Bats in attic

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Kdog76

Senior Member
Location
The Dairyland State
On a residential rewire job last friday, just came out of the attic, and guess what followed me out of the scuttlehole? Luckily I was down out of the attic when we saw it come flying out. I told the owner, but I don't know if he's going to just screen off the roof vents (likely entry point from outside) or do any more to get them out. What's your policy for bats in the attic?

(I'll tell you mine - get a pro in there to remove them before I go back up)
 
480sparky

480sparky

Senior Member
Location
Iowegia
Call BatMan.

No, wait, isn't this a job for Ghostbusters?



Seriously, bats can get in about anywhere. I've heard (maybe this is an urban legend) that if you can fit your pinky in a spot, a bat can get in there. Maybe that's mice, but you get the idea.

I lived in a house where they were able to get in through a valley in the roof, and they would shimmy up between the flashing and sheathing. Four feet in, and they then came down through a knot hole in the sheathing. Took me months to find their route.

One bat=no problem. A whole colony..... call me when they're gone.
 
A

aline

Senior Member
Location
Utah
Back in the early 80's I did a lot of work in Yellowstone Park.
The attics were full of bats. The bats were protected there.
The bat guano was several inches deep on the attic floor.
They were shoveling it into weelbarrows to get rid of it.
We just had to deal with the bats.

I was in an undergound tunnel one day that was so small I couldn't stand upright in it and it was only about 3ft. wide. A bat was between me and the exit. He kept flying toward me until he got about a foot from my face and then he would turn around and fly the other way. I just kept heading toward the exit with my hammer at the ready.

If I were Bear Grylls I probably would have eaten them for lunch. :)
 
brantmacga

brantmacga

Señor Member
Location
Georgia
Occupation
Former Child
i was about 16' up one day with my head above an acoustical tiled ceiling. I kept hearing something whizzing around my head. I was looking around with my flashlight, and came around to find one flying straight at my face. I nearly fell off my ladder.

The only other encounter I had with them was underneath a house on a remodel. One of the rooms had a poured concrete floor. I got halfway through the 18" opening in the foundation wall and looked up to see about half a dozen of them hanging from the concrete. Two of them dropped and started flying circles around me and I came out pretty quick.

I refused to finish the job until the homeowner had them removed, along with their droppings. Someone from the wildlife dept. about 2 hours away came down to clean them out. I came back a couple of days later and found more of them, so once again they had to come back and collect them.
 
electricalperson

electricalperson

Senior Member
Location
massachusetts
i dont mind the mammals and rodents but a couple things make me scream like a girl. any flying stinging insects (bees hornets wasps yellow jackets) spiders and any other large crawling insect :-?
 
S

SEO

Senior Member
Location
Michigan
Years ago I had an electrician that worked for me say that if you don't see any cobwebs in the attic that there were bats. Going up into the skuttle hole on a job I was first to enter the attic and mentioned that there were no cobwebs. He was following me up the ladder and warned me again to look out for bats. It was a very old house and there was bark on some of the roofing boards. I told him that I see a bat and tore some of the bark off a board and thru it on him. He thought it was a bat and almost fell off the ladder getting down. He did get even with me on another job.:smile:
 
76nemo

76nemo

Senior Member
Location
Ogdensburg, NY
Not electrically related, but funny:

One night when my daughters were here, there was a bat in the kitchen. They were about 7 or 8 then. Girls hid under the table and I went and got my egloves. I had a few cold ones in me. So instead of using the broom, I thought I would entertain the girls and show them some boxing skills:roll: I expected to only throw about 2-3 punches:roll: Those things are quick!!! It took me about 20 swings before I nailed him and funny enough, it landed in the trash can. Don't know if I have ever heard my girls laugh like that. I must of looked like such a goofball:grin:
 
powerslave

powerslave

Senior Member
Location
Land of Lincoln
I had a few run ins with bats back in the 90s where I used to live. We'd come home at night and one or two of them would be flying around the house. At night they would wake me up bouncing off the walls and blinds in our bedroom. I never did find where they were coming in from. Fast little suckers though.
 
76nemo

76nemo

Senior Member
Location
Ogdensburg, NY
I don't miss NC for this topic. We had copperheads, 3 different types of rattlers,(only 1 common), black widows and brown recluses. Undercarriage work made me weary!!!!
 
brantmacga

brantmacga

Señor Member
Location
Georgia
Occupation
Former Child
electricalperson said:
i dont mind the mammals and rodents but a couple things make me scream like a girl. any flying stinging insects (bees hornets wasps yellow jackets) spiders and any other large crawling insect :-?
Click to expand...

Me too; but for good reason.

I'm very allergic to all insects. Bees make me especially sick.
 
W

wptski

Senior Member
Location
Warren, MI
electricalperson said:
i dont mind the mammals and rodents but a couple things make me scream like a girl. any flying stinging insects (bees hornets wasps yellow jackets) spiders and any other large crawling insect :-?
Click to expand...
On a TV talk show about phobias, a women said, "first it's the mind and then the feet take over". I'm with you on the any flying stinging insects!:grin:
 
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