frequently asked questionsBatsBats are a very important component of an ecosystem. They eat hundreds of insects every evening, thereby protecting our crops and gardens. If you would like to attract bats to your backyard, consider building a bat house. Is it true that bats carry rabies? Bats have been misunderstood by many people for centuries. Just mentioning the word “bat” conjures up myths of them getting stuck in people’s hair and being infested with rabies, neither of which is true. In fact, only a very small percentage of bats carry rabies. I have a bat in my house. What should I do? This is not an unusual situation. Bats will often accidentally find their way into our homes. For tips on handling this situation, click here to learn how to safely get the bat outside. If the bat has bitten someone in the house, you should contain it and call your local Health Department. To contain it, wear gloves and wait until the bat lands. Then place a container (a margarine container works well) over top of it. Slide a piece of cardboard under the container and gently scoop the bat into the container and secure the lid (which you previously put air holes in). While only a very small percentage — less than one per cent — of bats carry rabies you always want to take every precaution. I have bats in my attic. What should I do? If you have bats in your attic, there are proper eviction procedures that can be performed as long as the timing is appropriate. You want to make sure that any young bats are old enough to fly before doing any eviction and animal proofing of their access point. |