Is It Safe To Live In A House With Bats In The Attic?

Because humans and bats are living in such close proximity, for the first time in history, bats are finding that people’s attics are ideal living environments. They offer shelter and access to food and water. However, this is not ideal. Below are some reasons why it is not safe to have bats in your Monmouth County attic:

1. Rabies: Perhaps the most well-known disease that bats carry, rabies is a highly dangerous, potentially fatal disease if not treated immediately. Bats are the second-largest rabies exposure that poses a threat to humans. Having bats in your attic puts you and your family in danger. You can contract rabies by being exposed to bat fur, blood, urine, and droppings.
2. SARS: Severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, is also a disease that bats can give to humans. This disease is a highly contagious, and sometimes fatal, respiratory disease that is caused by a coronavirus, which bats carry and pass onto humans.
3. Bacterial growth: As bat droppings accumulate in your attic over time, airborne pathogens get released when these droppings turn into a powdery guano and break down. These pathogens can make you severely ill, and can even negatively affect the insulation and structural frame of your attic.

Does Home Insurance Typically Cover Bat Damage?

This highly depends on your insurance carrier and your specific policy. Home insurance may cover bat-caused damage that is sudden and accidental. To find out if your home insurance covers this, reach out and ask for the details. However, generally speaking, home insurance will not pay for homeowners to have a bat or bats removed from a home, and they will not cover damage caused by bats that happened over a gradual period of time. This could mean that because you did not maintain your roof, there was a hole, and bats gained entry to your home that way. 

How To Deter Bats In Monmouth County

There are several things you can do as a homeowner in Monmouth County to keep bats from setting up shop in your attic. Below are some tips and tricks:

• Seal up any holes: Go around your house and caulk up any holes you find. Bats are small creatures capable of squeezing through even the tiniest of holes, so no matter how small the entry point you see, fill it up.
• Make sure window screens fit properly: Because bats are capable of getting through tiny holes, make sure that all your window screens fit properly, and that there are no holes in them.
• Maintain your roof: While it can be difficult to regularly get on your roof to inspect it, it is important that you maintain your roofing. Not only is this important to your Monmouth County home overall, but bats have a habit of gaining access to attics through loose tiles and holes in a roof because the owners have not kept up roof maintenance.

Safe & Effective Bat Removal In Monmouth County

Bats are extremely common here in Monmouth County, and it is more of a “when” than an “if” bats will gain access to your home. Here at Alliance Pest Services, we understand how important it is for you to keep yourself and your family healthy and safe. Our expert technicians are armed with the skills and tools required to safely and effectively remove bats from your Monmouth County home. Alliance Pest Services has a tried and true method that includes an inspection of your home, where our technicians pinpoint access points. Then, we will treat the area, remove any existing bats, and work with you to implement strategies to keep bats from returning to your home. Lastly, we will sanitize the area to ensure the dangerous diseases bats can spread do not get contracted by anyone. There’s a lot of work that goes into owning a home. Let us take care of the pests. Call us today!