Bats in my Belfry- Wenatchee and Chelan Home Inspection

Bats are beneficial animals in our environment but like many of these creature you may not want them roosting in your home.

Bats can help control the populations of many insects we do not want around like mosquitoes, beetles, moths, and leafhoppers.  Some insects can hear bats up to 100 feet away and will avoid areas where bats are present.

During a recent home inspection I found a pretty nice guano pile in the attic and on the roof. These piles may look a bit like mouse fecal material. Bats defecate before they enter the home (or roost) and below where they roost during the day.

Ways tell the difference in the feces is that bat droppings tend to be clustered in a pile and will have a shiny speckled appearance (from all the insect wings, they are doing their job).  I am told that their feces will crumble like dust when touched (I really do not know about this identification method ; ). Mouse droppings tend to be scattered about and become hard when dry.

One test to see if the area may be an active roosting site is you can lay down newspaper and see if any new droppings occur.

Caution about bat droppings (and bird droppings). They can carry a fungus known to cause Histoplasmosis. (Informational link-histoplasmosis )

It advisable to avoid breathing the feces and avoid contact (careful on your newspaper test). You should wear a HEPA filter mask and spray the fecal material down with 10% bleach solution (this really should be done when cleaning up rodent and bird feces as well).  (Information on clean up-link)

Or if you are more industrious you may want to start a new business in bat guano fertilizer.

As home inspectors we should be diligent in our safety procedures and be properly prepared. Performing thorough home inspections in attics and crawlspaces is a critical component of the inspection process but has some inherent risks.

Bat Information-

http://njenvirothon.org/njconed/Factsheet_2004_Bats21.pdf 
http://www.batcon.org/index.php/all-about-bats/intro-to-bats/subcategory/18.html
http://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/prog/wildlife/bats/the_benefits_of_bats.html

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

Albert Einstein

NCW Home Inspections, LLC  is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Orville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…     
 
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