Bat Removal in the Macon Area

Common Bats in Georgia

Bat colony we later removed from an attic

Bats are one of the most misunderstood of all animals commonly encountered in our Macon regional service area, and bat-removal is one of our most popular services, especially in the summer, when they're most active.

One of the biggest misunderstanding about bats is that a lot of folks believe that they're rodents -- winged mice, as it were. That's completely untrue. Bats aren't even close relatives of rodents.

Bats are mammals that belong to the taxonomic order Chiroptera, which literally means "winged hand." That's a pretty good description, too. A bat's wing is actually a very large hand in comparison to their bodies, with webbing stretched between the fingers that forms a wing and enables them to take off and fly.

Bat removal job at a commercial building in Warner Robins

Another common misconception about bats is that they're blind. That's completely untrue. Different species of bats have different visual acuity ranging from so-so to quite good, but no bats are completely blind.

Because they fly at night, however, including during new moons when it's very dark outside, they also use echolocation -- basically sonar -- to help them navigate, avoid obstacles, and find prey. In this regard, they're especially amazing animals. Their sonic abilities were studied at great length by the U.S. government when sonar for ships and subs was being invented.

Speaking of prey, our Georgia bats mainly eat insects, which we'll talk some more about a bit farther down the page. We have no vampire bats in Georgia.

The Problem with Bats

Bat bugs are closely related to bed bugs

A lot of people are afraid of bats, and to be sure, bats can be dangerous when they get into our homes. Not that the bats are likely to attack you or anything like that. Their main desire with regard to us human folks is to stay away from us. But they cause problems in other ways.

The main problem with bats is that they're not the cleanest of critters, and their guano (poop) creates an unhealthful condition when it piles up -- quite literally -- in attics and other places where bats roost. We've removed literally tons of guano from some serious rat jobs.

The problem with the guano (other than the obvious one, which is that it's, well, poop) is that it harbors a variety of bacterial, fungal, and possibly viral pathogens that can cause disease. These germs can get airborne and circulate into the inside of your home where the human folks live, especially if you have heating or air-conditioning equipment in the attic.

Rabies is another serious health problem associated with bats. Although the chances of exposure are small, it could happen if a member of your family (including a family pet) went into the attic and startled the bats. Once symptoms begin to show, it's too late to treat for rabies. The patient will die, and it will be a painful death. So even a small chance of exposure is too big a chance to take. If you have bats in your home, they have to go.

Finally, bats carry parasites that can be displaced and some of which can become human pests. One of these insects is the bat bug, a parasitic insect that's so similar to bed bugs that even entomologists have a hard time telling them apart. If they get into your home's living area they can make your life pretty miserable.

In Defense of Bats

Bats screened out of an Attic at a Georgia bat removal job

All that being said, although we can't tolerate them in our homes, bats are very beneficial members of our natural ecosystem. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that a single bat can consume between 600 and 1000 insects on every one of its night flights. That's a lot fewer 'skeeters for us to content with; and considering that mosquitoes transmit far more diseases than bats do, in balance, bats do more good than harm for public health.

In fact, bats are protected under both Federal and Georgia state law. With very few exception, it's a crime to deliberately kill bats. That's also why there's no such thing as a "bat exterminator."

Bats are controlled through removal and exclusion, or what a lot of people refer to as "bat-proofing." We wait until the leave the home on their nightly flights, and then we seal them out. That may sound easy, but it's really not. It's highly-specialized work.

You see, bats are really very tiny animals. With their wings folded, they can get into a home through some really small holes. Sealing them out of a house requires a great deal of training and skill to find and seal all the possible openings and a specialized knowledge of bat biology and behavior. It's very detailed, specialized work. Bat exclusion work done by handymen and homeowners almost always fails.

In addition, bat exclusion is hazardous because of the need to work up high and the potential exposure to bat-borne pathogens and parasites. It's definitely not the kind of job for folks who are afraid of heights, nor for the squeamish. It also requires equipment to get up to where the bats are, which can range from ordinary ladders to bucket trucks and man lifts -- not the sort of thing most handymen have at their disposal.

Bat Removal and Control

The Macon regional office of Rid-A-Critter provides high-quality bat removal and bat-proofing services at residential and commercial buildings throughout our Greater Macon, Georgia service area. There literally is no job too big nor too small.

A "typical" bat abatement job includes the following:

Inspection to determine the severity of the infestation and how the bats are getting into the home.
Assessment of the extent of damage or contamination caused by the bats.
Humane removal of the bats, including the installation of one-way doors when needed.
Exlusion ("bat-proofing") to make sure that the bats can't get back into your home.
Repair of any bat-related damage.
Cleanup and decontamination.
Optionally, replacement of contaminated insulation to help keep your home clean, healthy, and fresh smelling.

Please note that guano removal and insulation replacement, if needed, are quoted separately from bat removal and exclusion.

We also take care of any permits, if needed, and can provide documentation of the work we did for insurance puposes. We also offer easy financing for qualified customers. Just ask your Rid-A-Critter representative or contact us for more details.