It’s August and that means Skedaddle is getting lots of calls from Montreal residents who think they may have bats in their attic. This time of year we’re flooded with calls from concerned homeowners looking for answers to their bat problems.

Most people begin to suspect that they may have a bat problem after they discover one flying around inside their home. While this experience is never pleasant and can be downright scary, the first bat is usually written off as a fluke. Very often people think the bat flew in through an open door or window.

It’s not until they’ve gone through the exercise of chasing a few bats around the house in a given summer that they begin to think they have a bigger issue. While discovering a bat inside the house is the most obvious sign of a problem there are other clues.

Here are just some of the ways that homeowners realize they are sharing their house with a bat colony:

• Droppings
  Bats leave droppings behind everywhere they go. If you see droppings accumulating on our around your home then there’s a strong chance you have bats in the attic. Droppings are very often found around entry points and will accumulate on walls, window sills, decks and porches.You can also check for bat droppings inside your attic, though they can sometimes be very difficult to find. Check out this video to help distinguish between bat and mice droppings. Be careful never to disturb or handle bat droppings without proper protection as they can be very harmful.
• Staining
  Bats find their way into houses through tiny cracks and crevices they find on the outside. They usually land on the house and then crawl inside through an opening. Their fur is quite oily which aids in letting them get into small places. Over time, these oils can stain brick, siding and soffit to a brown colour.

  Brown staining on brick and soffits indicates heavy bat traffic

• Sounds
  Bats can sometimes be heard from inside walls and attics. Vocalizations in the form of chirping and squeaking as well as scratching, shuffling and scurrying could indicate bat activity. Bats are nocturnal, so expect to hear most noises at dusk and dawn.

Bats spend most of the year in hibernation so the window to remove and control colonies is quite small. August is the ideal time to protect your home and family from unwanted bats before things begin to cool down again in September.

If you’ve had a bat inside your home, or suspect that you may have a colony inside your attic then call Skedaddle today to be an inspection. 514-395-4555.

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