Bat Removal and Exclusion in Atlanta and North Central Georgia

Bats of Georgia

Bat removal is one of our most-needed summer services. The hotter the Georgia sun gets, the more calls we get for bat control and bat-proofing in Atlanta and throughout the state. This year the bat control calls started early, probably because of the unusual weather we had during the spring. We're doing bat removal and sealing bats out of houses almost every day.

A lot of folks don't really understand bats. There's a lot of misinformation about bats out there, and lots of people are needlessly afraid of them. So let's take look at these fascinating creatures and dispell some misconception:

Bats are Not Rodents

They're not birds, either. Bats are mammals who belong to the order Chiroptera, which means "winged hand." A bat's front limbs have membranes that form true aerodynamic wings and enable them to take off from a resting position, ascend, and fly. These wings make bats the only true flying mammals. (Flying squirrels can't take off and ascend. They can just glide.)

Georgia's Bats are Beneficial Animals

There are at least 16 species of bats in Georgia, of which the Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus) and the Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus) are the species most commonly encountered as nuisance wildlife. Georgia bats play an important role in the ecosystem by consuming countless insects, including mosquitoes, during their nightly flights.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a single bat can eat between 600 and 1000 insects every hour. Multiply that by the number of bats flying around Georgia every night, and then think about how many mosquito bites the bats are preventing. Kinda makes you appreciate bats a little bit, doesn't it?

In fact, bats' insatiable hunger for insects is one reason why bats are protected under both federal and Georgia law. Bats feed on insects that are pests of man and which often carry diseases, making bats important allies in fighting vector-borne diseases.

When is Bat Control Needed?

It's only when bats get into attics, structural voids, church steeples, bell towers, and other areas of buildings that bat removal is allowed. When bats get into buildings used by humans or domestic animals, they can cause serious health hazards:

• Bat droppings ("guano") may contain pathogens and serve as a breeding medium for insects and fungi, some of which can cause disease.
• Bats carry parasites like fleas and ticks, many of which are disease vectors.
• Bats have a fairly high incidence of rabies.

In densely populated cities like Atlanta, Athens, Macon, Columbus, Roswell, Peachtree City, and Sandy Springs, bat control is especially important from a public health point of view.

Bat Control in Atlanta and North-Central Georgia

In Georgia, bat control must be done without harming the bats. The goal is humane bat removal and relocation, not "bat extermination." At Rid-A-Critter, we have always practiced humane, non-toxic, environmentally-friendly bat relocation. We're not "bat exterminators." We're bat conservation professionals. We get the bats out of your house and seal bats out, but we don't kill bats.We remove bats from your property alive so they can find a more suitable place to live.

This can be a real challenge in Georgia, where the architecture ranges from 18th century churches (bats just love those steeples and bell towers) to modern, commercial office buildings and skyscrapers. Every building style in Georgia presents unique bat control challenges. This is especially true of our historic homes, churches, and other fine, old buildings, which have a lot of nooks and crannies that are especially attractive to bats.

But no worries: We're Georgia's bat removal experts. We lead the state in safe, non-lethal bat control and bat control and relocation. We've performed thousands of bat control jobs, and we have the training and equipment to handle any bat problem, no matter how big or how small.

Finally, we're nice enough to clean up after the bats, seeing as how we evicted them without notice. We remove hazardous guano (droppings) and other bat by-products, and provide replacement of contaminated insulation, if needed.

Bat Control is a Job for Professionals

Bat control is difficult and sometimes hazardous work. It requires extensive training, specialized equipment, and strict observance of safety and health precautions. But rest assured that we can handle any bat control job, in any building, no matter how difficult.

No other Georgia bat control company can match our crew, our training, our experience, our equipment, and frankly, our guts. We take on even those difficult, big bat control jobs that other Georgia bat control companies won't touch.

Our comprehensive bat control program consists of bat removal, bat exclusion ("bat-proofing"), and sometimes installing "bat houses" to provide alternative places for bats to live. We also acquire any necessary bat control permits to make sure that the job is done in full compliance with Georgia DNR requirements.

Bat Control Gallery

Here are a few pictures of some of the many bat control and bat-proofing jobs we've worked on throughout Northern and Central Georgia.

With offices throughout North-Central Georgia, Rid-A-Critter has the tools and personnel to handle any bat removal job, no matter how big or how small. Please call us today for an onsite inspection by an experienced bat control expert.