Commonly derided as winged rats, bats have gotten a bad rap ever since Dracula jumped out of a cloud of them and declared “I vant to suck your blood!” Actually, only three out of 1200 species of bats subsist solely on blood, while most eat insects, fruits or small prey.
Making up 20 per cent of all known mammal species, bats are some of the most unexpectedly dynamic, interesting creatures on the face of the planet…but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t seek bat removal services if you find a nest of bats in the house.
Bat Infestation, Bug Extermination
Besides Terminix Canada, bats are some of the best insect exterminators in the business, capable of consuming all manner of flies, mosquitoes and other creepy-crawlies up to three times their own body weight.
Some even say that a little brown bat, all of six to ten centimetres long, can eat 1000 mosquitoes in just one hour.
Not only do bats save farmers an estimated $1 billion US by keeping pests away from their crops, some people even set up “bat houses” to try to keep their own backyard harvests safe. However, that plan of attack might cause more serious problems than it solves…
Birds, Bees and Bats
In addition to getting rid of pests that are harmful to plants, bats are also prolific pollinators. Besides insect-eaters and blood-drinkers, many species of bats live off nectar, some even capable of using their echolocation to find nectar-producing flowers.
In fact, there are hundreds of species of plants that rely solely on bats for pollination, including strains of guava, cocoa and agave, one of the key ingredients of tequila. So, next time you have your head hanging over the toilet after one too many shots of Jose Cuervo, you know who to thank.
Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Bat?
However, none of this is to say that they should be welcome guests should you find a few bats in the house.
What can bats do to you? Well, in addition to being known rabies carriers, their droppings, or guano, can create a fungal disease called histoplasmosis that you can catch just by breathing in its spores. Also known as the “cave disease,” histoplasmosis yields flu-like symptoms like coughing; it’s fatal if untreated, with the later stages resembling tuberculosis.
On top of that, bats are notoriously difficult to get rid of safely, requiring the aid of trained pest control experts to remove them from your attic and to bat-proof your house so that they can’t come back. Think about that before you install a “bat house” in the garden.
Is your attic looking more like the Bat Cave? Unless you’re Bruce Wayne, call the experts at Terminix Canada for environmentally-friendly bat removal and prevention options across the GTA.
Trained in integrated pest management and humane wildlife control methods, our stable of veteran pest exterminators are here to help. You won’t need a bat signal to deal with your bat infestation, just contact us for a free consultation today!