Bats, what can be done?

In Quebec, there are 8 varieties of bats. They are categorized into two broad categories.

The first is that of migrating bats. It includes:

• The red bat,
• the ash bat,
• The silver bat.

The second is resident bats. It includes:

• the little brown bat,
• The northern bat,
• pygmy bat,
• the big brown bat,
• Eastern pipistrelle.

Known for living in caves and ancient quarries, bats can invade:

• your attics,
• Barns,
• garden sheds
• Garages.

They come in and occupy your space and leave you with no choice but to intervene:

• They carry diseases.
• They disturb by their noise.
• They attract other parasites.
• They’re messing up our buildings.

The bat is inopportune. A protected species in Quebec, it is forbidden to hunt it. The only way to rid your places of this beast is to capture it or hunt it.

What does a bat look like? What precautions should be taken to avoid a possible invasion? How do I get rid of them?

These are all questions that Animal Alert gives you professional answers to.

Wikipedia tells us:

Chiropterra (Chiroptera),

commonly known as bats or bats,are an order of the mammalia class, with nearly a thousand species, or one fifth of mammals, therefore the most important after that of rodents (Rodentia). These flying nocturnal animals are often able to echolocation to orient themselves in the dark.

Description: What do they look like?

The physical appearance of the bat varies by species:

• The red bat

It measures 9 to 11cm. Its wings, long and narrow, are about 33cm. It weighs 8 to 18 grams.

The color of its fur is red-orange for the male and yellow-brown for the female. The hairs of the chin, back, shoulders and chest are white.

The red bat has hairy ears. These have a rounded shape.

• The ash bat

This species exceeds all others by its size: the body is 15 cm long and the wings 42 cm.

The ash bat weighs between 20 and 35 grams.

Her fur is pale brown and yellowish on her throat and face. The edges of his hair are ash.

Its ears have a rounded shape and are short. They are marked by a thin black line.

• The silver bat

It is recognized by its black or brown fur. The hairs on his back are marked by a hint of silver color.

The silver bat measures 11cm and weighs 12 grams. The size of its wings is 31cm.

The silver bat has long, wide ears colored in black and pink. Its flight is reputed to be the slowest.

• The little brown bat.

The coat of the small brown bat is olive brown, dark brown or black.

It measures 9.5 cm and weighs 14 grams. Its wings have a wingspan of 27 cm. The tragus of this critter is thinned and sharp.

• The Northern Bat

The bat is a dark brown color. Its belly is yellowish in colour. The size of its tail and wings which are 26 cm.

The northern bat is 8.9 cm tall and weighs 9 grams. Its tragus is identical to that of the little brown bat.

• The pygmy bat.

It is remarkable for its smallness. It is the smallest of our bats and the rarest in urban areas. It is 7 to 9 cm long with wings with a wingspan of 25 cm. Its legs are very small: less than 8 mm.

The pygmy bat has a golden brown color on its back. The hair on his face and ears is black. Its belly is grey in colour.

It weighs 5 grams.

• The big bat.

The large bat is 13 cm long. Its wings have a wingspan of 39 cm.

The large bat weighs 23 grams. The body is brown in various places. Its ears, wings, snout, and tail are black in color.

The shape of the ears is rounded.

• The eastern pipistrelle bat.

Medium-sized (9.8 cm), this bat is 26 cm long when it spreads its wings. These are blackish.

The Eastern Pipistrelle weighs 7 grams. It has a tricolour coat: grey at the root, yellow in the middle, and dark brown at the end.

His ears are large. The tragus of this species is short and of unparalleled righteousness.

Bat life cycle

2 phases mark the reproduction of bats of any species:

Phase^1: Fertilization

The breeding of bats starts in the fall and lasts all summer. Bats mate at gatherings commonly known as swarms.

In fact, all bat species gather in large numbers in the caves that serve as hibernacles. This gathering is at the origin of the diversity of species.

Bats mate after a courtship of songs or chases. After mating, the female holds the male’s sperm in her uterus.

Fertilization only occurs during the spring. It is during this season that hibernation takes place.

Because there are a multitude of bat species, the gestation phase differs by species. Temperature and diet also condition this phase.

For example, the gestation period for eastern pipistrelle is 44 days, double the gestation of grey mice. For other species, it can last up to 90 days.

 

Phase^2: The Birth of The Young

In the year, a female gives birth to only one cub. Exceptionally, the red bat can give birth to up to 4 cubs.

To give birth, the females gather in colonies. Most get on their feet with their heads pointed upwards, allowing the newborn to be recovered upon release.

Some species stand with their heads pointed downwards. At the exit, the little one clings to his mother’s fur and spends a few days there.

At birth, baby bats are pink in colour. They have no hairs, but are covered with downs. Their eyes barely open.

The hairs of the young become visible 14 days after birth.

Mothers breastfeed for five weeks, then weed the young. They then go out every night, looking for food.

The growth of small children is accelerating. The weight, the size, the wings, everything indicates that they are reaching adulthood.

As soon as they are 18 days old, the cubs are able to spread their wings and take flight.

They then feed on insectsthemselves.

From July to August, all bats, males, females and offspring stock up on fat to cope with the hibernationperiod.

They migrate to caves, caves, old buildings for shelter: this is the critical period of uncontrolled installations in your shelters

Bats have a lifespan of 30 years.

How are theseswallows harmful to us?

Bats take refuge in the ledge, under the roofs, under the exterior cladding or in the attic.

They leave faeces and smells in their path. Their undesirable presence attracts parasites such as ticks or flies. They leave ugly traces on the structure of the buildings. They disturb by making noise.

Bats can cause diseases such as histoplasmosis.

Histoplasmosis

is an infection caused by the absorption of products containing spores of the fungus(Histoplasma capsulatum). This fungus is found in the fur of the critter and spreads when it beats the go.

Bats can also transmit rabies, and its rabid bite could be fatal.

It is therefore strongly recommended to wear gloves before touching this mammal and then disinfect them after handling.

5 Tips to Prevent Bat Intrusion

• Block the exits through which the bat could enter your home. Use silicone and mortar. Also use mosquito nets or polypropylene bird nets. Use staples or small nails to hold everything in place.
• Possibly install lamps in your attics that flash at a frequency of 10 seconds,
• Put an ultra-sound device in areas that may be invaded to keep them away.
• Light wicks of sulfur for 3 successive days. This product has the effect of making it difficult for them to breathe.
• Burn incense sticks in every room of the house.

Capture of bats:

The solutions used by the professional exterminator

It is dangerous to handle bats. This is one of the reasons why it is better to entrust their capture to an exterminator in Montreal, Que.

Several ways to capture them:

• It will use repellents such as mothballs, lights, drafts. For the exterminator, this method consists of getting the critter out of its hiding place in order to capture it.
• He’ll install bat nest boxes. By this method, the exterminator lays bat nest boxes outside the house. The temperature in the nest boxes means that pregnant bats take shelter there while the exterminator finds another environment conducive to the birth of the young.
• It will directly capture the bat using a cylindrical device barbed with wires surrounded by a smooth metal ring.
• He will capture the animal with a cotton bag securely attached to a metal funnel.

The professional in the relocation of wild animals:

• Has an authorization from the Quebec Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks for the capture and relocation of wild animals;
• Holds a C5 licence from the Quebec Ministry of Sustainable Development; This means that it captures bats by following Canada’s Environment regulations;
• Apply a specific and precise work plan;
• Uses certified professional bat capture technicians;
• Identify the source of the invasion and measure the intensity of the attack,
• It uses the appropriate capture method.
• Intervenes with total discretion, uses vehicles not resembling exterminator vehicles.
• Has a written guarantee on the effectiveness of his bat capture.

Have you bats ever invaded your house? How did you manage to deport them? Tell us how you proceeded in the comments below.

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