Bats and other pests can cause damage for you and your home in terms of property, health, and peace of mind. Even after removing bats, you may incur costs to repair any harm done. Pay attention to the ways bats can damage property; catch these signs early and avoid destruction to your house.
Some of the ways bats can adversely affect your home include:
1. Odour – Bat colonies leave large piles of guano where they roost. If they move into your attic, the smell can permeate the entire house. If allowed to fester, the foul odour can become permanent, forcing you to renovate the house. Dead bats also give off a smell as they rot, which is particularly noticeable if they die in your chimney.
2. Structural damage – Bat urine and guano are highly acidic. If they collect for long periods, they can erode walls and floors. One sign of damage is permanent discolouration of surfaces. In extreme cases, guano can drip through the ceiling, compromising the structure of the house.
3. Removal – Bat populations inside a home tend to multiply over time. Removing the colony becomes more difficult as it grows and new offspring take residence in your home’s narrow spaces. Eventually you may have to tear out drywall, sheathing, and flooring to reach all the bats. This effort is as complicated and costly as it sounds.
4. Insulation – Bats in the attic may shred insulation and create nests to keep themselves warm during the winter (bats don’t migrate like birds). This taxes the heating and cooling system, raising your energy costs.
5. Wiring – Like mice and rats, bats like to chew on wiring to keep their teeth sharp. The first problem this creates is power fluctuations. Exposed wiring is also a fire hazard. This is especially dangerous if bats live in your attic; flammable objects like insulation and clothes can help a fire spread more quickly.
Loss of value – Having bats in the house can significantly lower its resale value. Bats are vectors for disease and are unpleasant to live with; these threats make potential buyers wary.
If you see signs of a bat infestation, take steps to remove them as quickly as possible. Delaying gives a colony time to grow, making the animals harder to remove. Call pest control services to deal with the problem before it gets out of hand.
For removal of bats, rodents, and other pests, contact Pro-Pest. We provide pest removal services for bats, cockroaches, bedbugs, bees, and other concerns. Contact our 24-hour hotline at (416) 487-4179 for emergency animal removal; don’t wait until it’s too late.
