owners. They are attracted to dark, warm shelters to raise their young and hibernate through winter, including attics, crawl spaces, garages, sheds, roofs, and walls. They can enter through a crevice as tiny as 3/8^th inch, so it is easy for them to get inside a vulnerable structure. You can tell if you have bats in the house or around your property by looking for the signs. This includes hearing strange noises in the walls or attic at night, spotting animal droppings around windows or doors, smelling foul odors from attic or crawl space areas, and more.

Bat Damages

Bats can cause a long list of structural damages to a home, and the accumulation of their droppings can create an unsanitary, biohazardous environment. Furthermore, they pose a wide range of health risks since their guano can cause respiratory illnesses, and they may carry diseases and parasites like rabies, lice, mites, and more. Fortunately, several professional wildlife control companies offer restoration and decontamination services for damages caused by bats. They will remove the bats from the space using safe and humane methods, clean up the mess they made, sanitize the entire area, and restore any structural damages they caused from their stay.

Bats and Rabies

Many people wrongly assume that all bats have rabies. The truth is that bats are common carriers of the rabies virus, but that does not mean all bats are carriers, nor does it mean that carriers are infected. If a bat is rabid, you will be able to tell by a blood test, which can only be done correctly by a state’s Department of Health. A rabid bat is not likely to be a threat since they generally seek out isolation to die. In fact, bats that are not sick are not likely to attack either. They are more afraid of us than we are of them. It is very rare for one to bite or attack unless provoked. This is why regular vaccinations are so vital for pets.

Bat Removal and Control

To properly eliminate a bat problem, bats must first be removed, and then specific precautions must be taken to ensure they cannot reenter your home or building. There are many things you can do yourself to reduce the level of wildlife activity around your property, such as removing all food and water sources, including bird baths, squirrel feeders, pet food, gardens, and more. You can also install automatic motion lighting or ultrasonic sound machines, as well as, spread predatory urine or other non-toxic repellents around your yard. Just use water, ground hot pepper, and menthol oil to make a homemade b a t repellent.

Are you dealing with a nuisance bat problem in or around your property? 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.

What to Do About Your Problems With Nuisance Bats

Posted on October 12, 2020 by virginia

Bats are an important part of our world. They pollinate our landscapes, aid farmer in pest control, provide us with natural fertilizers, and even help contribute to our local economies. But there is also a downside to our local bat populations. You see, bats can be quite the nuisance. Not only do they cause structural damages, they are also known carriers of several transmissible diseases; diseases that can be contracted by both humans and pets! For these reasons and more, it is wise to step in early on to mitigate or abate a nuisance bat problem, before the damages, and associated costs to repair those damages, add up.

Continue reading to learn exactly what you should do about your issues with nuisance bat activity around your house.

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Inspect Your Home for Signs of Bats

Your first step to putting a stop to nuisance bat activity on and around your property is to inspect your property. This assessment will give you a current idea of whether or not bats have gained access to inner parts of your home, and have built roosts in the attic or wall voids. A common sign of localized bat activity are guano droppings, usually around windowsills, door frames, and roof edges. Additional signs include oil stains or grease marks on siding or entry holes, yellow or brown stains on ceilings or walls (this is caused by urine and dropping accumulation from somewhere inside the house), noises of chirping or fluttering within walls or in the attic, and lingering odors that were not there before.

Contact a Local Bat Control Company

Once you have assessed the condition and surrounding environment of your home, you have a good idea of where the bats are localizing at, and how much their presence has affected the structural integrity of your house and property edifices. With this information handy, your next step is to contact a Virginia Bat Removal and Control Company that has a long-standing reputation for excellence in their field. With them on the line, schedule a time for them to come out and perform a comprehensive property inspection. They have advanced technologies and resources to take a bat infestation and activity assessment many steps further, and render a professional evaluation and diagnosis.

Move Forward With Bat Control Services

Once the professional bat control specialists have completed their assessment, they will have all the information they need to give you a professional recommendation to get rid of nuisance bats. They will start by educating you about environmental modifications, which means you may need to add or remove certain features in your property. This might include log piles, dead trees, composting, standing water, and similar features that attract bats. Following environment changes, they will likely recommend a mitigation plan to prevent bats from being able to enter your house. If you have bats around, there is a risk of bat infestations. They will suggest certain structural enhancements or repairs, such as filling in gaps and holes in the exterior of your home.

Your Leading Virginia Bat Removal and Control Company

Call Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 for safe and humane bat removal and control at a fair price. Regardless of the size or scope of your bat abatement and cleanup needs, we have the experience and resources necessary to remedy your bat problem in no time at all. Our professionals are focused on safe and effective results, but more importantly, our client’s complete satisfaction. Contact us anytime for free estimates, advice, and assistance.

Everything You Want to Know About the Virginia Big-Eared Bat

Posted on May 29, 2020 by virginia

The Virginia Big-Eared bat is one of three federally-listed endangered species of bat in Virginia. In fact, it has been categorized as endangered since 1979 by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. There are several interesting facts about the Virginia Big-Eared bat species, adding more reason to keep these precious critters protected and preserved.

Continue reading to learn more about the Virginia Big-Eared bat, and what to do if you suspect you are having nuisance bat issues around your property.

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Corynorhinus townsendii virginianus

The Virginia Big-Eared bat is part of the Animalia kingdom, Chordata phylum, Mammalia class, and Chiroptera order. Their scientific name, Corynorhinus townsendii virginianus, is derived from their genus (Corynorhinus), species (C. townsendii), and subspecies (C. t. virginianus).

What They Look Like

This special species is distinguishable by its large ears, which can reach lengths of 2.5 centimeters or more. When resting, their ears reach back to half the length of their body! In addition to their most distinguishable trait, these mammals have long, soft, brown fur that ranges in shade depending on their age. Weighing and average of 7 to 12 grams (0.25 to 0.42 ounces), it is one of the largest Microchiroptera species in its range. With rounded muzzle and elongated nostrils, the Virginia Big-Eared bat can grow to 98 millimeters (3.85 inches) long by adult hood.

How They Act

The VBE bat usually mates in the fall and winter. Females actually store the male’s sperm until they begin ovulation, which generally occurs in late winter or early spring. Females have a gestation period of 3 months, and give birth to only one baby, called a “pup.” The pup stay with the mother for up to 8 weeks, in which time they are fully-developed and capable of flight. These bats generally roost in caves, where they also hibernate for the winter. Because they prefer it, they are mostly found in mountainous limestone caves surrounded by forest with oak and hickory trees.

Where They Live

Although they are called the Virginia Big-Eared bat, they are not just native to Virginia. They are also found in states like Kentucky and North Carolina. The Virginia Big-Eared bat species is not a migratory one; they stay in their caves all year, whether hibernating or not. They only leave to hunt for food at night, which they do with the help of their amazing sonar abilities called echolocation. Bats see quite well, opposed to common belief, and only use their echolocating abilities to better dart and dive for insects. They are nocturnal, so it also improves their night-time navigational skills.

Nuisance Bat Problems?

It is vital to contact a licensed bat control company for safe, humane, and non-lethal bat abatement services. You should never attempt to trap, touch, harm, or kill a bat under any circumstances. This is also important since you never know if it is a federally-protected species.

Virginia Bat Removal and Control Near You

Call Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 when you need prompt and professional Virginia bat removal and control you can afford. They serve all of Virginia, including Richmond, Petersburg, Short Pump, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Newport News, Virginia Beach, and all of their surrounding areas.

Learn the Primary Scientific Classifications for Bats

Posted on May 8, 2020 by virginia

Although many people fear them, bats are unusual and incredible creatures, as well as the second largest order of mammals. They play a vital role in our Eco-system, and even help control nuisance insect populations in the spring and summer. Their significant contribution to our environment means they deserve a much better reputation. Perhaps by learning some interesting facts and information about bats, you too can change your opinion and fear them no more.

Continue reading to learn some basic facts about bats, including their collective taxonomy and scientific classifications.

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Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) is an American partnership of federal agencies intended to provide steady, dependable information on the categorization and nomenclature of biological species. In terms of bats, they have categorized the taxonomy of mega and microbats as follows:

Kingdom = Animalia

Phylum = Chordata

Subphylum = Vertebrata

Class = Mammalia

Order = Chiroptera

Suborder = Megachiroptera (Megabats) & Microchiroptera (Microbats)

Family = There are a total of 16 families in the suborder Microchiroptera. In the Megachiroptera, there is only one family called the Pteropodidae, also known as flying foxes and Old World fruit bats.

Genera = There are a total of 187 bat genera’s.

Species = There are at least 950 known bat species, but there are likely as many as 1,200 species or more.

More Fun Bat Facts!

Bats are mammals. What’s even more shocking is that bats are the only mammals in the world that are capable of true flight. Other mammals, like the flying squirrel, have the ability to leap, jump, soar, or float over great distances, but bats are the only ones who can actually take and maintain flight just like a bird.

Microbats use echolocation to help hunt their prey and navigate around in the dark; however, they are not blind. In fact, microbats can see quite well (and hear quite well), but they use their bio-sonar abilities to navigate their course, as well as, dart and dash for prey at a more precise rate.

Megabats, or fruit bats, do not have Echolocating abilities. They have big eyes and great vision, so they have no need for echolocation. To learn more about bats, see our blog, “5 Educational Facts About Bats” and really get to know this incredible mammal!

How to Safely and Quickly Stop a Nuisance Bat Problem in Virginia

Call Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 when you need prompt and professional Virginia bat removal and control you can afford. We use safe and humane methods to deliver effective 24 hour bat control for residential and commercial properties throughout Virginia. We serve all of Virginia, including Richmond, Petersburg, Short Pump, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Newport News, Virginia Beach, and all of their surrounding areas.