Attic cleanup and guano removal after a colony moves out
Getting the bats out is half the job. What they left in the insulation is the other half.
When an attic needs more than a sweep
A small colony that moved in last spring may leave a manageable amount of guano near the roost. A colony that’s used the same attic for several seasons is a different story. Guano piles up under the roosting spot, urine soaks into insulation and wood, and the smell starts reaching the rooms below on hot days.
Signs cleanup is part of your job:
- Piles of droppings on the attic floor or on top of insulation
- Insulation that’s matted, stained, or darker near the roofline
- An ammonia or musty odor in the attic, worse in summer heat
- Staining on ceiling drywall below the roost
- Bat bugs, a relative of bed bugs, showing up near the roost or in rooms under it
Why we don’t treat guano casually
Old bat droppings can carry Histoplasma, the fungus behind histoplasmosis. The CDC’s concern is dust: when dry guano is disturbed, spores can get into the air and into lungs. That’s why we don’t sweep it and why a household shop vac is the wrong tool.
Our crew works with respiratory protection, contains the work area, and bags material inside the attic before it comes through the house.
What remediation involves
- Exclusion first. The bats have to be out and the building sealed. Otherwise we’d be cleaning an active roost.
- Assess the attic. We map where guano and urine have spread and decide what can be cleaned in place and what has to go.
- Remove contaminated material. Guano and soaked insulation are removed and bagged.
- Sanitize. Affected surfaces are treated to deal with residue and odor.
- Restore. New insulation goes in so the attic does its job for heating and cooling again.
If bat bugs came along with the colony, we treat for those as well. One customer’s review mentions a bat exclusion and bat bug treatment done in two rounds above a home office.
What affects the cost
The size of the contaminated area, how deep the insulation is and what kind it is, how easy the attic is to work in (a walk-up attic vs. a tight crawl near the eaves), and what’s going back in. We quote after seeing it.
One crew for the whole job
Hiring separate companies for exclusion and cleanup leaves gaps: nobody owns the timing, and nobody knows what the other crew found. When the same people do both, the cleanup is scheduled right after the building clears and nothing gets missed. Start with bat removal and exclusion if bats are still using your attic, or head back to the Triangle Bat Removal home page.
Related bat services
Questions we hear a lot
Can I clean up the guano myself?
For a few droppings on a windowsill, wear gloves and a good mask, wet them down, and wipe. For a pile in the attic or insulation, we don't recommend it. Sweeping or vacuuming dry guano puts dust in the air, and that dust can carry histoplasmosis spores.
Do you replace the insulation too?
Yes. When insulation is contaminated, we remove it, sanitize the attic, and reinstall insulation so the space works the way it should again.
Should cleanup happen before or after the exclusion?
After. Cleaning an attic that bats are still using just means cleaning it twice.
Will the smell go away?
Once the source material is out and the attic is sanitized, odor usually drops off. A lingering smell after cleanup can point to a spot we need to look at again, and we'll come back and check.
What customers say
I cannot thank Joe and his team (Chris, Forrest, Mike & Grayson) enough for the work they put in for a successful bat exclusion and bat bug remediation. I reached out in June for noises I was hearing in the ceiling of my home office. They inspected very quickly & identified bats... They were able to close any other entry points, Chris fixed our exhaust vents and they successfully excluded the bats. They did a great clean up job & treated for the bugs twice.
Marian Morritt on Google
Mike from Integrated Wildlife Management came to my home recently to do an inspection of a bat colony that was roosting in one of our gable vents. He did a thorough inspection, pointed out some other entry points in our attic and gave a fair quote. He came back to do the removal and exclusion work this week and everything was done as promised. When I had a question about the warranty, Joe gave me a straightforward answer and addressed my concerns.
Peter Dooling on Google
Had an unexpected bat in our fireplace on a Saturday night at 5:30pm and a quick search led me Joe and the Integrated team. They had the bat out of the fireplace by 8:30pm and came back for a full inspection the next day! I was very impressed with their quick reply during weekend hours and their professionalism to get the job done right!
Nick H. on Google
Ready to get it handled?
- You'll talk with Joe Zets or his crew, not a call center
- Exclusion work backed by a warranty
- Homes, churches, campuses, and commercial buildings
- Emergency help when a bat is inside