Bats & Rabies

A bat in your home can be a serious health risk to you and your family. Rabid bats have been documented in the 49 continental states, and are increasingly identified as the source of rabies transmission to humans. Data suggests that even minor, seemingly unimportant, or even unrecognized bites from bats can transmit rabies. For this reason it is important to protect yourself from bat exposure.

What To Do If A Bat is Found Inside Your Home

If a bat is found in a house and there is any chance that contact between the bat and a person or a pet occurred, the bat needs to be captured and submitted for rabies testing. Because people have developed rabies after unapparent exposures, rabies treatment may be necessary in situations where there is reasonable probability of exposure unless rabies can be ruled out by submitting the bat for testing.

If a bat is found in the house and there is any chance that contact with a person or a pet occurred, the bat needs to be captured. Do not release the bat if there is a reasonable probability of an exposure such as direct physical contact with a bat, a bat found in a room with a sleeping person or unattended child, or a bat found in a room with an individual under the influence of alcohol and drugs or with other sensory or mental impairment.

Submitting Bats for Rabies Testing

The bat should be captured and submitted for rabies testing under the following circumstances:

A person had direct physical contact with a bats
A bat is found in a room with people who are sleeping
A bat is found in a room with an unattended child or impaired adult
A bat is in contact with a domestic pet (dog or cat)
If none of the circumstances above have occurred, the bat can be released outside

Capturing the Bat

Turn on all lights and close all windows and doors to the room, including closet doors
Wait for the bat to land
While wearing a pair of gloves (preferably leather, if possible), place a coffee can, pail, or similar container over the bat
Slide a piece of cardboard under the container to trap the bat
Firmly hold the cardboard in place against the top of the container
Turn the container right side up and tightly seal the cardboard to the container with tape
Contact the Cayuga County Health Department to arrange for the bat to be tested for rabies

Keeping Bats Out of Your Home

In order to keep bats from entering your home, you must first determine if any are already present. You may want to do the following to be on the look out for the presence of roosting bats:

Listen for any squeaking noises coming from areas such as the attic or walls.
Inspect attic spaces, rafters, porches, walls, and scratched areas on or around beams.
Walk around the outside of your home at dusk to see if you are able to see bats coming from the house, such as from chimneys or any other openings that may be present on the outside of your home.
If you cannot see them at dusk, you may also walk around at dawn to determine where that may be flying back into your home. At dawn they will be roosting again until dusk.

Bat Entry Points

You should inspect your home each spring for signs of roosting bats in your home. You can take the following preventative measures to ensure bats will not enter your home:

Inspect, and if necessary, repair all screened windows and doors to your home.
Look for any openings to your home larger than 1/4 inch by 1 inch near areas such as the attic, basement, and walls.
Seal any of these openings with materials such as expanding spray-on foam, caulk, wire mesh, steel wool, or bird netting.

Bat Nests in Homes

If it has been determined that bats are roosting in your home, take the following tips to eliminate them from their current roosting location:

Do not seal the opening in which they are flying into. This may force them into your actual living space, or will cause them to be trapped and eventually die in your home.
Place a special type of netting over the opening that will allow the bats to exit the opening but not re-enter.
Consult a Pest Control Expert that specializes in bat control.