There are several varieties of bat species in Southern Wisconsin & Northern Illinois; it’s usually the colonizing bat types that cause issues in residential homes. Bats often get a bad reputation, but they are not typically aggressive, and are usually very beneficial in eliminating insects & bugs.

Bats can become a nuisance when they roost in large numbers in residential houses or commercial buildings; the fast and nasty accumulation of guano (bat droppings) is unsanitary, and is a big breeding ground for a fungal disease called Histoplasmosis; it can be transferable to humans that breathe in the fungal spores. Bats can also carry rabies, which is a viral disease that causes progressive paralysis and death in humans and other mammals. Bat removal is a highly specialized task. Dealing with bats and other wildlife animals on your property is always dangerous and we encourage you to never try and trap them yourself.

Step 1 : Bat Investigation

Bohmz Pest Removal & Control would need to setup a time to come out to the property and find out where the bats are getting in and out of the house, where exactly they are living, what type of bats they are, and the damages they have caused. We would identify the spots that the bats are entering and exiting your home and try to find the type of bats which can be important to performing a proper exclusion, because of their different sizes, behaviors and birthing seasons.

It’s inhumane and illegal to trap baby bats inside the home or attic preventing the mothers from being able to take care of their young. This would also create additional problems because the babies cannot fly and will crawl around your walls or end up inside your home, in search of food. In Southern Wisconsin & Northern Illinois most female bats will give birth in the spring, and babies will be able to fly around the end of August.

Step 2 : Bat Inspection

Common entry points for bats include vents, fascia boards, ridge caps, and louvers. We would check any damaged areas on your house, like window panes that are broken or missing, warped boards, missing or damaged bricks, or any small gaps or openings to show signs of bats. Bats can enter through a gap of 3/8 of an inch, so any small hole can be an entry point. We would also look for signs like guano (bat droppings) on particular walls or area of the roof and urine stains in one area. Bats love to gain entry through the roof.

We would inspect your entire house and identify and seal any gaps and holes that are 3/8 inch and smaller.  We would then leave the main entry/exit point open.

Step 3 : Setting Up the Exclusion

We would then setup a one-way exclusion funnel on the main entry/exit point depending on the architecture of the house. We would place the exclusion funnel perfectly so that the bats can fly out naturally at dusk, but they are not able to fly back inside. This process sounds simple but it is difficult to get it just right and it is critical that you hire a bat removal professional like Bohmz Pest so it is done perfect. The device has to be placed on the exit hole in a way where the bats can fly out naturally as they usually do. They will have to crawl out and fly out or flutter down through the exclusion device. If it’t done incorrectly and there is something obstructing the hole they will not exit the house. The device also has to be place perfectly so that the bats will not be able to fly back in when they attempt to return.

Step 4 : Observation

You can observe your house at dusk and make sure all of the bats are getting out of the one-way device and that they aren’t able to fly back in. If working properly, we would leave it in place for at least 3 days before we come back to your residence.

Step 5 : Check up

We will return and verify that all of the bats have left the house or attic and none have returned. We would remove the device and immediately seal the last entry gap or holes to prevent future bat issues. We will make sure we do the job correctly because bats have a long life expectancy and also have a great memory. They could attempt to re-enter your home for a very long time, maybe even the next few seasons.

Step 6 : Clean up

Once all the gaps and holes are sealed we would make sure to clean up the bat guano by decontaminate and deodorize the entire space. In most cases, the bat guano can corrode wood and drywall, and then mold will grow. The mold can cause health problems for some people, so it is important to to have us clean and disinfect the area.