Bats aren’t dangerous or aggressive creatures by nature, but that doesn’t make them everyone’s favorite houseguests. Living with bats brings potentially harmful side effects. Find out more about bat infestation dangers that could harm your household, and learn what to do if you have bats living in your home.
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Is Bat Guano Deadly?
Are you wondering how dangerous it is to have bat guano in the attic? It’s one of the biggest consequences of finding bats in the home because their droppings contain several harmful viruses. Of all the species commonly encountered in urban settings; bats excrement presents the single largest health risk to humans. Period.
A potentially deadly fungus called Histoplasma
A few bats in the home can slowly turn into a full-blown colony, which results in a larger pile of guano in the home and around their exits and entrances. This can increase the chance of the airborne fungus being spread. You do not want to inadvertently breathe it in.
Homeowners should be especially careful during clean-up. When droppings are disturbed, it can increase the risk of exposure. Contact a local professional wildlife removal company if you suspect you have bats in your home.
External Damage
Interior damage isn’t your only concern: Your home’s exterior may require mending. If you find milky white stains on roofing, shingles, and brick, it’s bat urine, and it requires a thorough clean-up.
One feature of bat anatomy includes a greasy, oily coat trail, which covers their fur in a smooth gloss. This oily residue leaves a mark around entry points. If you found rub marks around entrances, they may be slightly sticky, covered in bat hairs, and appear to be a yellow-brown or black color.
Bats find any way possible to enter a home—through the roof, the chimney, and even the vents. This can damage your home’s integrity, in addition to creating costly repairs. For a closer look, use a ladder around the home. You’ll likely see piles of guano or urine in one area, and grease stains around crevices and cracks. This is clear evidence of a bat entry and exit point.
Broken shingles and loose boards make it easy to slip inside while creating a bigger problem for you to fix. Regular home maintenance is important for reducing the likelihood of bats entering the home.
Water Contamination
You might notice bat urine outside the home, and your home’s layout combined with the bats roosting location could result in urine entering the water system. If you have an outdoor water collection or use a rainwater tank, there’s a risk of urine seeping inside. This health risk is one of the bat infestation dangers that is best avoided.
If you have pets and do notice bat activity around your property, make sure to clear out any areas where water can gatheEliminatinging any potential pools of water that can be contaminated will decrease the odds of your household pet contracting anything.
Diseases
Bats host many human-infecting viruses. We touched on histoplasmosis earlier, but there are several other potentially dangerous diseases to consider. The other most common diseases found in bats are hepatitis, salmonella, and rabies. It’s important to keep in mind that you do not necessarily need to be bitten or scratched by a bat to contract one of these viruses. They are also transmitted through contaminants excreted through urine, feces, and saliva.
Of the potential threats mentioned, the most dangerous is rabies. In Ontario, we are in the midst of a rabies resurgence since 2015. Although the chanced are still very slim that you will contract rabies, if you do notice bat activity around your residence, it is best to remain vigilant and deal with the issue humanely and as quickly as possible.
Disturbing Your Routine
You might not notice when bats first entered the home, but once you’re aware of them, they’ll be hard to forget. Irritating sound effects include their vocal squeaking, grooming, scratching, and crawling, which is often heard before dusk and around dawn. Their fluttering and squeaking could keep you up, and there’s no denying the benefits of a good night’s sleep. While it’s one of the lesser bat infestation dangers, it certainly is a nuisance.
There are key bat-proofing tips homeowners can use, but evicting bats from your home is a job best left to a professional. Call wildlife removal services for bat eviction. Bat removal should only be completed by trained professionals
Do you need wildlife removal services? Request a quote today!