Many homeowners throughout Westminster discover they have a bat problem at some point during their homeownership especially if they live in an older home or a home with a slate roof. Bats can enter any pre-existing gap or openings around the rooftop that is a ¼” inch or larger. They can only enter pre-existing holes because bats do not chew or dig to get in. Homeowners usually come across signs of bats in the attic before they actually see the bats. The most obvious sign that you have a bat problem is if you see bats flying in and out of your roofline. Another obvious sign is if you actually see bats roosting in your attic. The discovery of bat droppings (guano) in piles on the floor of your attic or on a ledge or between the louvers and screening of your gable vents is one of the signs that bats are roosting in your attic. Besides their droppings, you will also see stains from their urine. The longer period of time the bats are roosting in your attic the more urine stains you will see. Bat urine and droppings also have a pungent ammonia odor and the longer the bats have been roosting in your attic the stronger the ammonia-like odor will become. Since bats roost together their droppings usually pile up together. Bats have natural oils in their fur and over time as they go in and out of the hole that they use to enter a home dark smug marks will appear around the hole. These smug marks will be very obvious if the bats are entering a hole through a soffit or fascia board or gable vent that is a lighter color.
The photo above was taken at a home off of New Windsor Road, Westminster 21157. Bats had been entering this gap in the slate roof of this home for years and roosting in the attic. The homeowners didn’t care that the bats were roosting in the attic until the noise from the bats started waking them up throughout the night. Most of the noise bats emit are high frequency and humans cannot hear them however they do emit some chirping-like noises that humans can hear. Many homeowners discover they have bats roosting in their attic or walls or chimney when they hear this chirping-like sound. Bats may also make some scratching sounds as they navigate inside of a wall or ceiling or as they go in and out of the hole they use to access an attic. Most homeowners don’t know how to get rid of bats and must rely on bat experts from bat removal companies in Westminster like Mid-Atlantic Wildlife Control. If you discover signs that bats may be roosting in your attic give Mid-Atlantic Wildlife Control a call at [Direct].