You hear them rustling from above, smell their waste piling up, and maybe even spot them flying around 
your home. But more than just being a nuisance, you need to know if bats in the attic are a serious threat. Let’s take a look at the legal, medical, and residential risks involved with an infestation so you can get a better picture of the problem.
Major Medical Concerns
They aren’t looking for trouble, trying to cause a mess, or attempting to bring any harm to your household, but bats still pose a handful of health concerns to anyone living in close proximity. Even if you feel safe from direct contact, bites, or scratches, you aren’t safe from the medical threats caused by contamination. For example, bat guano, or waste, that piles up in your attic can dry out and produce toxic spores that quickly and rapidly spread throughout the air.
Serious Structural Danger
Droppings left behind from bats are even bigger than a concern to your health. When guano and urine seep into the walls and floorboards of your home, you can experience serious damage from mold growth. Furthermore, excess dampness can weaken the structure of wood and ruin the quality of your interior paint –– which costs a lot to repair and replace once you manage to get them out. Over time, you’re bound to spot even more damage inside your insulation, walls, and ceilings, which means your infestation is bound to cost more the longer it goes unsolved.
Potential Legal Liability
If your home hosts a bat infestation during certain times of the year, you could face legal trouble for trying to get rid of them. In fact, from April 15 to August 15 in Florida, it’s against the law to exclude, relocate, or kill bats that you find in your attic. To protect yourself from the legal dangers of a bat infestation, find yourself a local, trusted wildlife management partner that can keep bats at bay and keep your home safe around the calendar.
Don’t Take the Risk(s)
At Critter Control® of Tampa, we understand that any unwelcome critter has got to go. But we also know that wildlife still has a place in the environment and a purpose in the community. That’s why we use non-lethal methods of removal and other humane tactics under our CritterSafe® program. To learn more about our services or to get a free inspection to check for bats, please call us today.
