Bat Importance and Conservation
How to Get Rid of Michigan Bats
Michigan bats generate a natural fear among many people. They’re mysterious creatures that can be unnerving when they are in your Michigan home, condo or church. An experienced bat removal professional can quickly determine where bats are entering your home and formulate a humane strategy for their removal.
The goal for complete bat removal is to provide a one-way exit for the bats, which may require working high above the ground on a two-story ladder, or navigating steeply pitched rooflines. One-way doors are vital to avoid completely sealing the home and trapping bats inside. Trapped bats are desperate bats, and they are masters at seeking alternative routes outside, possibly landing them right in your living room.
A bat house can provide a important role in your long term bat removal strategy. Bat houses provide a displaced bat colony an alternative place to roost. Consider having a bat house installed as part of your bat exclusion project.
Successful bat removal requires the skills of a properly trained professional to ensure that they don’t get back inside through a different location. If you live in Southeast Michigan, contact Critter Catchers today. All employees receive annual training from the Organization for Bat Conservation.
Seasonal Considerations
May, June and July Bat Activity
In Michigan, maternity colonies consisting of females with pups, are common starting around the 3rd week in May through the second week in July. During this time, an inspection could help identify if a maternity colony or a small group of males are present. During this time, you should not remove a maternity colony, since the young bats are not able to fly. This makes exclusion techniques ineffective, and there is risk that you will drive the young bats into the home (or incur staining or odor). We can empathize with customers that would like the bats removed as quickly as possible. Our expertise can help solve the problem in a safe and humane way. If a maternity colony is present, we can get much of the labor completed (sealing of high risk areas), however we will need to return when the young can fly to install the one way doors on active points of entry. It doesn't take too long until a juvenile bat masters flight - and your patience during this time is essential and well worth the wait.
August - October Bat Activity
During the Months of August and September, the juvenile bats can be observed flying around the roost. During this time, they are testing their skills, and can get into trouble. Think of it as a teenager with their first hot-rod car. Bats can be just as reckless, and occasionally find their way into homes. Understand that this is accidental, and they were likely looking for the attic roost. If you are getting 2-3 bats in your home, there is likely a roost in your walls or attic.
Towards the end of this time period, bats are starting to migrate to their hibernating areas. Some of these migrations are very short - and may be only a few miles from their summer homes. Big Brown bats have adapted to the residential habitat and prefer to hibernate in attics. Attics that are around 35-40 degrees are ideal since they allow the bats to reduce their metabolic processes for hibernation, but do not cause them to freeze.
November - March Bat Activity
During Michigan's winter months, you might experience bats getting into your living quarters. This occurs when a bat colony is hibernating in your walls or attic. Big Brown bats commonly wake up every couple weeks. During this awakened period, they may move around or even fly. On occasion a bat may accidentally fall into an undesired location, such as through the wall to an unfinished basement. Once the bat is in the basement, they warm up and become more active. This might be a reason why we periodically receive calls from people with bats flying in the house during the middle of winter.
Critter Catchers provides bat removal services in the following areas:
Bat Exclusion,
Removal and Control - Oakland County, MI.
Auburn Hills, Berkley, Beverly Hills, Birmingham, Bingham Farms
Bloomfield, Bloomfield Hills, Brandon, Clarkston, Clawson, Commerce
Township, Drayton Plains, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Fenton, Franklin, Goodison, Highland,
Holly, Keego Harbor, Lake
Orion, Milford, New Hudson, Novi, Oakland, Ortonville, Oxford, Pontiac, Rochester, Rochester
Hills, Royal Oak, South Lyon, Southfield, Troy, Union Lake, Waterford, West Bloomfield, White Lake.
Bat Exclusion, Removal and Control - Genesee County, MI.
Linden, Swartz Creek, Grand Blanc, Goodrich, and Davison.
Bat Exclusion, Removal and Control - Lapeer County, MI.
Metamora, Hadley, Dryden, Almont, and Lapeer.
Bat Exclusion, Removal and Control - Livingston County, MI.
Brighton and Howell.
Bat Exclusion, Removal and Control - Macomb County, MI.
Fraser, Roseville, Romeo, Richmond, Shelby, Sterling Heights,
Macomb, Madison Heights, Utica, and Washington Township.
Bat Exclusion, Removal and Control - St. Clair County, MI.
St. Clair, Marysville, and Port Huron
Bat Exclusion, Removal and Control - Washtenaw County, MI.
Ann Arbor Metro Area.
