Bat questions, answered straight
The questions we hear most on the phone, with the answers we give there.
Before you call
If a bat is loose inside right now, close interior doors to keep it in one room, open a window in that room if no one had contact with it, and keep kids and pets out. If there’s any chance someone was bitten or it was in a room where someone slept, don’t let it go. Our emergency bat removal page walks through the next steps.
If you think bats are living in the attic or walls, don’t seal anything yet. Watch the roofline at dusk if you can and note where they come out. That tells us a lot when we arrive for the bat removal and exclusion inspection.
Why can't you remove the bats in June?
North Carolina bars bat evictions from May 1 through July 31. Pups born in early summer can't fly for several weeks, and evicting their mothers leaves them to starve inside your walls or attic. We can inspect and seal openings that lead into your living space during that window, then do the exclusion starting in August.
I sealed the hole and now bats are inside the house. What happened?
Sealing the active opening while bats are still in the roost forces them to look for another way out, and that way is often into the house. This is the most common DIY mistake we see. Don't seal anything else; call us and we'll set up a proper exclusion.
How do I tell bat droppings from mouse droppings?
Bat guano tends to pile up under a roost or an entry point and crumbles into a dry, glittery powder when crushed because it's full of insect wings. Mouse droppings are hard and scattered. Don't handle either with bare hands.
What time of day will I notice bats?
Around dusk. You may hear chirping or scratching before they leave, and you can often watch them drop out of a gap in the roofline shortly after sunset.
Do ultrasonic repellers or mothballs work?
Not for a colony. They don't change the fact that the building has openings, and bats return to roosts they know. Exclusion and sealing is the fix.
A bat was in the bedroom while we slept. What should we do?
Keep the bat contained if you can do it safely, don't release it, and call your doctor or the local health department. Bats are a rabies vector species in North Carolina, and bites can be very small. They may want the bat tested. Then call us about how it got in.
Is bat guano dangerous?
Old guano can carry the fungus that causes histoplasmosis. The risk comes from breathing dust when it's disturbed, so don't sweep or vacuum it with a household vacuum. Leave cleanup of heavy accumulation to a crew with the right protection and equipment.
How long does an exclusion take?
Sealing and device installation often takes a day or a few days depending on the building. The one-way devices then stay up long enough for every bat to leave before the final openings are closed.
What does bat removal cost?
It depends on the building: how many openings, how high and steep the roof is, what repairs the gaps need, and whether the attic needs cleanup. We quote after an inspection so the number reflects your building.
Do you offer a warranty?
Yes, our exclusion work is backed by a warranty. Joe will explain what it covers when he gives you the quote.
Do you work on churches, schools, and commercial buildings?
Yes. The crew has worked on college campuses, office buildings, schools, churches, historic buildings, warehouses, condos, HOA properties, and multi-level buildings.
Can I just put up a bat house?
A bat house can give bats somewhere else to go after an exclusion, and NC Wildlife encourages them. On its own, it won't pull a colony out of your attic.
- 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