More than half of bat species are endangered, which is sad considering that bats are environmentally friendly. Such decline is that their natural habitat has been affected by humans and modernization. Bats control the insect population by eating tons each night.
Without bats, our world would be awash with insects. They can eat more than a thousand insects in an hour, including disease-carrying pests like mosquitoes. Bats use a built-in radio frequency navigation system that can detect insects instantly. This makes it extremely easy for these nearly blind creatures to fly and eat at the same time.
Are bats dangerous? The short answer is “usually not.” Most cases of rabies transmission are indeed due to bats. The probability that the bat would bite you is tiny, and it would have rabies and infect you is extremely small. However, bats pose some other health risks, more from parasites and feces than from bat bites. If bat happens to live in your home unwelcome, you can always count on professionals like Bat Removal Houston who can provide bat control service.
So what’s the problem when they are so helpful? Bats become nuisances because their natural habitat, usually a cave, has been moved or destroyed, forcing them to reside in buildings where humans live.
Airborne Diseases and Bats
Bats carry a soil fungus called Histoplasma Casulatum, which can be found in bat droppings called guano. When large amounts of guano are disturbed, the spores are released into the air that humans can breathe when entering a bat nest. This leads to a disease called histoplasmosis, a disease of the lungs. The condition can cause flu-like symptoms and has been misdiagnosed as tuberculosis. A blood and skin test is required to confirm that it is this disease. Fortunately, most of the reported infection cases are in very humid areas within the caves.
Detecting Bats in Your Home
Most bat sightings occur in the fall and are usually just one or two of them looking for a place to hibernate or settle at home. If you see bats several times towards the end of the summer, it is as if there is a colony nearby. This is about the time when babies begin to become independent and fly away. If a bat enters the house, it is better to open the windows and doors and let them out again. Bats do not attack humans; instead, they do everything possible to avoid conflict.
Are repellants necessary?
Rarely is there a reason to defend against bats. You will avoid further problems by allowing the bats to exit an area, removing the guano, and sealing all entry points. The use of chemical repellants requires federal approval as these animals are protected. In short, bats don’t attack a person, so they aren’t dangerous that way. Also, a rabid bat is rare. If you see one lying on the ground, it is most likely sick. Do not pick them up. The main danger for a bat lies in the diseases that its guano or excrement brings with it.
Find out if a bright or high-pitched light deterrent works against bats and if a bat has a nest with babies in the attic. A pest control service will remove a bat and if it is legal to catch a bat.