Are there bats in your home?
Having bats in your home isn’t a cause for alarm, but if you’re concerned read on!
If you have bats roosting in your house or outbuildings, you’ll usually only see them when they emerge at dusk.
Unlike rodents, bats are largely harmless to property unless in very large numbers. They don’t build nests and they won’t gnaw through cables, wood, wires, or insulation like mice or rats.
Bats in Scotland
Scotland is home to a variety of bat species, all of which weigh just a few grams.
Their diminutive size and ability to find a cosy crevice mean their roosts are not always visible, even from within attic spaces and roof voids.
Bats will climb through very small gaps and are often found roosting in:
Lofts and attic spaces
Cellars
Under lead flashing
Window sills
Between roof tiles
Above soffits
Between fascias
In cavity walls
Under gables
In eaves
Top 3 Signs there are Bats in your Property
It’s often difficult to identify bats in your home or where they are roosting, and you may not see any signs of bats at all even if you have several bats roosting on your property! In summer, you may see bats leaving roosts and feeding in your garden. Bats feeding in and around your home may have travelled significant distances, so seeing bats flying isn’t confirmation that you have bats roosting.
Some sure signs you have a bat roost include:
#1 Bat Droppings
One sure way to detect bats is through their droppings. Bat droppings look similar to mouse droppings, but they crumble under pressure (rodent droppings dry hard). You may see them building up on windows, walls, sills, around gable ends, around chimneys, and under the ridge of a roof void if a colony is roosting there.
#2 Bat Chattering
While we rarely hear bats communicating or echolocating (this happens outside our hearing range), you may hear a high pitched squeaking and scratching sound. This ‘chattering’ is most often heard before they fly out to feed, and can be particularly noticeable during summer when babies call out to their mothers as they return at dawn.
#3 Spotting Emerging Bats
You can carry out your very own emergence survey to identify bats in your property. Watch your house or building at dusk in the summer months and look for bats leaving their roost to forage. Bats may also be visible on the ridge beams inside a roof void where they will rest before flying off.
Do you need a professional bat survey?
For every easy-to-spot roost, there are many more which are harder to find. Colonies can use dozens (or hundreds) or roosts, and these can be as small as a single male pipistrelle in their solo summer roost. Some bat species only emerge when it’s completely dark and these roosts need specialist equipment and knowledge to spot and identify.
Every bat roost is protected by law, so if in doubt get in touch with our specialist ecologists and we will guide you every step of the way!
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If you have any questions about bats or other protected species, what to do about organising a survey, or need general information, we welcome your inquiry.
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