Have you ever been the victim of a bat flying loose in your house? Was it frightening to watch that tiny creature swoop, dive, and fly all around your living room? The real question is, do bats attack humans? That answer is simple, no. Bats are terrified of humans and do not maliciously fly down to attack us. A bat may fly near you as it is searching for an exit, but it does not mean to cause you any harm.
One good way to think of it is that the bat is just as scared of you as you are of it. Just because the bat is scared, too, does not mean they are safe to have in your home. Bats are a health risk to share your house with, not to mention they are very messy tenants. Overall, bats do not seek to attack humans. Keep reading to learn more about how bats “attack” humans.
Do Bats Attack? Or Are They Just Blind?
Have you heard the old wives’ tales of bats attacking humans and getting stuck in hair? That is usually an overdramatization of what happened. A human’s hair is the last place a bat wants to be stuck! Contrary to what people think, bats are not blind. Bats know precisely where they are flying and what is surrounding them.
Bats use echolocation to navigate flying, so they are always aware of their surroundings. In order to do this, bats echolocate by producing a high-frequency sound wave. When the bats sound wave bounces off an object and echoes back, the bat will be able to hear or feel how far away the object is. Also, bats can use echolocation to grasp how big an object is and its shape—especially crucial during hunting. If a single brown bat can catch and eat over 1000 insects an hour, then it must be able to “see” pretty good. It also makes them good at hiding when they are loose inside your home like we talk about next.
Bats Inside House
If a bat is loose inside your home, it can be quite a battle to locate it. The bat may begin its rampage by flying aimlessly around the house. As it flies back and forth, many people think the bat is doing that to attack. When really, the bat is in a panic. It’s flying trying to get away from you. If you lose sight of the bat and it finds a place to hide, the chances of you finding the hiding spot is slim. You can check behind pictures, in curtains, under the couch, etc. but don’t be surprised if you can’t locate the bat.
Once the bat regains energy, it will be able to fly again. Open windows and door to give the bat an easy escape route. Releasing the bat outside will eliminate the issue of the bat loose inside, but it won’t get rid of the colony hiding in the walls. Finding a live bat in your living quarters is the number one sign of a bat colony living in the structure, so do not ignore the warning. Bats attacking humans should not be the only worry. Another significant risk with bats is that they can pass diseases to humans as well as cause extensive damage to your home.
Bat Diseases
I’m sure everyone has heard about bats and how they carry the disease rabies. While only 2% of the bat population has rabies, it is still an incredibly dangerous disease. A small bite or scratch from a bat is all it takes to transfer to a human—which typically happens when someone tries to handle or touch the bat without the proper safety gloves. Never handle a bat bare handed! If you are going to attempt to handle a bat, it’s better to use thick leather gloves. The bat’s small teeth and claws cannot pierce through the leather. Always be gentle when handling bats, they have fragile bones in their easily breakable wings.
If you wake up to a bat in your bedroom after being asleep, then you should consult medical professionals. There is a chance the bat could have bitten or scratched you in your sleep. A bats bite can be gentle enough that it may not even wake you. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. Just because a small percentage of bats carry the disease, it doesn’t make the disease any less deadly if left untreated. Moving on from the diseases physically transferred to humans, we’re going to hear about the diseases we breathe in.
Take a Deep Breath and Relax—Not Too Deep
Another dangerous disease linked to bats is Histoplasmosis. Histoplasmosis is a respiratory disease caused by inhaling the fungal spores from the bat guano or feces. The bats defecate and urinate in the attic area, and over time it can pile up, literally. Our technicians have witnessed mounds of bat droppings on multiple occasions. Bats don’t like to sleep where they poop, so they designate an area to keep things separate. The more they use that one location, the larger the mound of feces grows, and more spores develop. Over time, inhaling those spores can make you sick.
The best way to prevent histoplasmosis is to eliminate the bat colony and have the attic sanitized. Kicking out the bats should be the first step. Once the bats are gone, attic restoration may begin which involves removing guano and soiled insulation (if needed). After we get all the contaminated and hazardous waste out, we can sanitize the area and get it looking good as new! Now you may be thinking what is as gross if not even grosser than bat poop? Bat Bugs.
What’s Worse Than Bat Poop? –Bat Bugs.
Bat bugs are tiny insects that live off mammals, specifically, bats. They appear as a small, round-bodied, reddish-brown insect. Bat bugs look almost identical to bed bugs, and only professionals will be able to spot the difference using specialized equipment. Usually, Bat bugs stay up in the area where the bats are, so typically in the attic space. Also, Bat bugs feed on bats which is why they must be near the bat colony. Some of the worst infestations we’ve seen have involved the technician opening the attic access door and having bat bugs fall out onto the floor. If you remove teh bat colony, the bat bugs that are left behind may feed on humans as a last resort. However, bat bugs cannot reproduce without bats. Eventually, the bat bugs will die out if no bats are present.
Conclusion:
No one wants bats in their house, but sometimes they find their way inside. Not only are bats scary, but they are also a health risk inside our homes. The only safe way to get rid of bats in your house is to call bat removal professionals. Bat removal professionals guarantee to get rid of the bats and make sure they stay out. Professionals will remove the bats safely and that any mess left behind has been addressed and cleaned.