Charlottesville Virginia Bat Removal
Charlottesville Virginia Bat Removal
Charlottesville Virginia bat removal, control, management and exclusion is best left to certified bat removal experts who are trained in biology and behaviors of the various bat species in Charlottesville, Pantops, North Garden and Albemarle County Virginia.
Virginia has 17 of the more than 1,000 bat species known worldwide.
Three of the bat species in Virginia are federal endangered species (Gray Bat, Indiana Bat, and Virginia Big-eared Bat); the Rafinesque’s Big-eared Bat, also known as the Eastern Big-eared Bat, is a state threatened and endangered species.
The bats in Charlottesville Virginia are divided into two categories: cave bats and tree bats. Cave bats hibernate in caves, while tree bats hibernate in leaf clusters, under decaying logs, in hollow trees, or sometimes in abandoned mines or old buildings.
Virginia’s cave bats include:
- Gray Bat
- Small-footed Bat
- Little Brown Bat
- Northern Long-eared Bat
- Indiana Bat
- Eastern Pipistrelle
- Big Brown Bat
- Virginia Big-eared Bat
Virginia’s tree bats include:
- Southeastern Myotis
- Silver-haired Bat
- Eastern Red Bat
- Hoary Bat
- Northern Yellow Bat
- Seminole Bat
- Evening Bat
- Rafinesque’s Big-eared Bat
There has also been an occurrence of the Brazilian Free-tailed bat in Charlottesville VA and Southeastern Virginia.
- The Big Brown Bat and the Little Brown Bat are the species more likely observed by those living in Charlottesville Virginia.
- The Virginia Big-eared Bat is the state bat of the Commonwealth.
- Cave bats generally give birth to only one pup; per year, and tree bats generally give birth to two or more pups per year.
- Bats in Virginia eat insects, and they are valuable in controlling mosquito populations. Some bats can consume up to 3,000 insects in one night.
- Bats are true hibernators that undergo physiological and metabolic shutdown during the winter. A hibernating bat’s heartbeat drops from 400 beats per minute to 25 beats per minute.
- Bats may hibernate for as long as 83 days, slowly metabolizing the body fat stored during the fall. Studies have shown that each time a little brown bat is disturbed during hibernation it expends the fat reserves necessary to hibernate 67 days.
- Bat hibernation caves are known as hibernacula.
- Another remarkable quality found in bats is their ability to emit high frequency sounds, or ultrasound, similar to sonar, to detect and to catch insect prey, to avoid obstacles, and to communicate.
- Bats in Charlottesville Virginia are nocturnal.
- Bats generally mate in the fall and winter but the females’ bodies delay fertilization until spring. Births typically occur from May through July. Young bats can fly at three weeks and weaning typically occurs in July and August.
- Bats can live more than 10 years and some species can live up to 30 years.
- Owls, hawks, raccoons, skunks and other animals prey on bats.
- Bats, like any mammals, can carry rabies, but more rabies cases in Virginia are attributed to raccoons, foxes, and feral cats (VDH Rabies Statistics).
Bat removal in Charlottesville Virginia is a process. The process involves an inspection (assessment of the situation), getting the bats out at the appropriate time using approved industry standards and techniques, doing seal-ups and repairs to keep bats out (bats can enter an opening as small as 3/8″), safely removing and disposing of the bat guano (bat poop can cause a lung disease called Histoplasmosis), and treating for bat bugs (if necessary).
Things to remember:
- No two bat jobs are alike.
- Anyone who gives you a cost for bat removal over the phone without first doing an inspection and/or assessment DOES NOT know what they are doing! Charlottesville Virginia bat removal costs vary from job to job.
- Bat removal in Charlottesville and Albemarle County should be performed by a wildlife control company NOT a pest control company (there is a difference between the two).
- Some bat species are protected by Federal and/or State laws. Don’t kill bats, they’re good for the environment.
- There are NO repellents, fumigants and toxins that ARE APPROVED for bat removal. Applying or spraying bats IS against the law.
- Reputable Charlottesville Virginia bat removal companies DO NOT remove bats during the bat birthing season except in cases of imminent health risk.
- If a bat ends up in the living quarters of your Charlottesville home: Don’t kill it (you may lose the ability to test it for rabies), Don’t release it outside (you will lose the ability to test it for rabies AND it will probably re-enter the structure). Do call your local Charlottesville Virginia animal control representative (they typically work through the Albemarle County sheriffs’ office or Charlottesville police department). They will pick the bat up and have it tested for rabies. Do call Virginia Professional Wildlife Removal Services at (434) 260-7077 to schedule a bat inspection and assessment.
- Do a bat watch of your home at least once each year, even if you have never had a bat problem. Call us, we can tell you how.
- There ARE NO devices that you can put in, or on your home to make bats leave.
- Bat houses rarely work in Charlottesville VA. Almost all we have ever seen were unoccupied by bats.
- Most bats tested DO NOT test positive for rabies, but rabies is lethal and not something you want to gamble with.
- If you think that you MAY have been bitten by a bite, seek medical help immediately. Bat bites are very tiny and may not bleed much.
- The two most common bats in Charlottesville Virginia homes are the Little Brown Bat and the Big Brown Bat.
For expert bat removal in Charlottesville, Chesterfield, Midlothian, Bon Air, Henrico, Glen Allen, Mechanicsville, Ashland, Short Pump, Amelia, Powhatan, Albemarle, Richmond, Roanoke, Salem, Williamsburg, Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake Virginia call Charlottesville Virginia’s bat removal experts.
Do you have bats in your attic? Our local Charlottesville Virginia bat removal services include bat proofing, bat removal, safe bat guano cleanup and treatment for bat bugs (similar to bed bugs). Hearing scratching sounds? These may be from squirrels, raccoons, or rodents. Are there moles in your yard? Our Charlottesville Virginia Animal Control specialists have effective mole control and mole removal solutions. Whether you have squirrels or bats in the attic, moles in the yard, mice in the basement, raccoons in the chimney, or need groundhog removal and control, we can help! Charlottesville Virginia Animal Damage Control offers affordable solutions for all of your commercial and residential nuisance animal problems.