Bat Damage In Attic – Humane Wildlife Removal

What Damage Can Bats Cause in an Attic?

Bats are mysterious creatures that are associated with many forms of fear, so it is no wonder that the idea of these creatures living in attics makes people uncomfortable. Bats need a place to roost if they are to survive and reproduce. Attics are dark, quiet, and well sheltered from the elements, which is why bats love them.

Disease

When bats enter our homes there are two major reasons they ended up there. The first reason would be that the bat is ill and confused, causing them to seek shelter and get disoriented once they enter a house. These sick bats are a concern due to the diseases they may carry. Being mammals means bats can carry diseases that transmit to humans as well as other animals, like our dogs or cats.

Rabies is the biggest and most common concern related to disease when dealing with bats. This is a highly contagious and deadly disease that is spread through bodily fluids like saliva.

If a bat is scared and flying around your house or you encounter one in the confined space of your attic there is a chance for a collision which equates to a chance for infection.

Colonies

Think of the damage and danger that a single bat can cause, now imagine there are many more. It is true that an infestation of bats will likely start with one or two individuals, however, bats are social animals and like rats, they enjoy living in large communities. Bats coming from preexisting groups may lead others to a cozy attic they found or a few bats may start reproducing in the attic till it is crowded with the animals. Their reproduction time is much shorter than humans so it does not take long for communities of bats to double in size.

Property Damage

If a large community of bats invades an attic there is much more concern for diseases from the animals infecting the humans living in that household, but there is also more structural damage that can be done. Bats defecate where they roost which means mounds of guano build up over time as a community of bats grows. This guano can cause molding of wooden structures in an attic as it moistens the wood. It also adds a relentless weight that can eventually break structures. As bats cluster together in an attic space they look for more room to perch and they don’t hesitate to land on important wiring. Bats may not be a very heavy animal, but a multitude of them hanging from the same wires every day can cause those wires, or even thin beams, to break.