guano - AAAC Wildlife Removal

cleaning bat poop in an attic featured image

Brian Moss (President)
AAAC Wildlife Removal

11/28/2022 Total words : 1689

Cleaning Bat Poop in the Attic

After a successful bat abatement project, you may be left with hazardous guano on the attic floor. Cleaning bat poop can be a nasty and smelly job. The waste material not only emits a nasty odor but also poses significant health risks to those who come into contact with it. Fungus spores from disturbed guano are easily dispersed in the air and when inhaled can lead to a severe respiratory illness called Histoplasmosis. Bat diseases are no joke! Nevertheless, guano clean-up should be done as it is essential to the safety of your home! What do the droppings look like? Bat guano looks almost like rodent droppings, but typically larger, about a quarter of an inch in length on average. They can either be black or brown in color and cylindrical in shape. These guano sparkles when crumbled, this is because of the insect exoskeletons present in the dung. Before starting clean up The main concern with guano is the fungal spores that can easily go airborne once the dung is disturbed. To prevent this, ensure that the area is contained and sealed. Shut off the heating system and forced air ventilation system. Seal the intake mesh as well as the exhaust vents to prevent dust particles and spores from entering the house. Seal all openings in contaminated area with heavy duty duct tape and polyethylene sheeting. How to clean bat guano in the attic Cleaning bat guano in an attic is a messy job, but it's necessary to avoid health risks associated with the feces such as Histoplasmosis. Below are eight steps that cover all aspects of cleaning guano in attics: Wear personal protective equipment Double-check that all bats are excluded Pre-treat droppings Use vacuum cleaner to remove scattered poop Use hazardous waste bags Replace soiled insulation Scrub surfaces with an enzyme-based cleaner Fog the contaminated area Cleaning bat droppings Here are the steps to follow to successfully clean bat feces from an attic: Wear protective clothing In guano removal, it is important to start by wearing personal protective equipment. Thick gloves, surgical masks, and eye protection are vital because bat feces is hazardous and contains bacteria and parasites that can easily make you ill. Double check all bats are removed It is important to make sure that all bats are gone before you start your attic cleanup. Inspecting the entire attic thoroughly will prevent accidental bat contact during guano removal. Make sure that there are no baby bats left behind for mothers who might still be nursing as these young ones cannot yet fly away themselves! These bats will starve and die there in your attic and leave you with another problem. Make sure to wait until bat maternity season has concluded before making your move. Since bats are protected at the federal and state level, it's a good idea to exercise patience. Pre-treat bat droppings Dampen the droppings first with a spray bottle to prevent them from crumbling and fungal spores from dispersing into the air. This lessens your chances of inhaling fungal spores. Use vacuum to remove droppings in attic Vacuuming is an effective method for removing scattered feces from floorboards, insulation, and other areas that are hard to reach. Be sure that you are using HEPA filtered industrial vacuums so as not to stir up spores while vacuuming the feces out of your attic. Use hazardous waste bags In order to dispose of all bat guano properly, it needs to go into a hazardous trash bag before disposal outside your home (in accordance with local laws). Seal up all contaminated clothing as well after use so nothing gets out by accident while transporting them. Remove soiled insulation If bats were living on the rafters inside a home, they will leave behind droppings or urine wherever they roosted such as on insulation. These must be removed and replaced to avoid further bacterial or mold growth. Scrub contaminated surfaces with water and enzyme-based cleaner Bat poo is toxic and so must be scrubbed away from surfaces using an enzyme-based cleaner or enzymatic cleaners sold at your local hardware store. This will help to eliminate the smell of guano and break down organic material as well as neutralize any harmful pathogens on exposed areas. Fog the area to reach every nook and cranny To get bacteria and mold off of surfaces such as hard-to-reach areas like corners or ledges, you can use a fogger to reach every nook and cranny. Foggers are also effective for reaching behind beams and within wall cavities where dung particles might have been missed. Problems and dangers of bat feces in attic Leaving bat waste in the attic after bat removal is a big mistake. The feces contain bacteria and parasites that are harmful if they come into contact with people and also release spores that you or your family and pets can inhale. Here are problems and dangers caused by guano build up in an attic (or any place that bats might live): creates nurturing environment for histoplasmosis causing fungi encourages bacteria and mold growth creates a horrible smell attracts other pests due to odor causes stains in the ceiling rots any wood in your attic causes ceiling cave ins Histoplasmosis Histoplasmosis is a massive health risk associated with bat dung. It's a respiratory illness caused by inhaling the fungus spores Histoplasma capsulatum from the guano. It has flu-like symptoms that include fever, headache, fatigue, dry cough, and chest pain. It can be fatal especially for those with weakened immune systems or lung diseases such as asthma. Bacterial and mold growth Bat feces can also encourage bacterial and mold growth which can lead to severe health issues. Mold is a fungus that can produce mycotoxins, which are toxic substances that cause severe allergic reactions in humans and have been linked with asthma as well as other serious illnesses such as cancer. The bacteria from bat guano is not dangerous to bats but will make people sick with stuff things like salmonella, e Coli, and typhoid fever if they come into contact with the feces. There are also some parasites that live in bat poo such as roundworms and other intestinal worms that could cause serious health issues for those who might accidentally ingest them. Foul odor Bat dung creates a strong, foul odor that is likely to spread into your home. This smell seeps into your walls and ceilings, making it difficult to get rid of. Attracts other animals and insects The pheromones in bat waste can also attract other bats or other animals like snakes. It also attracts pesky insects such as flies or cockroaches and increases the risk of disease transmission or creating a secondary infestation. Causes staining Bat poop in an attic can also create unsightly stains on ceilings over time. Rotting droppings, as well as any other organic material that accumulates because of an infestation, will cause stains to form around the edges of your ceilings from seepage or mold growth. These need to be cleaned right away before they have a chance to set so you don't end up with ugly brown patches everywhere! Rotting wood Bat fecal matter contains high levels of uric acid which will rot untreated wood over time. If left unaddressed for too long, the dung will rot wooden surfaces like rafters, roof beams and may even reach floorboards below and cause structural damage by weakening them over time Ceiling cave ins Bats eat a lot of insects (up to their weight in a night!) and they poop a lot too! And sometimes the guano can pile up as high as a couple of feet deep. This problem is compounded by bat droppings that rot and produce methane gas which is a powerful agent of decay. The guano can also absorb the moisture from wooden surfaces, drywall, or insulation underneath it causing these materials to soften and break down over time. This will eventually lead to cave-ins in ceilings where feces pile up! Bat guano cleanup specialists AAAC Wildlife Removal offers bat removal services as well as guano cleanup and attic repair services. After we remove your bat problem, we'll ensure guaranteed sanitization and decontamination of your attic. Our professional wildlife control experts are available to remove toxic droppings from your attic to keep you safe at all times! Call AAAC Wildlife Removal today! We can help you with the problem no matter what those bats do to your home or business. Damage repair and attic restoration Aside from bat removal and guano clean-up, we also offer professional attic restoration services at AAAC Wildlife Removal. Our technicians are experienced in restoring attics from bat infestation so you don't have to worry about any damages caused by bats. With our full-service approach, we'll also ensure complete sanitization and deodorizing of your home while also providing structural repairs if needed after completing an effective bat removal process. Conclusion Cleaning bat feces in an attic can be hazardous, complex, and time-consuming. A typical homeowner should not attempt it without the proper protection and equipment required. Bat dung creates a health hazard for humans by spreading bacteria and mold spores that are toxic even in small quantities. It also creates stains on ceilings over time and can cause structural integrity issues. Removing bat waste in the attic after a successful removal is essential and should be addressed immediately before it can create any major problems. FAQs Can I vacuum the bat guano? You can, however, you can't simply use your regular home vacuum cleaner. The spores in bat droppings are too fine and will disperse all over your home, so a special one with a HEPA filter is required for cleanup in the attic. Can I clean bat guano in attic myself? It can be done, however, we don't advise you to try guano removal yourself, as it is time-consuming and dangerous for the uninitiated! It requires specialized equipment and a thorough understanding of bat biology. We recommend hiring professional bat control experts to clean feces in an attic, as it will save you time and money! Originally published on https://aaacwildliferemoval.com/blog/bats/cleaning-bat-poop-in-the-attic

What Do Bats Do?

Bats are some of the most fascinating creatures on earth. They live in a wide variety of habitats, eat an assortment of foods, and have evolved to be able to do things that other mammals cannot. Bats also play an important role in nature as pollinators and insect killers, but many people don't know this! This article will explore what bats do in their day-to-day life and other fascinating things about them. Are bats dangerous? Bats are shy creatures and normally keep to themselves, the danger is in the diseases bats carry. They carry a significantly high number of viruses than any other mammal on earth. They are known carriers of rabies and other diseases such as the SARS virus, the MERS virus, Hendra virus, and even Ebola among other things. Bat bites are rare, however, it is important to not handle bats or to try to come anywhere near them. Additionally, the build-up of bat droppings in homes could also cause histoplasmosis, a severe respiratory infection with flu-like symptoms caused by breathing spores from bat guano. This is why it is vital to use professionals to clean bat poop in the attic, and other spaces near pets and family Why are bats called bats? The word "bat" was likely first used in the early 1570s and is derived from the Middle English word "bakke" - which most likely came from the old Swedish name for bats "natbakka" or "night-bat". The shift from the letter k to t is very likely influenced by the Latin word "blatta" which means "light shunning insect". Amazing bat facts Bats are really good at harboring diseases Bats have long been known to be reservoirs of viruses that are deadly to humans - There are at least 60 viruses carried by bats that are zoonotic or can be passed on to people and most of these are severe or even life-threatening. Bats don't get sick with the viruses they host Not only do bats carry diseases but they have evolved to act as carriers without getting sick themselves. Researchers believe that the key to this is flight. Flight elevates their metabolic rates causing their core body temperature to rise at 38C (100F) or more. This fever-like state, researchers have posited, would allow the bats' immune system to keep pace with constant viral infection. Moreover, bats have also developed a mutation in their genes that helped control their immune response to infections in a way to avoid a cytokine storm - the excessive inflammatory response to infection that can be as harmful to the body as the infection itself. Bats have a unique way of flying Unlike birds, bats can move their wings independently from each other, this allows bats to fly with more agility than many other flying animals. 280 species are either endangered, near-threatened, or vulnerable Of the over 1400 bats species in the world, more than 280 are either endangered, near-threatened, or vulnerable. Bats make up 20% of all mammals on earth and many are at risk for extinction with many others likely to join them soon. Urbanization and White-nose syndrome have played a major role in the decline of Bat populations. Bats have unique mating habits During bat mating season, bats will swarm in large groups and perform acrobatics - an act they do likely so the female can choose the most agile male partner. Once the female has chosen a male, the pair will go to a secluded area where they will mate. Learn more about how many babies bats have by clicking here. Bats can eat their weight in insects in just one night 70% of species of bats are primarily insectivores, eating as much as their body weight in bugs every night. This helps in controlling insect populations and preventing the spread of insect borne disease. Bats "see" with their ears When hunting for food or navigating through dark spaces, bats use echolocation to assess where objects are. Bats produce sound waves with their mouths and the sound waves collide with objects all around them and bounce back to the bat's ears, which allows bats to "see" what is around them. Bat echolocation can detect even very small prey from long distances away! There are two types of bats: microbats and megabats There are two categories of bats Megabats and microbats. The most common of the two are microbats like Mexican free-tailed bats and the bumblebee bat - these bats echo-locate using high-pitched sounds and feed on bugs like flies and moths. Megabats like flying foxes live in the tropics and rely more on their large eyes and a strong sense of smell to feed on pollen, nectar, and fruit. They are quite diverse Bats have over 1400 species and they can be found on every continent except Antarctica. They vary in size from Kitti's hog-nosed bat which is as small as a bee to the giant golden-crowned flying fox which has a wingspan of over five feet! Bats are mammals that give birth to live young Unlike birds, bats produce milk like mammals do but they also have another trait unique to them - their babies cling onto their mother's fur until they grow strong enough for flight. They even breastfeed while hanging upside down! Mother bats will not leave her baby unattended so sometimes she may take turns with other mothers who go out hunting at night while one stays back with their pups. Mangoes, bananas, cacao, etc. would go extinct without bats Bats are pollinators and seed dispersal agents and many of our favorite plants and fruit trees rely on bats for their reproduction. Without bats, we would be left with a world without mangoes, bananas, cocoa beans (used to make chocolate), etc. Bat guano is also an important soil fertilizer! Their poop is called guano and it sparkles! Bat poop is called guano and it is harvested around the world for use as fertilizer. Bat guano has been used in farming since ancient times and even until now bat poop continues to be popular amongst farmers. When crumbled you'll notice that they glisten! this is due to the shiny material called chitin on insect exoskeletons. However, accumulation of guan in homes and buildings signals a clear need for bat remediation from companies like AAAC Wildlife Removal! Bats can reach speeds of over 100 miles per hour! Bats can fly really fast! Some, like Mexican free-tailed bats, can reach speeds of up to 100 miles an hour! Making them by far the fastest mammal on Earth! Bats groom themselves like cats Bats like to keep themselves clean, they spend a great deal of their time licking and grooming themselves. To some species, it is even a communal activity. There are 3 bat species that suck blood Of the 1400+ species of bats, only 3 are vampire bats that mainly feed on blood. There's Desmodus rotundus, the common vampire bat, there's the white-winged bat Diaemus youngi, and the hairy-legged vampire bat Diphylla ecaudata. They don't really suck blood but cut V-shaped wounds and lick the blood off. Their saliva has anticoagulants that keep their meal bleeding so they can drink their fill. They're not blind, but most can see in low-light Though bats are often thought of as creatures with poor eyesight because of their nighttime habits, this is actually false. Most bats have good vision especially for an animal who hunts at night when there isn't much light around. Bats use echolocation more than rely on sight when hunting or navigating dark spaces - even though some species do still rely heavily on sight like megabat which hunts using smell rather than sound waves. They're the only flying mammals Bats are the only real flying mammals (as flying squirrels only glide and do not really fly). Bat wings are actually hands that evolved skin membranes for the purpose of flight. Bat populations are getting decimated because of white nose syndrome Bats species that are not on the endangered list are still rapidly declining in population, and this is due to habitat loss and the white-nose syndrome. White-nose syndrome is a disease that causes bats to wake up during winter hibernation which forces them out of their caves and roosts causing them to starve to death. Reason why you should love bats (outside your home) They feed on harmful insects such as mosquitoes and flies They eat crop destroying insects They pollinate plants They disperse seeds Their guano makes a great fertilizers Bats play a very important role in our lives and the ecosystem, they disperse seeds from trees, pollinate our plants and protect us by eating insects that would otherwise be harmful or devour our crops! A large bat colony such as the one on Bracken cave can eat up to 220 tons of bugs in a night which amounts to millions of dollars saved annually from crop damage and health care! No matter where bats live, they have a positive impact on their environment. It is for this reason that bats are federally protected. Conclusion Bats are amazing animals that can help keep our environment healthy and sustainable. They’ve been around for a long time, but there is still so much we don’t know about them! Learning more about these fascinating animals is something everyone should do at least once. FAQs Are bats rodents? Bats are often mistaken for rodents, but they are actually not related. Bat species make up more than 20% of the mammal population and outnumber both dogs and cats in terms of the number of different types found worldwide. What do bats eat? Most bat species are insectivores and feed on bugs such as moths, mosquitoes, beetles, etc., Some bats eat fruit, nectar, and pollen. There are also bat species that eat fish and bats in the vampire bat family who drink blood. How do bats mate? Bats reproduce by mating with other members of their own bat colony, some also disperse to other colonies at this time too. The female bat will give birth (pups) after a gestation period which is usually around seven to nine weeks. Originally published on AAAC Wildlife Removal at https://aaacwildliferemoval.com/blog/bats/what-do-bats-do/