I’ve been noticing more bats lately on early-morning walks in the neighborhood, and today I came across this important information about them via email from the Aycock Historic District. The source is Kim Yeoman, a biology grad student at UNCG who certainly has the qualifications to talk about these helpful, misunderstood little beasts. Her comments came in response to a neighbor who has bats in the attic:
“Many species of bats roost in large maternity colonies, which confers predation protection, and also speeds up the development of their offspring, via heterothermia. If you attempt to seal off any openings to your home before September, you may be sealing off hundreds of baby bats (pups), which will die, rot, and stink up your attic.
“Also, depending on which species are present, you may also be committing a felony, as three of NC’s bat species are endangered, and thus federally protected (Myotis grisescens, M. sodalis, and Corynorhinus townsendii virginianus). Using moth balls will incur additional animal cruelty penalties, as moth balls are extremely toxic (carcinogenic) to mammals, and such open usage may also expose pets and children to the vapors.
“Did you know that 25% of all mammal species are bats, and less than half of one percent of all bats carry rabies? Bats eat mosquitoes, agricultural pests, disperse seeds, and pollinate flowers, including the tequila agave
(http://www.batcon.org/index.
“Bats live for about thirty years, and once sexually mature, have 1-2 pups each year, which is an incredibly slow rate of reproduction for a mammal their size (e.g. mice). This slow reproductive rate combined with habitat destruction, pesticide accumulation, and white nose syndrome (https://www.
“I strongly recommend that once pup season has definitively passed (September), you contact a local wildlife removal specialist. A colleague of mine once worked for Trutech LLC and can confirm that they use legal and humane methods to remove sensitive species from
buildings.
“Here’s an informative link on how to properly exclude bats from buildings:
http://www.batcon.org/pdfs/
“Here’s a video on how to capture and safely remove a bat from inside your home:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?