Bats are good

Thank you for referring the man that wanted to kill bats to the proper authority (Wildlife agency). For future reference, please keep in mind that in many states bats are protected by law and cannot be killed, harassed or handled by the general public. I recently retired as a bat biologist with the Arizona Game and Fish Department and answered thousands of calls from the public about excluding bats from buildings (it is actually becoming more common, since many caves and mines are being closed because they are risky to humans…not the bats). Many questions about bats, their behavior and nuisance issues can be answered at www.batcon.org (Bat Conservation International). Thank you again for your wonderful program and witty retorts to callers…it is often very hilarious.

Hi guys,
I got in on the ending of the show this evening. I heard the guy asking about what to do about the bats in his garage. It was too late to call in and I didn’t have a number, however, as a public health nurse of 42+ years I can say that he ought to consult the health department environmental section about this problem. Inhaling the spores off bat droppings puts people at high risk for rabies. It is a dangerous situation and needs to be addressed, like last month.

My family has been plagued with bats every summer in Maine.
We’ve tried every bat removal trick known to man.
This year we finally found the solution! What worked?
Opening the windows and removing the screens. They flew out.
Nice solution to a problem that was making us…batty.
Thank you for all the laughs and car wisdom.
LeeAnn

While technically possible, contracting rabies from inhaling virus shed in feces is extremely unlikely. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “Transmission of rabies virus usually begins when infected saliva of a host is passed to an uninfected animal. The most common mode of rabies virus transmission is through the bite and virus-containing saliva of an infected host. Though transmission has been rarely documented via other routes such as contamination of mucous membranes (i.e., eyes, nose, mouth), aerosol transmission, and corneal and organ transplantations.”

It’s also important to keep in mind that rabies is not very common in U.S. bat populations.

That said, there are some health hazards related to accumulated bat (and bird) droppings, primarily histoplasmosis. But keep the droppings cleaned up and the fungus spores are less likely to develop.

Dr. Kieran, Car Talk Animal-Vehicle Biologist

Hold on there, folks. There are countless animals that are beneficial to the environment that I don’t want in my house or garage. Bats are one. I’m not partial to guano. And my ladyfriend isn’t partial to flying mammals. Even beneficial ones. And neither of us is a “dope”.

I think everyone can understand that you wouldn’t want bats living in your house or garage. But what everyone is trying to say is that it is not necessary to kill them. There are many humane ways to exclude them. Bat Conservation International is an excellent source for information.

If you run the bats out (with light or sound)or go up after they have flown out at night, you just need to seal the opening up with screen where they are coming in.