9 Signs That You Have Bats in Your Property

There are around 18 species of bats known to the UK, which amounts to a quarter of all mammals making home here. Bats are marvellous creatures to look at in the wild, and people flock to see them during the summer months. However, having bats on your property isn’t ideal because they make plenty of mess, leave oily streaks, and can be pretty loud at times. Unlike other animal intruders, bats aren’t considered pests, which means dealing with them is a completely different ball game. Under UK law, bats are a protected species, which means you can’t kill or remove them. Throughout this article, we will explain the tell-tale signs that you have bats in your property

Hearing Sounds

Typically, bats fly silently. However, they can get trapped or make their way between your walls, which means they’ll flap about in an attempt to get free. If you hear strange noises coming from inside your house, you might have bats lurking in the attic, which means you need to investigate further.

As discussed previously, bats are protected in the UK, which means you can’t harm them or remove them. Therefore, you will need to call in a professional to assess the area and then advise you on appropriate actions. The best way to do this is to contact a specialist such as Batsurveys, that can come and carry out a speedy bat survey. If you’re having work carried out on your roof, they will carry out a preliminary survey and have the results back to you within a day, which speeds up the planning permission process.

Oily Streaked Areas

Bats, much like many other animal home invaders, can squeeze through small gaps. When they do, they leave an oily smudge near the entry point, which becomes more obvious the longer the route is traversed. When you find oily residue near holes into your attic, it’s safe to say that you’ve got a bat roost up there.

You can come across bat entry points anywhere, as long as the hole is large enough for them. Common areas for bats include around windows, through chimney cracks, through the roof line, under the dormer, through the facia, and between sliding bricks. If you’ve got other pests in your home, bats can use holes made by them to enter your property.

Bat Guano

If you’ve seen the 90s hit Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, you will spot bat guano straight away. Guano is the name given to bat droppings, which are pebbly in shape and dark brown in colour. You will typically find guano in piles concentrated around entry/exit points; bats always poop near nest exits, which means you have a problem. If you find evidence of guano in your home, you should steer clear because it is detrimental to pet and human health.

Pungent Odour

Most people don’t venture into their attics often because it’s just full of insulation to keep us warm during the winter months. However, bats will make use of the space all year around if left unchecked, which means you should pop your head up now and again. If you go into your attic and smell a powerful ammonia aroma, it’s likely an induction there’s a bat infestation up there. As soon as the smell hits your nostrils, you need to stop breathing it in. Fumes from bat guano and urine are harmful to us, which is why bat removal experts will wear a mask when working.

Smelling ammonia in your attic doesn’t automatically mean you have bats in your attic. Many pests’ droppings release powerful ammonia smells, which is a defence mechanism to blend in with predators. Nonetheless, these could be signs you have bats, so worth getting it checked.

Your Pet Brings Bats Home

If you have a pet who is inclined to bring dead animals back to your door, you may find them carrying a bat if you’ve got an infestation. If your pet brings back a dead rat, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve got an infestation on your property. However, there’s likely more where that came from, and you should carry out an investigation.

Bats Flying Around Your Property

Bats are nocturnal, which means they live in the darkness. If you’ve got a nest of bats on your property, you will likely see them flying around your home. When you find swarms of bats leaving and returning to your property, the chances are they’ve been there a while. If this is the case, you need to call the local animal control to come and deal with them properly.

Hunt for Dead Bats

Unfortunately, illnesses can spread through bat communities, which can often be fatal. If this happens and you’ve had an infestation, you will start to find dead bats around your property. When you find dead bats near your property, you can contact The Bat Conversation Trust, which will offer you guidance and support.

Although extremely rare in the UK, some species of bats can carry the rabies virus (EBLV-1 and EBLV-2). The disease is spread through biting or transference of saliva into open wounds. If you find a dead bat near your property, do not handle it yourself.

Stained Ceilings

When bats nest on your property, they create a lot of moisture from guano, urine, and body temperatures. Over time, all of these will build up and start to seep through ceilings and walls. Typically, people discover bat infestations before it gets to this extent, but if you’re away from your property it can easily happen. You will need to have the issues dealt with quickly, and the longer you leave it the more it will cost to repair.

Bats are a protected species in the UK, which means you can’t remove or harm them. Bats can get into your property through small gaps and will leave oily streaks as they enter your property. When nesting, they will leave guano at the exit of their nest, which has a pungent ammonia aroma. Do remember: If you find any signs you have bats in your property, you need to call in an expert.