Bat Removal Has a Narrow Window…Don’t Delay!
By Chris Williams on March 25, 2014.
Question
Hi! I live in Worcester, MA and we seem to have bats nesting in our attic. I think I read somewhere that you can only get rid of bats during certain times of the year. Is that true for Massachusetts? Does your company provide bat removal services?
Answer
You’re right, bat control is restricted. Most states in the U.S. have designated specific times when pest control companies or wildlife removal pros are allowed to legally remove bats from buildings. The reason for these restrictions is that bats are beneficial, protected animals and, therefore, we don’t want to interfere with their nests or their young. Bat removal usually involves a one-way valve that lets bats out of the opening but permanently blocks the bats from getting back into the attic or other void where they are roosting. If there are young in the nest and the female can’t get back in to nurse them, they will die, and then you will have odor problems.
In Massachusetts, bat removal is regulated by the state’s Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and must be done either before or after the late spring to summer nesting time. In Massachusetts, bat removal is restricted to early spring, during the month of May, or late summer, from the first of August into November. In other words, if you miss the spring bat removal window, you will have to live with bats until August when it is again legal to remove them. By August, any young bats are able to fly and gather food on their own and blocking them from re-entry into the attic won’t do any harm.
You Need Exclusion Services, Too
Colonial Pest Control does provide humane bat removal services in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and we have been doing so since 1984. In fact, we have six experienced Wildlife Removal Experts on staff. Our services don’t stop with bat removal either. We also specialize in bat exclusion. That means our experts will inspect and permanently seal or block any openings that bats are using to get into your home. We are so confident that we can seal bats out that we even offer a 7-year warranty on our bat exclusion work.
Give Colonial a call ASAP for a FREE bat removal estimate. There’s no time to waste!
Photo credit: Robert Benner Sr. / Foter / CC BY