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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsIs this an omen of how the week is going to go?
Woke up early and headed to the small bath off the kitchen. As I'm about to sit down, whoooooooosh. In flies a bat. So it's me and the bat in a tiny room with a puzzled cat sitting in the doorway. Instinctively, I ran out the door, closing it behind me. As my blood pressure began to drop I could hear fluttering back and forth. What to do, what to do. I went to get my husband, but he was still asleep so I let him be. Back to the half bath. After arming myself with a fly swatter, I entered with the plan of opening the screen so it could fly out. I entered quickly, closing the door behind me and saw my creepy little friend was sitting in the sink. I carefully held him down with the fly swatter and tried to get the screen off with one hand. No luck. Then I spotted the hand towel. In one quick move I threw the towel over the bat and removed the fly swatter. I gently balled him up in the towel and threw him out the back door. It took him about 2 seconds to crawl out and fly away. Now to figure out how he got in to begin with.
TEB
(12,715 posts)JimGinPA
(14,811 posts)That's how one got in my kitchen a while back.
Vinca
(50,168 posts)Earlier in the summer I discovered an opening in one of the unused chimneys where the little fireplace was blocked off. I'll have to check that again. I stuffed it with insulation, but maybe the bat opened it up. This is the third bat encounter of the summer. We didn't see them around for a few years, but they seem to be back, healthy and ready to drive me nuts again.
magicarpet
(13,935 posts)That episode officially makes you,...
BAT - (in the house)
POOP - (in the bathroom after all)
CRAZY - (.... "and ready to drive me nuts again...." - you said it yourself.)
Is the cat now avoiding you ?
Your day can not help but to improve in a very significant way !
Vinca
(50,168 posts)janterry
(4,429 posts)I've had them fly at me, before - when we were out walking at dusk. One cruised right by my hair! Thank heavens we've never had one in the house. I have a dog and a cat and between the two of them, they'd rip the house apart.
FWIW, I think it's your husbands turn- he needs to find out how they got in
Vinca
(50,168 posts)I took the chance to look at the thing while I had him pinned down and I think it's more the shock of their speed and sudden appearance that is what's frightening. Maybe I conquered a fear this morning.
leftofcool
(19,460 posts)Batman? Bat busters?
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)Vinca
(50,168 posts)Hortensis
(58,785 posts)N_E_1 for Tennis
(9,593 posts)we had a bat problem, the attic got infested once. When the exterminator explained about bats and how they live it was kinda eye opening. Gosh that guy talked way to much about bats. It was a little creepy the way he reveled in their lives.
Anyway as far as getting in...he showed me the hole they came in and out of, it was about the size of a half dollar coin, little smaller. How he knew that was the hole... the bottom of the hole was darker than the rest... this is where the body oils of the bat rubbed off after all the in and out.
He had us do a bat watch for a couple evenings, a little before the sun went down. He said to try to count the number of bats coming out if we could. He said for every one bat we saw there was maybe 5 to 10 more.
He finally got rid of them all. It was a creepy time. My wife had to go to her parents house for a couple nights.
Hope you dont have that big of a problem.
So look for small holes that may have the dark spot as described above.
Vinca
(50,168 posts)bat makes his way in. I'll have to do a check of all flues and cracks and crevices. Good info about the discoloration at the spot they get in. They seem to be able to squeeze through the smallest openings.
KY_EnviroGuy
(14,483 posts)Here's some info from a critter control company and the info seems credible....
See: https://www.crittercontrol.com/services/bats/bats-in-chimneys
Bats live in both cities and wooded areas, eating half of their weight in insects every night. When looking for places to roost, they choose protected spots like sheds, attics, and smokestacks. At times, bats in chimneys cause problems due to their breeding habits and potential for disease.
To deter bats from roosting in the chimney, a variety of methods can be helpful:
Exclusion tubes - This device is a one-way exit, allowing bats in the chimney to leave but not to return.
Mesh screens - Placing wire mesh over a chimney keeps bats out, though it is important to avoid trapping any animals inside.
Chimney caps - Similar to a mesh screen, a cap stops pest wildlife from entering.
Bat boxes - Installing this alternative home encourages bats in chimneys to move out on their own.
Setting up some of these devices requires special knowledge and equipment. Accessing the chimney also means getting onto the roof, which can be dangerous for homeowners.
Also, see: https://www.crittercontrol.com/services/bats/bats-in-homes
Bats are small and it is not difficult for them to sneak into even the tiniest crevasses in your home which leads to bats in basement or bats in attics. It is also common for bats to enter through unscreened fireplaces or open windows. If you hear unpleasant noises around your house at night, you may have a bat problem or bats in the attic.
Good luck........
Vinca
(50,168 posts)That would be a good place to start. Good timing, too, since we're about to be replacing roof shingles near the chimney. Maybe the sudden increase in bats is why our mosquito population has decreased significantly despite the wet weather. Good things come in small packages??
KY_EnviroGuy
(14,483 posts)If the wire is too fine, you can get a creosote buildup which can cause a fire and/or choke off the chimney's draft. Very coarse screen wire should work to keep bats and birds out.
Yes, bats are like bees - all a part of nature's wonderful design and process........
Vinca
(50,168 posts)Ferrets are Cool
(21,059 posts)Thank you very much for not killing the poor thing. Many would have.
Vinca
(50,168 posts)Duppers
(28,094 posts)Here on the east coast we'd be overcome with mosquitoes were it not for our bats. I experience these critters, mammals by the way, almost every night on my midnight walks. I welcome their swishing by my head - better that than swatting some Nile-Virus carrying mosquito. Seriously.
What I'm asking, folks, is to please not fear these critters. They're an important part of our ecological system.
Here's a "terrifying" video of fruit eating bats...
Vinca
(50,168 posts)DeminPennswoods
(15,246 posts)I was cleaning the furnace filters and when I returned I saw this critter on the floor. It appeared dead so I touched it with a broom and it moved! Uh-oh. I went upstairs for a minute and when I returned to the basement the bad had moved and spread itself out so to look big, when it saw me, it lifted its little chin and hissed at me. I opened the cellar door and managed to get the bat on the end of a shovel. I put it in some mulch in a shady spot figuring it wasn't going to survive, but a little later on when I looked at spot where I'd put it, it was gone. I guess it revived and flew away.
I ended up calling the PA state game commission and an officer actually came over. He said if that happened again to put a box over the bat and call them. They'd take the bat a make sure it wasn't rabid. Then he walked around the house and looked for spots they might get in. He said bats can get in the tiniest spaces and they will "wing walk" using the little feet on their wings to climb up the bricks. He said his grandparents lived in a old farmhouse and he would sometimes watch the bats come in the cellar door. When I told my neighbor about the bat, he told me there were about 8 bats living in his chimney. He said sometimes he'd go out at dusk and watch them fly out. That was a mosquito-free year, on the plus side.
LuckyCharms
(17,286 posts)While standing in the dark attic while the sun is out, look for any light coming in near any framing components. Especially, look at the joint where the roof rafters meet the soffit and fascia. If light is coming in any areas in your framing, bats may be able to get in there.
Check for raised shingles on your roof.
Go outside at dusk to see if you can see them exiting from anywhere.
Good luck.
Le Gaucher
(1,547 posts)My dad would run out shrieking .. My mum coolly would caputure it using a towel and release it.
Kaleva
(36,145 posts)A bat! That's it! An omen!
ecstatic
(32,566 posts)As it stands, the problem I'm having is from enormous "water bugs" getting in my place somehow. I've seen 2 within the past 2 weeks. Each incident led to a 30+ minute battle with Windex as my weapon. Apparently they can enter through drains and vents, so I have most of my drains covered right now. The situation has me completely on edge. I feel uncomfortable in my own home. If I were to see a bat, I would not be able to handle the situation on my own. No way.
lillypaddle
(9,580 posts)I can't stand bugs, even when they're dead.
Zoonart
(11,747 posts)is a symbol of luck and good fortune. So... there's that.
gordianot
(15,226 posts)I can still hear my Dad yelling about it 60 years ago. I used a butterfly net.
lillypaddle
(9,580 posts)didn't it? Good morning!
You were very calm.
Vinca
(50,168 posts)I'm just happy he was sitting in the sink and I didn't have to defend myself with the fly swatter. I didn't want to hurt it, but there is always the rabies concern. It did look like a healthy animal though and he took off into the air right after the balled up towel hit the lawn.
PatSeg
(46,776 posts)We lived in a third floor apartment with a flat roof, so no eaves. It was winter time, there were no open windows and it was an older building so there was no fan in the bathroom. I never could figure out how it got in, other than through the plumbing. Very strange morning.
Alwaysna
(574 posts)Sometimes they hide during the day in the folds of drapery. I used a fishing net to capture.
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)❤️
TheBlackAdder
(28,070 posts).
Bat Conservation International
http://www.batcon.org/
They very rarely have rabies. That's more of a fear mongering belief.
Like any small animal, they'll scare the wits out of you if they enter a confined area of a home, but you did good.
.
Vinca
(50,168 posts)I've thought of doing that before, but I was afraid it might attract more bats near the house and I'd end up with more coming in.
TheBlackAdder
(28,070 posts).
Tree mount allows squirrels and rats/mice to attract them, as well as tree-born pests.
Guano is guano, after all, and you don't want that dropping by the side of the house.
I sunk 2 posts into the ground with long schedule 40 PVC 4-inch pipe in between. One bolt acts as a pivot rod, another acts as a removable linchpin so when it's time to clean it, I pull the pin out and lower the pole down gradually.
.
Vinca
(50,168 posts)LittleGirl
(8,261 posts)and a bat flew in from the fire place on New Year's Eve, 1999. I thought I saw it flying around the room that night but figured it was the champagne instead.
The next morning I saw it again. It was hanging upside down on one of the stones on the fireplace. I didn't touch it but my partner, at the time, got it and put it outside. We didn't want the cats to catch it.
Another time, a reddish squirrel ran across the roof of the garage and threw itself off over the head of my partner walking by and hit the ground so hard, it died instantly. My partner didn't know what to make of that. I saw it as a sign to get away from that guy and haven't seen him since 2000. I think it was two good signs that I needed to go.
Vinca
(50,168 posts)LittleGirl
(8,261 posts)Richluu
(79 posts)Last edited Tue Aug 28, 2018, 06:43 AM - Edit history (1)
I'm plugging bat holes in our church basement where the bats in the attic follow air currents through the walls to fly in the at night. Look for small round and long flat hard, black scat for evidence.
Look for:
. Gaps around pipes- fill with foam (Fire break foam near heat), plaster, or a pipe collar
. Seal around your range hood with foam
. Look for holes the size of a dime and fill with plaster (drywall mud)
. Cover plates on wall plugs
. Investigate ultrasonic noise generators to plug in around your house and attic
. Watch at sundown to see whet bats are exciting your house and make one-way exits for the holes (window screen socks); wait two weeks.
. Make sure bats evacuate your attic before you seal their entry holes and wait until September and the babies are grown.
It takes a while but persistence is successful! Good luck!
Brogrizzly
(145 posts)Vinca
(50,168 posts)secondwind
(16,903 posts)get up and fly away. Ive been hearing this since I was a little girl.
rsdsharp
(9,035 posts)We used to live in a house where they nested under the garage roof and would migrate down the wall it shared with the kitchen, and pop out in the basement.
One night I got up at about 3 AM and went to get a drink. As I headed back to bed, something hissed down by my right foot. Suddenly a 300 pound man found out he could levitate. I jumped up about 4 feet and backwards about 8. Through the gloom, and without my glasses, a saw a dark shape on the floor under a chair. I assumed it was a bat, and was likely rabid, as bats don't generally land on the floor in the dead of night.
I grabbed a towel out of the linen closet and threw it over the bat. Then I grabbed second one and stuffed it under the bedroom door. The next morning my friend was still there so I put on some heavy gloves, tucked the towel around him and took him out to the garbage can. That wasn't the most humane thing to do, I admit, but I wasn't going to mess with a bat I believed was rabid.