Bats love to roost in high rises and parking garages across Houston. While they aren't aggressive or prone to biting, they can infect your visitors, customers, vendors, tenants, or employees with upper respiratory diseases. They can also fill wall spaces with guano, creating a smell strong enough to drive profits away. Here are some of the questions we often get about commercial bat removal in Houston.
How do you get rid of a bat colony?
When we get rid of a bat colony we do it in a humane, gentle way that allows bats to remove themselves naturally. First, we find all the areas where bats are entering your high rise, parking garage, or commercial building. We place one-way eviction valves that will not allow them to return as they leave to hunt for the night.
Once all the bats have left we seal all the potential entry points. Once they've left they will go seek out a new home. They'll look for a high structure near where they were removed.
Some of our bat removal customers have opted to add alternative housing for them. We can also consult with customers on strategies to help drive them to a new location where alternative housing is already available.
Finally, we engage in a heavy-duty clean-up process to make sure we get rid of all the guano, which can attract other pests, carry disease, and continue to smell long after the bats have gone if not treated properly.
Will bright lights keep bats away?
Bright lights can indeed be an effective deterrent against bats. They don't like bright, artificial lighting.
If you know where they like to enter and leave your building you can place bright spotlights there to shine 24/7. This could help discourage them from taking roost in the future.
Bright lights will not necessarily get rid of a colony that's already taken roost. They're just as likely to find another spot in your building that isn't all lit up. Getting them removed first ensures your bat-deterrent won't turn into little more than a frustrating drain on your power bill.
Are bats federally protected?
A few bat species are indeed federally protected, which is why identifying the species of bat is one of the first steps we have to take when we start a job for your company. The protected bats are:
- Florida Bonneted Bats
- Grey Bats
- Indiana Bats
- Ozark Big-Eared Bats
- Virginia Big-Eared Bats
- Mexican Free-tailed Bats
Of these you'll generally only find the Mexican Free-Tailed Bats here in Houston. Texas is also home to dozens of other types of bats which are not protected by federal law. Yet on this count, Texas laws are stronger than federal laws.
Texas law protects all bats. They may not be "hunted, killed, possessed, purchased, or sold." They may be "moved, trapped, or killed if inside or on a building occupied by people." It's also legal to transport bats to a laboratory for the purposes of testing for rabies.
How much does it cost to get rid of bats?
It depends on the size of your building and the size of your colony. For high rises and parking garages bat removal costs can range from $5000 and up. Yet we give every business owner in Houston their own, free estimate.
You don't have to engage in guesswork. Once we give you an estimate, we stick by it. Contact us to get started today.
