Bats

Bat extermination done right by Green Piper Pest Control

The last thing you want to pester you is, well, a pest. From bugs and insects to those rotten rodents, we handle pests of all shapes and sizes.

With deep roots in Grande Prairie and the Peace Region, Green Piper is a local grassroots business that provides environmentally safe and effective pest control solutions to you and the buildings in which you work and live.

Founded by Dan Student, an experienced pest control specialist, his focus for Green Piper is to get the job done. This means providing honest pest control services, keeping you up-to-speed on your problems, and presenting the best solutions possible.

Bats

Fun for Halloween only as a costume or decoration, bats are not something anyone wants to encounter late at night. Bats, however are an essential part of our ecosystem and help us out by consuming moths, flies and mosquitoes. A single little brown bat can eat up to 600 mosquitoes in one hour. Thank you, bats!

General information about bats
Bats are shy of humans and will try to avoid contact. They are not blind and have an excellent navigation system. Combined with their shyness toward humans, it is unlikely that they will dive at you, get tangled in your long hair or attack your pets, contrary to popular belief.
How bats live and reproduce
Bats give birth to usually 1 young pup (yes, a baby bat is called a pup). The gestation period is 50-80 days. Young are left hanging in the roost but may be carried by its mother. They typically do not leave the roost for several weeks.
What types of bats are found in Northern Alberta?
There are 11 species of bats found in Alberta; big brown bat, hoary bat, silver-haired bat, little brown bat, eastern red bat, northern long-eared bat, western small-footed bat, long-legged myotis, Yuma myotis, long-eared myotis and California myotis.
How do I tell if I have an bat infestation?
Bats residing in and around your home generally are most visible during certain times of day, so if you consistently see bats flying around your house during sunrise or sunset, this is a good sign that you have a bat problem.

With us, you can go back to sharing your home and business with the people you love, not the pests you don’t.

Although bats do a great deal for our ecosystem, they pose a serious health risk through the potential transmission of zoonotic diseases, so keeping them away from humans is necessary.

Bats can cause severe damage to your home or business due to their corrosive waste. Bat droppings can damage and degrade the structure of your home by causing corrosion, wood decay, and stains. Bats do not chew holes in houses. They take advantage of existing holes to enter and exit a structure.

Health Risks from bats

Bats are of medical concern because a small percentage carry rabies, and old droppings may harbour the organism that causes the lung disease. Very few bats in Alberta have rabies. It is always best to be safe then sorry.

Of course, calling us is the easiest way to make sure the bats are gone for good, but here are a few tips:

  • Leave it alone if a bat is sleeping outside your home or business. It will fly away when it wakes up to feed.
  • Bats that accidentally get inside the house will often find their way out if you leave a window or door open.
  • A sleeping bat can also be captured using a large, empty can and sliding a piece of cardboard under the can. Once the bat is trapped inside, take the coffee can outside and let the bat fly away. Make sure children and pets stay inside when you release it. If it is daytime, leave the bat in a dark area and release it at night.
  • Please do not attempt to capture a bat or swat at it using a broom. You will injure the bat.
  • Identify the entrance holes and plug them in the fall, after the bats have left. It is vital to avoid sealing in flightless bat pups, so do not plug entrances in June or July.
  • After the bats have vacated the building, you need to clean up the guano left behind. Please ensure you use the proper PPE, as bat guano has serious health risks.

Attempting to eradicate bats from a building is not a solution. It is almost impossible to remove all bats; unless all entry points are sealed, bats will return. Additionally, two species that commonly roost in buildings are federally endangered and should not be disturbed. Give us a call, and we can help identify and eliminate your bat problem for good.

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