Discovering that there are bats in your attic can be a unsettling experience for any homeowner in Burke, VA. These winged mammals fill an important niche in the environment, most notably when it comes to insect control, but the attic isn’t the right place for them to settle in. Bats will damage structures, leave toxic waste, and pose health hazards. If you do have a bat problem at your home, you’d want to act fast and safely. You can find More information about it here

Why Bats Choose Your Attic

Bats are nocturnal animals who like to sleep during the day in dark, quiet, and warm places. Your attic makes the perfect space — predator and weather-protected, with an abundance of wood structures and insulation to fluff up in. In Burke, VA, a town with abundant trees and suburban development, attics will particularly appeal to the bats

They’re frequently gaining access through a gap of up to half an inch around rooflines, vents and soffits or through a damaged chimney. A colony, once inside, can quietly grow for months, if not years, without anyone knowing it’s there.”

Risks of a Bat Infestation

While bats aren’t aggressive by nature, there are several reasons why you don’t want them in your attic:

• Guano (bat poop): It’s a serious problem if you have bats in the attic, as guano can accumulate swiftly and create an odor that is similar to ammonia. More significantly, it can collect Histoplasma, a fungus that can make people sick.
• Sound: Bats spend most of their time scratching, squeaking, and fluttering about, this must not be pleasant to hear at night the while trying to get a good night’s sleep and some silent time.
• Parasites: Bats can harbor mites, fleas and ticks that might migrate elsewhere in your home.
• Rabies risk: Transmission of rabies from bats to people is rare, but it’s serious. A bite or scratch from one bat is an emergency, even if there are no other bats around.

Your Choices For Bat Extraction In Burke, VA

As a result of health and wildlife laws you can’t do it yourself when it comes to dealing with bats. Bats are protected under Virginia law, and there are restrictions to protect them, especially during the maternity season, which occurs from May through August, while females have babies and raise their young. It is during this period that bat evictions are not permitted due to the risk of separating from the pups from the mothers.

Here are your best options:

Use a Licensed Wildlife Operator

For Burke, I think the best humane thing to do is call a bat pro who is licensed to remove them. These professionals are equipped to:

• Determine your entries and exits.
• Find out how big the colony is.
• Determine the degree of contamination and damage.
• Adopt lawful and ethical deindexing practices.

They will generally use exclusion methods, which admit bats to leave but not re-enter. Egress points are fitted with one-way devices that are left in place for a few days until all bats have left.

Seal Entry Points

After the bats leave, professionals will close up the entrance points with hardy materials like metal mesh, caulk or weather stripping. This is very important to avoid reinfestation. It is critical that you do this after the bats have been excluded — you do not want to seal them in there and kill them, or you’lll have bigger problems.

Cleanup and Decontamination

Bat guano and urine can be a health hazard as well as cause damage to insulation and wooden beams. By wearing protective clothing and using a HEPA vacuum to safely suck out the waste, professionals can remove waste safely — and even treat the area with antimicrobial treatments.

Ongoing Monitoring

After you’ve excluded and cleaned up, it’s also a good idea to monitor your attic for the next few weeks. Routine checks — especially in spring and fall months — can detect any attempted re-entry by bats or other wildlife.

How to Keep Bats Out of Your House to Avoid Future Infestations

To prevent another such infestation, here’s what to do:

• Chimney caps and vent screens should be installed.
• Cut the branches of trees back from your roofline.
• Keep an eye on your attic’s exterior.
• A sealed attic is a healthy attic!

Final Thoughts

Bats in your attic may sound like a nightmare, but here’s the good news: With the right treatment, you can address the problem in a way that is both safe and humane. A flying mammal that is not uncommon to this – and other suburban communities – which can be found burrowed away in homes that are surrounded in a bucolic setting of trees and green space.

Prompt assistance, expert advice, and comprehensive follow-up will ensure that your attic will be bat free and safe for all the seasons to come – and you can enjoy the bats from a safe distance