E.M.A.D.
BATS
What You Should Know....
Bats
have a wonderful purpose in nature - they eat a tremendous
amount of insects and are extremely beneficial. However, if they
are in one of your structures, GET THEM OUT!
Bats
have no business roosting in homes or structures! Bats roosting
around humans or pets is a major health risk! Bats around homes
with children create unacceptable risks of bites or exposure to
harmful feces.
Rabies
is the #1 concern with bats. It is a virus that is spread by the
saliva of infected animals that are in the last stages of the
disease. Usually it is passed on through a bite, but there is
some evidence that humans or animals can also contract rabies if
this saliva comes in contact with an open sore or mucus
membrane.
Also,
bats roosting inside a home cause feces to build up in the attic
or wall voids, this is called guano. This can be a source of
Histoplasmosis and other health hazards associated with
mammal feces.
The most common of bats found in Idaho is the Myotis
Lucifugus - the Little Brown Bat.
This is the bat most commonly seen by people. They can squeeze
through a one inch (1") opening! Attics and wall voids provide
good roosting sites and bats often enter areas where the sides
of a house meet the roof or chimney. If an entry has been used
for any length of time, it becomes soiled or stained and easier
to identify. You can also find entries by watching in the
evening for the bats to emerge. Little Brown bats can live
for 30 years or more!
During
May, June, or July is when babies are born and still unable to
fly.
Because of health risks, removing nests must be done whenever
they are found, and the babies relocated to bat houses.
Bats are faithful to their known roosts, they will not just go
away on their own.
Deterrents and exclusion techniques force them to relocate.
Want to keep your bats
around?
Bats can be very beneficial as long as they aren't nesting where
there are people.
Bats are mosquitoes' number one enemy and many people want to
keep them around. A single little brown bat can eat hundreds of
mosquitoes in a night.
Bat houses for your property to help relocate and host these
natural bug-eating-machines.
Idaho's Bats -
Description, Habitat & Conservation
Bat Conservation
Idaho Fish & Game - Bats on the Move
Defenders of Wildlife - Bats
Idaho Statute Title 39 Health and Safety Chapter 28 Abatement
Districts
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