Bat Removal & Exclusion in Fayetteville, GA

Bats in your Fayetteville home

Bats feed on insects over water and along tree lines, and Fayetteville has plenty of both, from Lake Horton and the creek corridors to the wooded lots out in the county. During the day they need somewhere warm and dark to roost, and an attic works. In older homes near the courthouse, they usually get in through a gable vent louver or loose flashing around the chimney. In new construction near the studios, they use the narrow gaps left where the roofline was framed. In central Georgia attics, the bats are usually big brown bats and little brown bats.

Bats don't chew or thump, so most people find them because of the droppings. Guano collects on the ground, the deck or a windowsill under where the bats go in and out. Two rules apply to every job. First, bats are protected, so they are excluded, not killed. Second, the date matters, because for part of the year the colony has pups that can't fly. A good pro checks the calendar before looking at the roof.

The dates that govern the work: April 1–July 31

From April 1 through July 31, Georgia's house bats are raising pups that can't fly yet. If the exits are sealed during that time, the adults are shut out and the pups die inside. That creates an odor problem, a health problem and a violation involving a protected species. Unless the bats are causing a real health problem, the right call during those months is usually to leave them alone until August. If it truly can't wait, Georgia DNR allows exclusion during that period when a licensed Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator does the work. An inspection can be done in any month.

Guano and histoplasmosis

A colony leaves droppings in the same places every night. Dried guano can carry the fungus that causes histoplasmosis, a lung infection you get by breathing in the spores. So don't sweep it up or vacuum it with a household vacuum. Guano that can be removed should be removed with the right protective gear. Be wary of a quote that automatically includes replacing all the insulation, because many attics only need the affected area cleaned.

Where they get into Fayetteville roofs

Bats use gaps that are already there, and they can fit through one about the width of your finger. On older homes near downtown, the common entries are the louvered gable vent, a gap behind loose fascia and the flashing around a brick chimney. On new construction near the studios, they're often in the seams where roof sections meet or a soffit panel that doesn't fit tightly. On wooded county lots, bats sometimes roost behind shutters or in a garage before moving into the attic. The inspection has to check the whole roofline, because if one gap is missed the colony just moves to it.

How the exclusion runs

Most jobs take two or three visits. The pro seals all the gaps the bats aren't using, then hangs a bat valve, a one-way tube or net, over the main exit. Bats leave at dusk to feed and can't get back in. After a few nights, the pro checks to confirm they're gone, seals the last opening with permanent material and then cleans up the guano. A small roost in a gable vent that hasn't reached the attic can sometimes be done in one day.

Don't seal it yourself

When people find where the bats are getting in, the natural reaction is to caulk the gap that afternoon. During the pup season, or before every bat has left, that traps them inside, and dead bats in the wall of a protected species is the worst outcome. Ultrasonic devices, mothballs and sprays don't move a colony, and mothballs shouldn't be used around a house anyway. Have it inspected, then do the exclusion outside April through July.