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Yes, bat roosting season is a thing you need to be aware of. Here’s what to know

This is the time of year to start checking your home for bats — to get them out right now and ensure they can’t get into attics in the future.

WIldlife experts want North Carolinians to know that bats are ecologically important, but they pose a danger to humans when they’re in our living spaces. Bats may carry rabies, a fatal disease for humans.

Bat roosting season will begin May 1. Bats find a place to rest and raise their young beginning in May, and roosting season lasts until the end of July. During this time, to protect young, vulnerable bats, Wildlife Control Agents won’t extract bats from homes.

The News & Observer talked to Katherine Etchison, bat biologist for the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, to learn more about protecting ourselves from bats while making sure bats are protected too.

How to prepare your home for bat roosting season

Seal off cracks and crevices: Bats will soon finish their hibernation period, and they’ll be looking for small, dark places for pup-rearing and bat roosting season.

“When you find those cracks and crevices, seal up those parts of your home before bats have fully returned to the landscape,” Etchison said.

“In most parts of the state, bats are still in hibernation, and they’re just about to come back. But they haven’t yet, so this is the perfect time to get this done.”

Inspect your attic: You may not hear bats, since they’re in their hibernation period, but they may be spending that time in your attic.

Wildlife Control Agents won’t extract bats after May 1, so now’s the time to make sure your home is bat-free.

Check for bat droppings: And see if any bats may currently be active in your home.

“Walk around the outside of your home and look for signs bats may be getting into places. Bats usually urinate or defecate as they fly out, so it’s common to see urine or bat guano (droppings) around shingles or shudders,” she said.

Bats can’t be removed May through July

Wildlife agents will keep vulnerable, young bats in place from May through July to ensure their survival.

“Young bats are initially flightless and are totally dependent on their mothers, so when adult bats are evicted, the young perish because they can’t yet leave the roost or survive on their own,” Etchison said.

“To make matters worse, mother bats may end up in the living space of a building trying to seek alternate ways to get to their pups.”

Young bats are mature enough to fly by Aug. 1, so eviction methods can safely resume then.

Can I get rabies from a bat?

Yes, it’s rare though possible. Rabies is fatal for humans, so it needs to be taken seriously.

“I can count on one hand the number of people I’m aware of who survived rabies. We always make sure we relay just how serious it is to people,” Etchison said.

About 60,000 Americans receive treatment after being exposed to rabies every year, according to The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Vox reported rabies treatment costing up to $10,000 in the United States.

Many people who have been bitten by a bat feel a “stinging or needle prick sensation,” reported the Minnesota Department of Health. But since bats leave a small wound — or sometimes no evidence of a wound — it might be difficult to know if you got bitten.

“We’re trained on wildlife, not humans, so we always tell people who call us about bats to contact their local health department for treatment details,” Etchison said. “They’re qualified to tell an individual if there was an exposure and how to follow up medically.”

Why are bats important?

Bats can spread deadly diseases to humans, so they should not be inside our living spaces. But bats are still a vital part of our ecosystem, so it’s important to protect and remove them humanely, Etchison said.

Here’s why:

They’re bug vacuums: “They are ecologically and economically valuable, providing free pest control as they nearly devour their own body weight in insects nightly. Their appetite increases even more during pup-rearing season,” an NCWRC press release says.

They’re pollinators: Many bats eat insects, while others eat nectar and provide pollination for many plants, including peaches, cloves, bananas and agave, according to US Fish and Wildlife Services.

They disperse seeds: Bats play a major role in seed dispersal, according to FWS. Bats that eat fruit are responsible for 95% of the seed dispersal that can help regrow rain forests.

Triangle Asked & Answered: What do you want to know?

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