Geraldine De Ruwe home is being bombarded with bat excrement every night while her roof bears the brunt of the attack.

Geraldine De Ruwe home is being bombarded with bat excrement every night while her roof bears the brunt of the attack. Craig Warhurst

GYMPIE resident Geraldine De Ruwe is being driven to the edge of despair by a colony of bats using her property as an outhouse.

Ms De Ruwe's unit on Alfred St, in the heart of Gympie, is subject to nightly bombardment by the brazen creatures.

"It's just everywhere," she said, exasperated, pointing out the bat excrement on her home's walls, windows, roof and practically any exposed surface.

Ms De Ruwe moved in to her flat just after Christmas last year and quickly became aware of the problem.

"They make such a horrible noise at night and it's never let up ever since," she said.

The resident has to ensure all doors and windows are closed at night to prevent the problem from heading indoors.

"I heard a terrible noise one night and a bat had attached itself to my back door," Ms De Ruwe said.

"Since then, I've been careful to keep everything shut up."

What's puzzling about Ms De Ruwe's situation is the bats appear only interested in her unit.

Less than 10 metres away, neighbouring units are largely unscathed and stand in sharp contrast to the bat victim's stained roof.

Desperate for a solution, Ms Dew Ruwe has tried solar spotlights with no success after attending the Nambour Garden Show and hearing someone suggest placing the lights amongst fruit trees to deter the winged pest.

"I didn't think it would do much but had nothing to lose so gave it a go," she said.

While the constant cleaning of foul-smelling bat waste is a headache, the resident says she worries the most about lyssavirus.

"I have health worries about these bats," she said. "I just had no idea this would be a problem when I moved here and not sure what I can do."

Ms De Ruwe said she had written to Gympie Regional Council over two weeks ago seeking advice but had yet to receive a reply.

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