Bat Removal
New Jersey is the home of 9 different species of bats. These include the little brown bat, big brown bat, northern long-eared bat, small-footed myotis, Eastern pipistrel, Indiana bat (state and federally endangered), hoary bat, red bat and silver-haired bat. The hoary, red and silver-haired bats are part-time residents that are found here from spring through fall when they migrate to southern states for the winter. The other six species remain here throughout the entire year.
Two of these non-game protected species are of most concern to home owners; the Big Brown Bat, and the Little Brown Bat. These two bats are the species that are more likely to inhibit people's homes in New Jersey.
Residential and commercial properties are equally desirable for bats to live in. A bat needs a space no more than an inch wide and a 1/3 of an inch tall to gain access in to a dwelling. Bats often roost in dark, undisturbed areas, such as attics and wall spaces. The entry points are often near the roof edge, such as under the eaves, soffits or loose boards, openings in the roof or vents, or crevices around the chimney. Sometimes bats will roost behind shutters or under boards without entering the home.
Bats are social creatures and live in colonies that can range from tens to hundreds to thousands. Shortly before sunset most of the bats will emerge from the dwelling to seek out food and water throughout the night time hours. (Never assume that all the bats are out at once.)
Bat Exclusion and Bat proofing
Wildlife Control Specialists is committed to providing our clients with the most professional Bat Exclusion and Bat proofing program available to residents in New Jersey. For bat removal, we follow the standards set by Bat Conservation International.
Our process to get rid of bats includes first covering every square foot of the structure looking for potential bat penetration points. When we find these potential (secondary sites) penetration points we seal them with esthetically appropriate high quality materials. We then install professional one way exclusion device at any gaps, holes, or vents that we find that show evidence of bats entering and exiting (primary sites). These devices allow the bats to leave unharmed but not re-enter. After a minimum of 5 days we remove these devices and immediately seal off the primary sites.
If the structure is housing a maternity colony with baby bats, we will wait till the baby bats are able to fly before installing the venting devices.
Bat Houses
If you want bats out of your house but would like to retain them for their excellent insect control abilities, we recommend installing a bat house. Bat houses, much like bird houses, provide artificial roost sites for bats. The following factors are critical to the success of bat houses: maintaining suitable temperature ranges, the distance to food and water, the size and shape of inner roosting and the roughness of clinging surfaces.
Wildlife Control Specialist has had great success with installing 2 commercial grade bat houses for clients. For residential property owners we recommend the 3/16 inch thick plastic bat can pictured below. For commercial and institutional properties we recommend the 7 chamber steel bat house. In both cases we install these houses on 20 foot 4x6 inch pressure treated poles placed 3 feet into the ground and held in place with concrete.