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Myths About North American Bats

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There are many myths and false stereotypes about bats in North America, and even all across the world. Here in this blog, we’ll explore a few of those urban legends and clear up the misunderstandings surrounding these highly important and fascinating mammals.

Common Bat Myths

One common myth is that all bats carry the Rabies virus and infect millions of people around the continent every year. This is far from the truth. The reality is that fewer than 10 people in the last 50 years have been infected with Rabies as a result of a bat bite. Bats typically avoid people, and rarely attack unless cornered or provoked. If you are ever bitten by a bat, all you need to do is consult a doctor and you’ll be just fine.

Another bat urban legend is that some bat species consume blood, namely human blood. This urban legend is not entirely false, just embellished a bit. It is called a vampire bat. They do not actually suck blood, but rather, initiate a bite to a large warm-blooded animal, and then lick up the seeping blood. It is usually cattle that are the common hosts for Vampire bats. They do not bite or consume human blood.

Another common myth concerning bats is that all bats are blind. This is also not true. The misconception comes from the fact that Microbats use echolocation to hunt for insects and food at night. All bats actually see quite well during the day, it’s just that they mostly remain active at night, where they do not count on their eyesight to get around.

Have you ever heard that bats have hundreds of litters of bat babies? Well hopefully not, because this is not the truth. Bats are mammals and have a gestation period of about six months. Once they give birth, it is to usually one bat pup, and in rare cases, it may birth twins. It takes a long time for an entire bat colony to grow. Once bats are grown enough to withstand predators and fly on their own, they can live to almost 30 years!

Many also believe that bat droppings are poisonous. There are some special circumstances to this myth, but for the most part, it is untrue. Bat droppings are referred to as “guano”. Guano is a huge resource for many villages and tribes around the world. People craft household necessities from guano and use it for fertilizer as well. There are many uses for bat guano. However, bat guano can be harmful to ones health if it is digested or inhaled during a sporing stage. This is when fungus species begin to grow on the guano. Around large amounts of guano, people are encouraged to wear face respirators to avoid inhaling the fungus that can cause Histoplasmosis.

The Truth About Bats

Between movies, television, Halloween, and childhood stories, bats have been given an unfair stereotype. They are actually fascinating mammals with a sophisticated system for hunting and flying at night. They breed their young as humans do, having one pup a year; and they have incredible survival skills! They will not fly into your hair or suck your cat’s blood. They are trusting creatures that deserve respect and peace. If they are a nuisance to your property, use a local bat removal service to have them safely excluded.

Indianapolis Bat Removal

Call 317-535-4605 for prompt and professional Indianapolis bat removal and control services. We provide safe and humane bat removal for commercial and residential properties throughout Central Indiana. Trust us to remove bats and prevent their return, all at an affordable price. We are DNR licensed and insured wildlife control contractors with more than 20 years of experience working with nuisance bats. Call 317-535-4605 to get rid of bats in Indianapolis, IN today.

Learn How Bats Navigate the Dark

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Whoever said bats were blind is wrong. Bats are far from blindness! In fact, megabats, like the fruit bat, can see quite well, and have broaden optical visual centers that allow them to navigate during dusk and dawn hours. Microbats, on the other hand, can still see just fine, but do not have the acute vision of their relatives the megabat. For this reason, microbats use different methods for hunting and navigation. Let’s discuss the differences between the two species and how they navigate in the dark, or the day!

Megachiroptera

Megachiroptera, or megabats, are the larger species of bat between the two main species. They are thought to originate from the same ancestor, but somehow evolved separately. Megabats are larger, with pronounced optical centers and an acute sense of smell. This is how they navigate through the daytime, as megabats are not always nocturnal. This is also how they locate and hunt their food. Megabats eat fruit, nectar, pollen, and some small prey, like birds and fish. Certain species of megabat, like Flying Foxes, can also see in color! On the other hand, they sometimes have trouble navigating on moonless nights because they rely on some light to see. Microbats do not have this problem so much because they use a separate method to nighttime navigation.

Microchiroptera

Microchiroptera, or microbats, do not have prominent visual centers that give them the equal visual ability as their cousins, the megabat. Instead, microbats are small, and have poorly developed eyes. In the past, scientists thought microbats only retained rods in the photoreceptors of their retinas, which are used for nighttime vision; but recent studies conclude that microbats also retain cones, for daylight and color vision, but these cones are just not as developed as they are in other mammals. For this reason, microbats use a method called echolocation to navigate in the dark, even though they can see okay during the day.

Echolocation is like a sonar system for bats. As they fly, they emit small beeps that bounce off their nearby surroundings and listen for the beeps to return back to them. This creates a mental grid of their surroundings and allows them to better hunt for food and prey. Microbats eat insects for the most part, but some are known to also drink blood from other animals, like the Vampire Bat. Aside from echolocation, microbats use their regular vision to travel long distances as well.

Bat Removal Indiana

Call Bat Removal Indiana at 317-535-4605 to get rid of bats in Indianapolis and its surrounding areas. We are DNR licensed and experienced animal removal contractors that use safe and humane methods to extract bats from residential and commercial properties, and apply proven strategies to prevent their return. Call 317-535-4605 for more information about bat removal and control in Indianapolis, IN today.

3 Common Damages Caused by Bat Infestation

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North American bats are very prevalent tenants in nature. Bats are nocturnal mammals that eat thousands of insects on a nightly basis. They are helpful creatures in this way, limiting the amount of mosquitoes feeding on us at our summer barbeques; however, there is a darker side to bats that live near residential areas. Bats like to seek shelter in warm dark places, and with new construction popping up everywhere, their natural habitats are being overcome by buildings and neighborhoods. Rather than finding shelter in more remote areas, bats will look to our properties for shelter. This behavior can cause problems regarding the well-being of our homes and indoor environments. Read on to learn more about the three common damages bats can cause when residing within our homes and buildings.

Bat Mites

Bat mites are microscopic insects that are commonly mistaken for bed bugs. They like to use bats and humans as their host. People will have a pest control company treat their home for bed bugs, only to discover that the problem persists well after the treatment is through. This is because it is not bed bugs that are irritating the homeowner, it is bat mites. Because bats will live inside walls, attics, crawl spaces, and rooftops, their mites will continue to come back because the source of the issue was not solved. In order to get rid of bat mites, you have to get rid of bats first.

Diseases

Bats are stereotyped as the main source of rabies in America. The truth is, ANY animal can contract rabies and pass it on to humans and other animals. Even though bats are always wrongly associated with rabies, doesn’t mean that they cannot have the disease, as well as others, that can be contagious or dangerous for humans. Along with rabies, bat dropping, or guano, can release spores for Histoplasmosis, which if inhaled, can cause damage to our lungs.

Structural Repairs

Bats are not chewers or biters. They will not claw your dry wall or chew through electrical wiring like raccoons can. Instead, their colonies defecate and urinate all over the area they inhabit. The accumulation of all their droppings will cause serious structural damage to the space they live in, and the spaces surrounding it. The droppings can seep into walls and begin to leak through ceilings. This can soil and destroy attic insulation, dry wall, and more. Also, the odor from the droppings will eventually seep into the living or working space of the property, causing discomfort and embarrassment to the property owners.

Indianapolis Bat Removal and Control

Call Wildlife Rescue and Control at 317-535-4605 to get rid of bats in Indianapolis, Indiana. We are DNR licensed bat removal specialists with decades of experience in the wildlife control industry. We offer a wide range of bat removal and control services, including 24 hour emergency service, free estimates, advice, and answers to bat related questions! Call us at 317-535-4605 for Indianapolis bat removal and control services in Indianapolis, IN today.

Bat Removal Indiana is the Affordable Solution to Getting Rid of Bats in the Attic

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Affordable Indianapolis Bat Removal and Control Services for Residential and Commercial Properties!

Bat Removal Indiana is a DNR licensed bat removal and control company based out of Indianapolis. They retain the latest technologies and comprehensive training that allow them to facilitate safe, humane, and most importantly, effective bat removal services. Not only can they extract bats from attics, crawl spaces, drywall, porches, and more, they offer a wide selection of additional bat control services.

For example, if your attic is destroyed by bat droppings and birthing debris, their qualified contractors can provide bat cleanup services and minor attic restorations for damages caused by bats! They also offer bat prevention, bat-proofing, 24 hour emergency services, free advice, and much more. For details about their bat removal and control services, call 317-535-4605 and speak with a DNR licensed bat control contractor today!

Bat Removal Indianapolis

Bat Removal Indiana offers the most effective and skilled nuisance wildlife protection services at the most competitive prices in Indianapolis. You can trust you are getting the fairest and most honest quotes, estimates, and assessments from our DNR licensed bat removal technicians. Visit their website at http://www.batremovalindianapolis.com for more information about their services, prices, availability, and more. Ask for free estimates, over-the-phone quotes, bat-proofing advice, and more anytime. Call 317-535-4605 to learn more about bat removal services in Indianapolis, IN today.

Endangered Indiana Bats Might Put a Stop to White River Lake Project

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A recent online publication reveals that a new lake plan for a reservoir in Anderson, Indiana, on the White River, might not be approved due to the possible presence of a common endangered Indiana bat species. Mounds Lake is a new proposed reservoir that would extend seven miles from a dam Anderson, IN. Although it is said that this new reservoir will create a bounteous natural habitat for Indiana bats and wildlife alike, it would take several years for trees to mature and actually render such habitations for endangered bats.

Environmental Concerns

This is why Ball State University biologist, Jim Carter, suggests the lake plan be formally reviewed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before any further steps are made. During warmer seasons, Indiana bats use mature trees for maternity colonies, nesting, and protection. While the proposed plan might provide more habitat for these bats, it would take too long for endangered bats to benefit from the extension.

The Mounds Lake project is estimated to cost nearly 450 million dollars. Additional anticipated benefits from this lake plan includes improved flood control, creation of water-front real estate housing, and economic growth and development in the city of Anderson. What’s your take on all this?

It is important to protect all bat species in Indiana, not just the endangered ones. If you find a bat on your property, please do not attempt to trap, kill, or harm it. Instead, contact a local Indianapolis Bat Removal and Control service for safe and humane assistance. They retain the proper licensing, tools, and training to safely and humanely extract bats from in or around a property, and relocate them to a safe, faraway habitat, or to wildlife rescue organization.

“Endangered Bats Could Threaten Indiana Lake Plan.” Indianapolis Business Journal. 10 Nov 2014. Online. Internet Explorer. 13 Nov 2014.

Bat Removal Indiana

Call 317-535-4605 for safe and humane bat removal in Indianapolis, Indiana. We are highly trained and DNR licensed bat removal and control contractors that have decades of experience in the wildlife rescue and removal industry. We offer free estimates, bat cleanup, bat-proofing, bat removal, inspections, attic restorations, and much more for residential and commercial properties. Call 317-535-4605 to learn more about endangered bats, or to remove bats in Indianapolis, IN.

How Do Mother Bats Find their Baby Bats in the Dark?

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When it comes to explaining how mother bats find and locate their young in the dark, in of a colony of hundreds of baby bats, we must first discuss the process of echolocation. Echolocation is a sonar system that nocturnal bats use to locate prey and their young. It is a process of emitting high-frequency sounds that bounce off nearby objects and echo back to the bat. It allows them to visualize a defined grid that they use as a map to guide them around.

On top of echolocation, both chief species of bat have moderate sight capabilities, even in daylight, enabling them to hunt and locate more food and prey. To learn more about mother bats and how they breed and care for their young, continue reading and educate yourself on some fascinating bat facts!

Mother Bats and their Young

Not only can mother bats locate their young in a colony of a thousand bats using echolocation, they can rely on their senses as well. Female nursing bats will remember the pheromones and distinct smell of each individual offspring. It is quite fascinating how nursing bats can accomplish this feat using only smell, moderate vision, and sonar!

When it comes to bats and sight, both species are capable of daytime vision. Megabats, or Megachiroptera, have big eyes and predominant visual centers allowing them to see well during the day. Although nocturnal, mega-bats find it helpful and convenient to hunt for fish, insects, small birds, and other prey in the daytime hours. Their options are much more plentiful and abundant during these times. Some subspecies of Megachiroptera can even see in color during the day, helping them avoid potential predators and search for nectar.

Microchiroptera, or micro-bats, typically eat insects and mosquitoes which are plentiful in the dusk and nighttime hours. This is why they predominantly use echolocation to find their way around. Although sonar is their chief system of navigation, microbats use their mediocre sight to get around at dusk or in the day.

Indianapolis Bat Removal

If you have a bat infestation in your home or property, call Indianapolis Bat Removal at 317-535-4605 today. We are highly trained and DNR licensed bat removal and control specialist with more than 25 years of experience! Get free estimates, consultations, DIY advice, discounts, and more when you call Indianapolis Bat Removal! Contact Us to get rid of bats for good! Call 317-535-4605 for professional bat removal services in Indianapolis, IN.