Bats In Your Attic

Never buy a home with bats in the attic. Never let your trim become broken or bent, letting bats into your attic. If you do have bats in the attic - never go up there. The ammonia from their droppings can kill you. Hire someone who knows about bats to clean out the area - without contaminating the air in your house.

Many people overlook bats. They don't cause much of a problem. In fact, some people put out bat houses thinking they are doing a good thing.


Bat guano (feces) builds up in attics and eaves that become home to bats. After guano has lain around for a couple of years, a fungus grows in it, releasing spores that cause histoplasmosis.

Histoplasmosis can cause respiratory diseases in humans, resulting in fever and chest pains that can turn into a chronic lung disease with the symptoms of tuberculosis. In the young, old, people with cancer, AIDS, or serious illnesses, histoplasmosis may cause blindnes - even be fatal.

Bats can enter a home through a space no bigger than a man's finger and live in corners without people ever knowing they are present.

Bats are difficult to remove. First, they are mammal so insecticides will not work on them. Second, they are mammals - they want to be warm and our homes are the warmest places for them. Third, they come in swarms far larger than mice. If you kill them, the stench of decaying bodies may be overwhelming. (read more on bats)

Old timers burned sulfur candles in areas where bats lived. This is a temporary measure, and could cause a house fire.

Signs of bat infestation in your home:

• Squeaking, scratching, or crawling sounds in your walls or attic
• Dead bats found in your home
• Bat droppings inside of house, in the attic, or walls, etc.
• Seeing bats fly away from your home at dusk
• Strong urine smell, especially on hot days

Bat droppings look like mice droppings but darker. This doesn't help much, as most people never take the time to examine animal feces. But, bat droppings are scattered more, and are found more 'in the open.' You'll also see their excrement on the walls of our house - inside and out. You may also notice that your fruit has been gnawed.

Mammal repellents may help - they can't hurt.