Conference 7.286::home_work

     In my old house bats lived in the wall.  They got in because the 
shingles were badly cupped.  Occasionally they would find their way 
out of the wall and into the attic, and from there into the rest of 
the house.  Replacing the shingles fixed the problem.

     I also had squirrels living in another part of the attic once.  
The guy at the hardware store said to go up into the attic during the 
day and look for light -- where the squirrels were getting in.  I 
stuffed steel wool in the holes and it lasted about a year; then I did 
it again.  This should work for bats, too.

    To find holes in a large attic space, just go up there in the bright
    daylight and see where the light is coming in.  It'll at least give you
    a start.  (Of course you don't want to plug up your screened vents.) 
    
    -joet

    Like snakes, toads, and other critters, bats are good to have 
    around...as long as they aren't in your living room.  I doubt that 
    they would bite anybody.  I've heard they can get through VERY small 
    holes, smaller than you would expect, so check carefully.  There
    is probably nothing inherently attractive about your living room,
    just that there is a hole someplace leading to it and bats happen
    to explore that hole and wind up there.
    A friend with bat experience claims a butterfly net is a good way
    to catch them.
    
    Steve

    Just this week, for the first time, a bat "appeared" suddenly in
    our livingroom and scared the daylights out of me. Before I could
    gather my thoughts, our cat took a quick swipe at it and felled
    it.  I thought it was dead or dying, as it lay still on the carpet.
    I blocked it from further cat meanderings to allow it to go peace-
    fully. The next thing I knew, ANOTHER bat was swooping through the
    living room at top speed. At the thought of TWO of them, I fully
    panicked. Eventually, I realized that it was actually the same
    bat; though a wing was injured, it could still fly. I guess that
    bats are similar to other small rodents in their ability to fake
    death until an intruder leaves.
    At any rate, I'm ashamed to say that I left the bat and cat to
    fight it out. I didn't know what else to do... I don't mind
    little mammals, ordinarily, but you won't catch me chasing 
    a bat around a low ceilinged room with a net.  They are not
    particularly harmful, and it was obviously very frightened,
    but so was I.
    When I got home, the bat was nowhere to be found. No remains
    were found, either. I hope that it escaped out whatever hole
    it used to come in.  The cat had a mean expression and was still
    sniffing corners to find her flying challange, so she hadn't
    finished it off.
    Good luck with finding the bat entrance. Perhaps you should get
    a cat...but then be prepared to feel sorry for a dying mammal
    in your livingroom.
    

    I can remember two experiences with bats entering the house when
    I was in high school.  Neither time did we find out exactly how
    they got in, but suspected that they could possibly have swooped 
    in through the back door, while one of us kids were making one of 
    our many trips to the refrigerator.  
    
    On both occassions my mother and I were the only two awake.  When
    the bat decided to visit us in the living room, my mother proceeded
    to climb the 14 stairs to an upstairs bedroom in two giant leaps,
    letting out one continuous shriek in the process.
    
    I calmly walked over to the broom closet, chose my weapon and beat
    the hell out of the damn thing.
    
    The same thing happened two years later (but I used a different
    broom). :-)
    
    Sometime later we were having a chimney installed and the mason
    said he saw what looked like bat droppings in the fascia/soffit
    area that he was cutting.  So it's possible they were getting in
    beneath a cup in the shingles.
    
    					Steve
    

    Gosh, there's no need to kill the poor critter just 'cause it
    wandered into your living room!  I should think you could catch
    it fairly easily with a blanket or large towel, and then
    deport it.  Don't handle it (the bat) with your bare hands, as bats
    are reputed to be frequent carriers of rabies (at least in the
    Western Hemisphere).   
    
    Of course, if you're plain terrified of them, then you probably
    can't bring yourself to catch them.   If your patient, you
    could shoo it into a room you won't need for the night, open
    the windows, and close the door.  The bat should leave by morning
    to return to its usual roost (That's what we did ... didn't have
    to wait 'till morning though).
    
    
    Personally, I was highly amused when a Large Brown Bat flew around
    our living room when we were watching TV.   Good fliers -- they
    do much better indoors than birds do.
    
    
    		George

    I had a colony in my house when I moved in about a year ago. Considered
    to be a small colony to all the professionals I asked (counted 38
    coming out one night). Heard scratching in the wall and thought
    it was mice, didn't think any more of it until I saw two of them
    in the attic one night. I couldn't find one exterminator in MA that
    would try to get them out. It requires special permits from the
    state in order to kill them because of the tremendous insect control
    function that they provide.
    
    The recommendations I got were to watch outside around dusk to see
    where they enter, then wait till they leave after the cold weather
    comes and close up the openings. Ours were coming in between the
    fascia boards and the siding through a slit about 5/8" wide! They
    also recommended a cone made of screen with the large end over the
    opening and  the small end left with an opening. The idea is that
    the bats can get out easily but seem to have a hard time finding
    a way back in.
    
    I have also heard that they dislike the smell of naptha (moth flakes)
    and it seemed to work in my case. I could get to corner of the attic
    where they were coming in so I got my shop vacuum, fill the hose
    with naptha flakes, put it on exhaust and pumped the flakes down
    every crack that I could reach. They haven't come back yet.

    They are harmless if you leave them alone, but my wife wasn't convinced.
    She was all set to pack up, sell the house and move.

    Nick

    I would like to thank everyone who replied to my request for aid,
    your comments and suggestions have been very helpful. 
    Well it sounds like moth flakes are the way to a bat free future.
    Again thanks to ALL !
    
    Dick
    

    RE: Why bats would enter a living space (a little late but....)
    
    Having had a friend in NJ (where I grew up) who had several HUNDRED
    bats in his attic (of his house that is---not him) I have had a
    little experience with bats.
    
    First off, bats (in this part of the country) are harmless.  They won't
    attack people - they eat insects, not blood or womens hair. Since almost
    all are blind they use a form of sonar to navigate - to them you are
    nothing more than a large obstacle to AVOID flying into.  Having been
    in the attic with the bats many, many times I was afraid of the wasps
    attacking me not the bats, although I will admit that I had been
    startled more that once when one would "come out of nowhere" and swoop
    past my head. 
    
    Bats follow wind currents and do the same in the house (at least that
    was the case mentioned above) and since most are about the size of a
    mouse with wings, they can get through very small holes. 
    
    Did you know that a bat cannot initiate flight from the ground? To fly,
    a bat must climb up something and jump off. If you get (or find) one on
    the floor you can put a jar or can over it, put a piece of cardboard
    under the jar/can and escort it out of the house. It should be done
    carefully as mentioned before, it is reported that 'our' bats carry
    rabies - whether true or not it's not worth taking the chance. 
    
    When a bat would get in my friends house from the attic, he would wait
    until it lighted on a drape or the floor, then gently catch it with his
    fireplace tongs and put it out side. 
    
    This friend was very fond of his bats as they were very good at keeping
    the grounds surrounding his house, bug free (as anyone who has been in 
    South Jersey in the summer knows, the mosquitoes will carry one away). 
                                        
    I like bats.  I think they are neat little critters.  At the National
    Zoo in Washington, DC they have a glass enclosure with several species
    of bat in it.  From very small ones (like we have around here) to very
    large ones that are fruit eaters. 
    
    If people consider me "batty", now you know why.
    
    -Bob
          

    Yes, bats do carry rabies.  Dying bats are erratic and tend to
    run into things.  One ran into my car once.  I wasn't going very
    fast and it should have had no trouble avoiding me.  I don't think
    I'd encourage them to live in my attic.  What did your friend do
    with all the bat guano?
    

    I remember reading about another supposedly good way to stop bats
    from entering your house once they've left (Organic Gardening I
    believe). The method entailed covering over the holes the bats were
    using for entrance with pieces of plastic netting, the type use
    to keep the birds off of fruit trees (aprox. 1 inch squares). It
    seems (as in like the method mentioned in .7) that the bats can
    slide thru the small net holes to get out but not back in. Worth
    a try if you've exhausted other methods. 
    
    						/Glenn
    

      Just a note of interest on bats.
        I walked into my attached garage one night just about dusk,
    just in time to see a bat fly by. I watched it and it went out a
    space between the fascia and the siding. I knew there wasn't a big
    space there, so I went out and looked. Well, it was about 3/8 of
    an inch wide gap between the fascia board and the siding. I would
    not have believed it if I didn't actually see it with my own eyes.
    I could actually see the bat working it's way through the space.
    (took it about 2 sec.) 
       The moral of the story is -- they can fit through some really
    tight places if they have a mind to!
    					Kenny

>    I like bats.  I think they are neat little critters.  At the National
>    Zoo in Washington, DC they have a glass enclosure with several species
>    of bat in it.  From very small ones (like we have around here) to very
>    large ones that are fruit eaters. 

    At the zoo, the cage is in a darken room, my wife and I went in
    and after a minute or two I ran my hand through her hair. Talk about
    screaming :-)
    
    Ed

    I am so happy I found this file!!!! 
    
    My fiance has a house in Upstate New York and the attic is literally
    INFESTED with bats.
    
    We tried everything to remove them.  We asked the people in the
    town, we tried smoking them out, we put screening on the areas 
    that you could actually see HUNDREDS coming out of.
    
    We also bought one of those ultra-sonic noise machines that bats
    don't like.  Who knew you had to change the pitch every now and
    then?  Guess you could call us a bunch of city-slickers.
    
    Suffice it to say, none of these things worked.
    
    We also went to the library to find out more about them,
    but nothing was ever written about how to get rid of them.
    
    I'm going to suggest to him to try the moth flakes method and see
    how that works.  But the question arises again, what do you do with
    the feces?  Also, where do they go when they hibernate for the winter?
    I would love it for them to come to their summmer retreat and find
    out it's out of commission!
    
    The only reason why we want to remove them is that we rent the house
    out during the winter and summer seasons and people are very hesitant
    to rent a house that has bats!
    
    Thanks for all the help,
    
    Colleen 
    

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    RE .14
    
    	They probably hibernate right where they are!
    
    	Good luck.  Maybe you can sell the whole lot to some
    	halloween witch.  (Sale ends today!)
    
    
    	Joe Oppelt

    I was told by local (MA) exterminators that the bats will leave
    in the fall for warmer parts. You can then close up the openings
    that they have been using so they can't get in next year.
    
    Nick

    We had a summer home in upstate New York and if a bat showed up
    my grandfather or I would stand in the hallway with a "bat paddle"
    ( a stick with a 10" flat at the end) while everyone else retreated
    to their room to flush out the bat with pillows etc. yelling as
    they did so anything from "here he comes" to "YIEEEEE!" whereupon
    grandpa and I would swing the paddle at the bat!  We always got'm
    in 5 to 10 minutes.
    
    	Rick
    	Merrill
    

    	We were sitting and watching TV when we heard a scratching sound,
    and then our jumped and started looking at our wood stove.(it's
    a fireplace insert) I opened it up, and got the S!*$ scared out
    of me. I closed the door, got a match, and some newspaper, and quickly
    threw in the newspaper, and then lit match. When the fire started,
    We heard the bat banging on the walls of the stove, from side to
    side, and then it stopped. It went back the way it came in!
    
    	Now I have a wire mesh screen over the chimney opening. Haven't
    had a problem with bats since. BTW it should also keep most other
    critters out too.

    It's been a while since anyone replied on this topic, but since
    I only just found it I figured I might add my two cents worth for
    any future readers.
    
    I had a colony (about 250) living in the eaves of my old Victorian
    and occasionally one or two would find their way into the living
    quarters. Since they are not favorites of mine I really wanted to
    get rid of them badly.
    
    I talked with a biologist at Harvard who told me everything I never
    wanted to know about bats, including the facts that they can squeeze
    through 1/8" cracks (unbelievable isn't it) and that about 10-20%
    do carry rabies (not my idea of the way I want to go out). Because
    of the rabies I am loathe to have to chase them down when they invade,
    although I have to admit they are easy to knock out of the air.
    
    What I did find out that may be of use to others is that there is
    an exterminator in MASS that is licensed to kill them (the only
    ones). The name is TERMINIX. What they use is a chemical called
    Rosall (sp?). This stuff is pumped into the areas where the bats
    are living and billows into a cloud which covers everything. The
    Rosall has two effects. First it is supposedly an irritant that
    drives the bats crazy (kind of like fiberglass dust on your skin)
    so that they don't want to live where they are anymore. Secondly
    it breaks down their circulatory systems so that they eventually
    bleed internally to death. This takes about ten days however.
    
    Terminix is not cheap, and they'll try and get you to sign an annual
    contract for pest control, but if you're really inundated like I
    was, then the cost is a minor consideration. If all else fails,
    (and ultra-sonic devices will fail) give Terminix a call.

  Last night I found a bat in my apartment. This is the first time I have seen
a bat in a house and I was scared. As far as I know there is no 'colony' of
bats here, and that leads to a question. Could the bat have been attracted to
my living space because the outside and adjoining house spaces were hot (it
only got down to 80 last night) and the inside was cool? 

    RE: .20  
    I had just finished reading an article in the July/August "Animals" a 
    publication of the MSPCA about unwanted pests, i.e. bats, raccoons,
    mice, etc. when I read the response in .20.   .20 mentions a few
    things that to me are a strong contradiction to what is stated in the 
    "Animals" article.  
    
    1.  .20 mentions that according to a biologist at Harvard about 10-20% 
        of bats carry rabies.  In the "Animals" article the author says.."based
        on random sampling, (I know this is vague but really is as vague
        as the biologist from Harvard) less than 1% of North American
        bats have been shown to be rabid."
    
    2.  .20 says the chemical Rosall..this is really Rozol..is used by the 
        company THERMINIX to kill the bats.  The "Animals" article quotes
        a wildlife biologist, Karl J. Lutz and says "When this
        anticoagulentpowder is dusted in dwellings to be ingested
        by bats during their preening, it can also penetrate directly
        through human skin, leading to internal bleeding and birth defects.
        Lutz, says he knows too well the effects of pesticides designed to 
        offer immediate relief, and says that the first chemical compound
        he'd ban is Rozol, a rodenticide used to kill bats.
                    
    This biologist Lutz readily admits it is difficult to find a bat
    remover and states most pest control companies will use chemicals.  He said
    it is difficult to find an animal-removal expert to come to remove the 
    bats or other pests humanely but suggests trying a local government
    heath officer, local SPCA shelter, your state's wildlife or game bureau.
              
    I don't know who's correct here but where the Rozol is concerned
    it raises enough question for me that I would get some impartial "facts"
    I considered using it.

    I seem to remember a story about 4 or 5 years back about a case
    of bats in a house in Carriage Hill in Nashua.  Seems mom went in
    to check on the baby and there was a bat sitting on the side of
    the crib.  Creepshow .0
    
    Well after calming down, they found they had a nest, (if that's
    what you call it), of em up in the attic.  They wound up having
    to move out of the house due to some nitwit saying they could not
    kill them or move them due to some endangered species crap.  I believe
    they finally were able to get back in the house.  Unfortuanately
    I don't remember too many of the details.  Point being: What you
    can run into when you think you have a fairly straight forward problem.

    mouth balls work well.

    >    mouth balls work well.


    But how do they taste?

    
    
    	Can anyone tell me anything they know about "bat-houses" (not 
    	where Batman lives - that's a bat-CAVE).  This is suppose to be
    	like a birdhouse for bats.  The purpose I guess is to have bats around 
    	for bug control in your yard.  I've heard they eat tons of
    	mosquito's and really can keep your yard bug controlled if not
    	free. Any idea where you can get them, cost, how successful they are?
    	Apparently they're used in England quite a bit.  
    
    	I didn't see anywhere that this subject was discussed before
    	so I'll start a new note for it.  Mr. Moderator feel free to
    	move it where you feel it's appropriate.
    
    	Thanks!!
    
    	Steve
    

    If I am not mistaken, I could swear that I saw an advertisement for
    the bat houses in a Yankee magazine last summer. Pick up the latest
    issue, maybe the add is still running!
    
    marc

  The notesfile UPNRTH::WILD_BIRDS has a discussion of bats and bat houses
  (with some rudimentary plans for houses) in topic 186.10-186.13.

  JP

The state of Florida built a $500,000 bat house in the Everglades, but they
haven't been able to attract any bats to it in two years despite the best 
efforts of naturalists and bureaucrats.  I have a bat house from Bat 
Conservation International (not yet installed) and the literature states that
some people have tried putting ammonia on the houses to attract bats, but 
that there are no guarantees.

    
    National Geographic had a page in one of their magazines in the not-to
    distant past about "bat boxes."  There was an address where to write
    for plans and such.  I think it was within the last two years or so. 
    You might try giveing them a call, or looking in the periodic guid to
    literature in the library.
    
    Ed King

I have a bat house, it usually takes between 1-2 years before any bats are
attracted.  I know I have bats, but not yet in my bat house.  Its just a matter
of time if you put it in the right place, and do have bats around.  Like Tom, I
too have gotten mine from Bat Conservation International, they are out of
Texas,  I could probably get the address for you if you wish.

I have not heard of anything special that attracts them except having the house
so that it gets morning and afternoon sun as well as being near a source of
water where they can drink from.  I have never heard of the ammonia thing.


Chris

    I, too, am gonna build bat houses...they eat about six times the
    mosquitos that purple martins eat.  I have a set of plans that I can
    copy and send you... just mail me.
    
    tony
    
    i've heard it take a couple of years for the bats to settle in.
    
    

    For those with more money than time (or skill) to build a bat house,
    the Middlesex County (Mass,) Conservation District has bat houses
    that can be ordered for $25.00.  'Made from rough hewn pine
    approximately 16" x 9"' says the flyer.  (They also have an open
    "rest" for robins to nest in, for $12.75 and an enclosed box for tree
    swallows for $15.50.)
    
    I wouldn't call any of them cheap;  but for someone who lacks the time,
    or the tools...
    
    Dick

    I have a 4' X 24' round above ground pool and notices that my filter
    flow was slow. I pulled out the pre-filter and found a dead Bat
    in it. It was a small one about 5" long, now my question is how did
    this guy die? I do have a wire antenna above the pool up 25' and
    do use it to transmit ( Ham Radio )... did the bat hit the wire
    and fall into the pool? Did my RF cause him to fall in the pool? The
    next day I watched and could see bats flying over the pool and could
    see one "skip" over the pool touching the water a few times. I feel
    a little bad about it and would like to know the cause.
                     

    More than likely the bats are attracted to insects which are attracted
    to your "pond".  Remove the water source which attracts insects and the
    bats will go elsewhere.  

    Exactly....Sat nite we were still out on the local pond fishing after dusk
    and found ourselves being "strafed" by a flock(?) of bats going after
    mosquitoes.It kept the little  devils off of us and was neat to watch
    (obviously I don't fret about "bat attacks";I worry more about my risks 
    driving to work !)
    
    Lynn
    
    

The bat could have died by flying into your wire.
The instructions with our bat house specifically said not
to locate the house near electrical wires.

-Amy

    Thanks for the info and I agree the bat hit the wire (#14 wire) and
    fell into the pool. Best end this as its not the place for bats.
    
    Thanks again,
    Lee

    re: .11: 	The instructions with our bat house specifically said not
		to locate the house near electrical wires.

      My guess is that this was really to protect the bat house installer
    rather than the bats.
    
    __Rich
    

RE: -.1
    >>>My guess is that this was really to protect the bat house installer
    >>>rather than the bats.

    No, it was for the bats.  The rest of the sentence said something about
    "to leave a clear entry and exit for the bats (and some specified distance).

-Amy

    I thought if a bat had as sophisticated a navigational system to
    find insects, it could avoid wires, which would be bigger? The bats fly
    around my house and trees ( I have two hamradio antennas) with no
    injuries??
    
    Lynn
    
    

    If you are really interested in all sorts of bio-echolocation trivia,
    see this month's Scientific American for an interesting article.
    
    (Example: some bat's can remotely identify their prey by noting how the
     the wing beat of the their prey affects the reflected sound).
    

     Hi,

     Does anybody have any plans for a bat house?  I checked the
     reference in the WILD_BIRDS notes file but there were just
     a couple of sketches and alot of references to books and
     magazines that had plans.  The notes were at least a year
     old so I'm looking for some more recent pointers.
  
     If anybody has a magazine or book with a bat house plan, could
     you please send me a photocopy of the relevant pages?

     Thanks,

     Karen Healey
     MRO1-3/C8

    try dialing:
    
    	Bat Conservation International (512) 327-9721 they may be able to
    help. (Austin Texas)
    
    	Please let us know what you find out.

It is interesting that you should ask.  I saw bat houses at Spag's last week.
Look very easy to make.  I plan to check my local library (where the plans
for the bird feeders can from).

Elaine

    From Organic Gardening Nov 91 p.68-69 : roughly paraphrased : 
    
     Materials list   ( all are from 3/4" width stock)
    
                      1    11 1/8" X 16"      (partition) 
                      1    11 1/8" X 16"      (back)
                      1    11 1/8" X 12 3/4"  (front)
                      2    3/4"    X 3/4"     (filler)
                      2    5 1/4   X 14 1/8"  (sides)
                      1    5 1/2   X 14 1/8"  (roof)
                      6    3d finish nails ( filler)
                     30    6d finish nails
    
     Directions :
     
       1  cut partition and back
       2  cut the front
       3  cut filler blocks
       4  nail fillers to lower inside edge of back and front
       5  score or otherwise roughen inside surfaces of front, back and
          partition (not necessary if using unplaned, or rough cut stock)
       6  cut the sides with a 15 degree slope on top ends.
       7  nail the sides to the front, back and partition
       8 cut the roof, bevel edges to 15 degrees
       9 nail the roof
      10 drill approriate mounting holes
    
     locate within 1000' of water 10-15' above ground in an unobstructed 
     spot.
    
    
      side view :               /      <-- roof
                        /         |
                 /                |
                 |        |       |
                 |        |       |
                 |        |       |
          12 3/4"|        |       |      16"
                 |        |       |
                 |        |       |
                 |        |       |
                 |        |       | 
                 |        |       |
                 |        |       |
              -->|\       |      /| <- filler
                          |
    
                |------------------|
    
                        5 3/4"
    
         

    
    
    My wife is on the Litchfield, NH Conservation Committee.  They recently
    had a weekend affair where they made and sold bat boxes and duck
    blinds.  We plan on getting a few of the bat boxes (conservation land
    in the back of our house .. plenty of mosquitoes for them to chew on).
    I'll see if she can get any plans/prices and post it here.
    
    Rick

Thanks for all the help!

I printed out the directions in .20 and will also check out Spags.
Another noter also send mail saying she had a couple of plans that
she would find for me.

Karen

Another example of how great this notefiles is.  5 years later it
still applies!  (but I bet Terminix doesn't use Rozal (sp?) anymore!)

Well, after reading all this info, I'm still a little confused 
about blocking up holes.  After a bat made it's way in the
house this week, I have this huge urge to locate and
plug up every single space in the attiC NOW.  There was a 
reference in here tho about doing that in the fall after THEY
leave.  I'm optimisticaly hoping that THEY are not living in
my attic and there's no "leaving" necessary; that it was a fluke
thing for one bat to find it's way in somehow.  Am I being
naive?

I hired a handyman to come inspect and block/screen whatever
he can find. I guess this is a daytime job.  What if a
bat gets blocked in?  If there are bats in the attic in the
daytime, what will they be doing and where might they be?

I'm still shocked that one got in.  It's a fairly new house
and seemed (up til now) to be built well and tight.  Even if
one got in the attic, I can't figure out how it got in the
house.  The bathroom fan is the only thing I can think of.
I don't think it's vented to outside (yeah, yeah, thats on my 
list of things to get fixed).  Is it typically screened?

I too was told to look around at dusk to see if they are
hanging around the eaves or peak, but they weren't .  The
first night I went out on bat patrol, I didn't see any.
But tonite I saw several way up high - not close to my roof.

But I guess close enough because I'm having a hard time settling 
down to sleep.  Look what time it is.   I think I'll go read 
the feline notes file.  That should take several hours
til it's time to get up...


Would keeping lights on help?  If they are nighttime creatures,
maybe lights would be a deterrent....

	    Would it help if I told you that you don't have anything to
	be afraid of?  Bats have a bad reputation that makes them out to
	be much worse than they really are.  They're actually docile and
	helpful creatures that have much better things to do than to go
	around flying into peoples hair.

					Tim

>>                          -< They just look mean... >-


  Re -.1

  Actually you have to be fairly cautious these days.  The rabies problem here
in New England is not restricted to raccoons.  I have read about several people 
being bitten by rabid bats!

    
    	Look out the Boogie Man might get you.
    
    

>  Actually you have to be fairly cautious these days.  The rabies problem here
>in New England is not restricted to raccoons.  I have read about several people 
>being bitten by rabid bats!

	    Were these people bitten in New England?  I haven't read of
	any rabid bat bites around here.  Either way, the incidence of 
	rabies in bats is fairly low... much lower than the zooidemic (?)
	in the racoon population.  Bats with rabies are supposed to be
	of the type that tend to just fly off and quietly die somewhere.

						Tim

>>	    Were these people bitten in New England?  I haven't read of
>>	any rabid bat bites around here.  Either way, the incidence of 

About 1 year ago there was a case in NH of a person being bitten by a rabid
bad.  I was informed of this right after I started telling someone (who got the
local paper) about my dealings with a bat that got into my (at that time
unfinished) second floor.  Her reply was "didn't you hear about the woman who
got bit by a rabit bat in xxxxx (some NH town) a few weeks ago".  I sad of
course not, otherwise I would not have tried to smack the sucker with a broom!

bjm

    > zooidemic (???)
    
    Epizooic.
    
    Edd

    There was a case just this year of a woman bitten by a bat.  The
    circumstances where not typical though.  She was out in her garden 
    weeding and stuck her hand under some brush and hit the bat who was
    hiding there.  It then bit her.  I was concerned, since I like bats and
    have been encouraging them around my house.  I live near some wetlands,
    and we have more than our share of mosquitos!
    
    Ken
    

There was a story on the news about a month ago of a little girl playing in her
yard that picked the bat up and it bit her.  I think it was on the Boston news,
and took place in the Boston area.  The bat was tested and found to be rabid.
The main gist of the story was if you see a bat, fox or raccoon out during the
day, it is usually sick and probably rabid.  What I got from the story is that
you can't assume that bats are not rabid, at least this year.

Elaine

    
     Like an earlier reply said, bats tend to go off and die somewhere,
    where raccoons tend to start roaming around. All the cases I've heard
    about bats biting, usually involve someone touching it (reaching into
    a bush, picking it up, etc)
    
     From what's been reported in the news, the rabies spreads mostly
    through animals which are territorial and fight a lot, thus the disease
    keeps getting passed along. Racoons fighting each other, dogs and cats
    who hunt them, etc are most likely to catch rabies. I haven't heard of
    bats being aggressive that way (except with bugs) and I believe they
    don't usually fight among themselves, as they seem to live in colonies. 
    
     I wouldn't panic if I saw a bat(s), or evidence of their presence close
    by. On the other hand I wouldn't touch them either. Odds are probably
    far greater of encountering a rabid raccoon, squirel, dog, or cat, than
    bat.
    
     
     Bob

	    I think `zooidemic' sounds better than `epizooic'... even if it
	isn't (politically) correct.  8^)  But thanks for the correction. 
	I didn't think it looked right.
	    Then there was this bat guy in some cave down in New Mexico.
	He would reach up and grab a bat bare handed and not get bitten.
	I think he hangs around caves a little too much!  ;^)
	    The one time I picked up a live bat, I was wearing leather work
	gloves.  It had teeth and it was trying to use them (not that I can
	blame him).  Don't know if it was rabid; it was a very chilly 
	morning and bats are not cold weather creatures. Then again, neither 
	are the bugs that they eat.
					Tim

    	Within the past year, a woman in Manchester, N.H. was awakened by a
    pain in her stomach to discover a rabid bat still attached and biting
    her stomach. Nice way to wake up.
    	A couple of weeks ago, my wife sent me into the basement for
    something (I forget now). I flipped on the light and was going about my
    business when a bat swooped by my head. It was late. I was tired. But,
    man, I hit the floor and sprinted up the cellar stairs 3 at a time!
    When I got my heart rate back down to around 200 bpm, I went down for
    another look. Sure enough, it was flying circles around the light.
    	I figured it couldn't get upstairs...directly...and I didn't feel
    like dealing with it right then. So, much to my wife's displeasure, I
    put off doing anything until the next morning. I searched every inch of
    the basement the next day and couldn't find a trace.
    	So I've been trying to figure out how this thing got in and out of
    the basement. Since I'm pretty sure I have bats in the attic, one
    possibility is via the walls between basement and attic. But I've also
    been wondering if bats might crawl under the clapboards on the external
    house siding. I've noticed some rot and enough space here for bats to
    crawl through. However, it's pretty near the ground and I wouldn't
    expect bats to be spending much time there. Am I wrong? Is this a
    possible entrance point?

    Must be the time of year for this since I think I to have bats in the
    attic!
    
    My daughter has been complaining that she hears somone running around 
    in the ceiling in her bedroom at night.  I stayed with her for 10
    minutes one night and heard nothing.  Figured it was a 7 year old's
    imagination.  While staining a dormer on the house this past week, I
    saw what looked like "droppings" from a rodent of some sort on the roof
    next to the dormer and thought that this must be what she's talking
    about.  I don't think a mouse would leave a house to deposit something
    on the roof ?!?!?
    I didn't tell the wife or kids what I found so as not to panic anyone
    since I really don't feel like going up into the attic to find out
    myself!  This past Winter/early Spring I was up there and was looking 
    around for any openings just for shucks and didn't come across any.
    Didn't expect to since the house is 4 years young.  But, I guess that 
    in the dormer section it looks possible that something could get in
    and make a home under the insulation that's on the floor of the atic.
    
    Am I reading things right here that in the winter the problem will go
    away?  Which is the time to then pull up insulation around the dormer 
    and plug up any holes?  Or will these creatures just hibernate and stay
    out of the weather inside my house?
    
    Need suggestions to deal with this.
    	-TB

re .40  Sounds more like squirrels than bats to me.  I don't think
one would hear bats "running around".  
But I could be wrong.

PeterT

    It can be bats alright.   To catch them use a sheet and throw it up 
    in front of them.   To keep them out, get some pine pitch(available
    at the local hardware store) and smear anywhere you think they may be 
    betting in.  They don't like anythink that sticks to them and will not
    pass by an opening that has the pitch in it.
    
    
    Dale
    

    Had a bat in my house a few years ago. I killed it, fittingly enough,
    with a bat of the baseball variety.

    
    
     yesterday's Boston Globe had a good article about bats. Some basic
    points that were made.
    
    - Almost every neighborhood has them
    - They are harmless to humans, less than 1/10 of 1% are rabid
    - they do not attack humans, even if rabid
    - the babies that were born during June & July are just starting to
      learn how to fly now
    
    - If you get one in your house, open the window and shut off the lights
      in the room, it will fly outside
    - If you want to view bats, the best time is just before dusk, when
      they come out of their 'homes' for the night.
    
    
      anyone with a fear or dislike of bats should read the article, it may
    change your mind.