Bats can be excellent neighbors when they keep a proper distance from your home. Other than acting as natural mosquito repellants, they promote pollination and aid in seed dispersal.

While bats don’t always live indoors, some situations force them to seek shelter, for example when they feel endangered or a female has just given birth.

If they are next to your house and find an opening in the attic, you can be sure they will seek shelter there.

Another reason that attracts bats to a home is the presence of insects like mosquitoes and moths around the lights. If the insects are always present, they may choose to find a nesting site close to the source of food or water, and your attic is a perfect spot!

Can You Let Bats Live In Your Attic Or Should You Remove Them?

When you have bats in attic, you might be tempted to let them stay because they help remove all kinds of bugs from your property. After all, they can eat up thousands of insects every evening, so you won’t have to worry about bugs anymore.

But while they are helpful, they can be a nuisance once they stay in your attic. For instance, they can cause infestations, make a lot of noise, and cause significant damages to your structure.

How Long Can a Bat Live In The Attic?

The average lifespan on a bat is between 10 to 20 years, but survival into adulthood is mainly determined by the quantity of food and the kind of shelter that’s available. If a bat manages to get food and good shelter, the animal will live long.

Your attic is one of the best forms of shelter a bat can get as it can get insects or rodents around the compound, if not in the house. Besides, most people don’t spend much time in the attic, so these mammals will be free to enjoy their stay almost uninterrupted.

Since the bats have everything they need in the attic, they can stay and reproduce more to make a large colony. In fact, they’ll live for generations if nothing is done, so don’t assume they will vacate willingly. Instead, be proactive and find a way to get rid of these animals as soon as you can.

Can Bats Damage Your Attic?

Compared to all pests and wild animals that can stay in attics, bats happen to be one of the worst.

One main thing they do is damage the property, particularly the electrical system, plumbing, and other similar fixtures. They also claw away the insulation, wood, and other similar building materials and leave behind rub marks from their body oil.

Even their feces can cause significant damages to the insulation and wooden building materials. The feces smell is also pretty bad and will permeate via the walls and spread throughout the house.

Can You Get Sick From Bats In Attic?

Other than damaging your attic and making a lot of noise, bats can make you get sick.

Their droppings, guano, contain a fungus known as Histoplasma capsulatum which is detrimental to people’s health. When the guano dries and becomes an airborne pollutant, it can be inhaled, and the fungus will cause a lung infection known as Histoplasmosis. The infection can spread beyond the lungs to the entire body, which is fatal. You shouldn’t even attempt to clean bat guano on your own!

These pests also expose humans to rabies. This often occurs when someone is bitten by an infected bat or comes into contact with guano, fur, urine, or blood from the bat.

When Do Bats Leave The Attic?

Once bats set up shop in the attic, they can stay for a long time if you don’t know their way of life. Mostly, female bats and their pups are ready to leave the attic to hibernate in the nearby caves right before winter. This is because the cold weather drives pests and insects away, and they only emerge from hibernation after the cold season.

Other bats opt to migrate to warmer areas instead of hibernating. This is the best time to rid yourself of the bats in attic. You should call professionals like Westchester Wildlife company who will determine the holes the animals used to gain entry or leave your attic and then seal them.

What Time Of Year Is It Legal To Remove Bats From Attic?

Since bats are an endangered species, they get protection from state and federal laws. This is the reason why you cannot get rid of them whenever you want even if they are a nuisance or causing damage to your home.

However, it is legal to remove bats from your home around mid-August to mid-October. Most pups can fly by July, so by mid-August, the bats leave their nursery site to find an ideal place to hibernate during winter.

Consequently, get experts to remove the bats and seal the openings within this time because when they hibernate in your attic, you will not be allowed to bother them until the next bat removal season.

If you have a bat problem in Westchester, Dutchess, or Putnam Counties, NY, and Fairfield County, CT, we can help. We specialize in the field of bat removal and bat pest control in the attic. So give us a call today!