I just finished work on a very nice home in a very nice neighborhood. Bats were in the attic, as were bat bugs. They are cousins to the bed bug, quite often homeowners will have a bat bug problem that gets diagnosed as a bed bug problem. They do just about the same things in the same ways and getting rid of them is the same also. However with bat bugs, if the bats are not excluded (exclusion repairs) from the structure, more bat bugs are highly likely to invade the living quarters of the structure. Now numerous problems have occured. Bat removal, exclusion repairs, bat bug pest control treatment, guana (bat bug droppings/fecal matter) removal, perhaps some insulation removal and then re-insulating are the basic measures needed as a minimum to establish good control of this non-life threatening situation. Most homeowners are ill prepared for this level of work and it is recommemded that they seek professional help regarding these matters. Bat bugs can lie dorment for 9 months to a year and wake up very hungry. When no bats, rats, squirrels, or birds are available as a host the bat bugs will travel thru wall voids and can surface in the living quarters where they will attack a person or a pet to be the host. Batbugs are blood suckers, causing small red welts that lead to scratching which can lead to various infections. Should you have a bat problem in your attic or walls it is also recommended that you ask the right questions. Is the company or person doing all of the work licensed and insured (check with your state licensing agency, usually the Department of Natural Resources),,,, are they capable of doing all the things necessary to remedy the problem or will you have to call 2, 3, or 4 companies to get all things accomplished,,, will they be killing bats or simply relocating them with no harm to the bats,,, what type warranties do they offer on completion of all work? Do not be afraid to ask any questions, remember it is your house, your money, and you are in charge. If bats have been there for a period of time (several months or several years), it is not necessary to get the work done right now but it is important to get the work done right. Take time to inquire about the company doing the work, ask for credentials, proof of insurance, and a copy of a business license, you may want to ask for references. Do not be bullied or intimidated to make a rush decision made out of fear of bats, do your research and pick a company who is qualified, honest and legal ( they are everywhere to be found). Happy trapping.
Archive for the ‘Bats’ Category
Bed Bugs or Bat Bugs
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010Nuisance animals = more than one problem
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009Today I inspected a house which has bats in the attic. During my inspection I found rat droppings. The new attic insulation was put there 3 1/2 years ago which puts a time line on the situation for me. In the past 3 1/2 years rats have been coming and going at their leisure and the homeowners did not even know it. So, the original problem is bat removable, exclusion repairs to prevent future infesations, and soiled insulation removable and re-insulate those areas. In addition, more complete and thorough repairs are required in order to prevent rats from re-entering the structure, rodent elimination, and some more soiled insulation removable and re-insulating these areas will also be required from a health standpoint. Now you can see how one problem which goes uncorrected can ballon into some serious and major problems before it all is corrected. It is fairly common for most sturctures to have evidence of numerous animals in their attic and crawl spaces over a period of 20, 30, or 40 years. Sometimes this evidence is from an old infestation but still requires complete and thorough repairs in order to stop future infestations. Sometime this evidence is from current infestations and will require complete and thorough repairs to prevent future infestations from occurring. Anytime nuisance animals invade structures, the answer to the problem will be in exclusion repairs. One pest control company in Lawrenceville says that repairs should only be done as a last resort and that he can charge you to repeatedly put down more chemicals for rodent control and that will stop them from entering your structure. HOGWASH, if you want to keep animals out of your home, then you had better have a professional exclsuion repair specialist do complete and thorough repairs on the structure. Continuing to add more chemical to the environment is certainly not the solution to this problem but it sort of does give him job security as opposed to correcting the problem. If you are having someone do exclusionary repairs to your home, ask them to show proof of laibility insurance, Georgia DNR credentials, Georgia Dept of Ag credentials, a city or county business license and any thing else you wish in an effort to prove they are a professional company. This industry is full of theives and morons, buyer beware.