BatGuys Wildlife Update — July 11, 2006
Bats
Bats have been the #1 animal this month. We have been busy responding to calls to get rid of bats in the living space of houses, bats in attics and also bats in chimneys. We completed a few bat guano removal services in attics that were once home to hundreds of bats. These projects had some of the largest piles of bat droppings that I have ever seen. Below you can see pictures from these jobs.
Getting Rid of Bats — Massachusetts
The pictures below are from an inspection I conducted last week. This commercial building is home to hundreds of small brown bats. I had the opportunity to get some great photos of this colony as they were roosting in an accessible area. As you can see in the pictures there are juvenile bats present. This project is currently on hold for three weeks because we can't get rid of these bats until they are all able to fly.
Milford, MA Bat Removal
On June 21st I responded to a call for a bat in the living space of a house in Milford Mass. Once I arrived I located the bat roosting on the window in the bathroom. Once I removed the bat I conducted an inspection of both the interior and exterior of the house. The home had a finished attic with no accessible storage space whatsoever. I found bat droppings falling through a hole in the ceiling of the closet. This indicates that a colony of bats has taken up residence in the roof of the house. On the outside of the house I found bats entering along the edge of the chimney. I bat-proofed this house and within three days all the bats were gone.
Newport Bat Guano Cleanup
Three weeks ago we completed a large bat guano removal project at a historic house in Newport Rhode Island. Bats had inhabited this structure for a number of years and the mounds of bat guano were some of the biggest I have seen in this area.
South County RI Bat Removal
While bat-proofing a Garrison style colonial house in Charlestown RI I found a number of bats roosting behind a piece of trim. The pictures below illustrate how bats enter through very small openings and hide in plain site.
Providence Squirrel Control
The calls for squirrels have all but stopped with the arrival of the warm weather. Squirrels tend to move out of attics once the temperature hits 80 degrees. I did do one very interesting squirrel removal in Providence RI two weeks ago. I got a call to remove a squirrel from a fireplace. Once I removed the squirrel I looked up the chimney to see if there were any more. I was shocked to see that there were four more squirrels just above the smoke shelf. I then removed the remaining squirrels and set them free in the back yard.
Skunks
Just as mechanics have car trouble and plumbers get leaky faucets, wildlife removal technicians have their own animal problems. I let my dog out one morning last week and she began barking ferociously. I went out in the back yard to see what was wrong and found a juvenile skunk in her kennel. I pulled the dog back so she wouldn't get sprayed (yes the little ones can spray!) and then I grabbed the skunk. This little guy already had a full set of teeth and immediately tried to spin around and bite me. I gently picked her up and moved her out to the woods at the rear of my property. I'm just glad that my dog didn't get sprayed.
Massachusetts Mouse Removal
I have received quite a few calls for juvenile mice in the last two weeks. I responded to a call for a "mouse in the sink" last Thursday and found this little baby mouse stuck in the customer's kitchen sink. It had fallen in and could not get out because of the smooth walls in the sink. I gently removed the mouse and placed it out in their back yard.
