most missed areas when sealing for bats
#5168288
08/21/15 11:04 PM
08/21/15 11:04 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,476 Central IA
TRapper
OP
trapper
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OP
trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,476
Central IA
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What do you all think is the most commonly missed areas to seal when doing bat work?
Just throwing this out to see what u all think...
I think it is between gutters and fascia boards
Last edited by TRapper; 08/21/15 11:04 PM.
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Re: most missed areas when sealing for bats
[Re: TRapper]
#5168299
08/21/15 11:08 PM
08/21/15 11:08 PM
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 30 St. Louis area
Dave Schmidt
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trapper
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 30
St. Louis area
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Louver vents that are "bat-proofed" from the inside are high on the list.
ALL OUT Wildlife Control
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Re: most missed areas when sealing for bats
[Re: TRapper]
#5168673
08/22/15 11:49 AM
08/22/15 11:49 AM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 8,426 NWWA/AZ
Vinke
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trapper
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Posts: 8,426
NWWA/AZ
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I did a est behind a pest control company and they actually tagged the THREE areas that they wanted their techs to repair....
Slightly used Shoes 4 sale
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Re: most missed areas when sealing for bats
[Re: TRapper]
#5168879
08/22/15 03:55 PM
08/22/15 03:55 PM
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 25 Michigan
DaveK
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trapper
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Michigan
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Not sure....either big brown or little brown...or both. My instinct is to assume little brown...since they hibernate in mines...caves...or even cracks in ground.
But, I hate to assume anything with bats. You might have nailed it with ding bat.
Last edited by DaveK; 08/22/15 03:55 PM.
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Re: most missed areas when sealing for bats
[Re: TRapper]
#5168942
08/22/15 05:31 PM
08/22/15 05:31 PM
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Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 32 OH
Eric Arnold
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trapper
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Posts: 32
OH
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Removal of the exclusion device
Eric Arnold Publishing Editor W.C.T. Magazine Editor The Fur Taker Magazine
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Re: most missed areas when sealing for bats
[Re: TRapper]
#5168986
08/22/15 06:17 PM
08/22/15 06:17 PM
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 24 South Dakota
_fletch_
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trapper
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Posts: 24
South Dakota
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I recently found a bat entry under a deck So they were going under the deck to access a hole in the structure?
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Re: most missed areas when sealing for bats
[Re: TRapper]
#5169294
08/23/15 12:24 AM
08/23/15 12:24 AM
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Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,883 Northeast Wisconsin
NE Wildlife
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trapper
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Northeast Wisconsin
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I have had them, (Seen with my two eyes) enter under a Garage door where a chipmunk chewed the Garage door weather stripping at the bottom of the Door
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Re: most missed areas when sealing for bats
[Re: TRapper]
#5169331
08/23/15 02:38 AM
08/23/15 02:38 AM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,191 Mt. Olive, IL
Ron Scheller
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trapper
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Mt. Olive, IL
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Hard to say what is the "most common" spot missed, but the common denominator in all the missed spots is lack of detailed sealing. Some guys don't check the highest ridge peaks or ridge vents because "it's too hard to get to". In that case, you have no business doing it. There are NO short cuts with bat work. Low entry points are far more common than most people think. I had a home that bats were entering/exiting from a mortar gap TWO BRICKS above the driveway. Watched them do it, after seriously questioning the lady who said "that's where they come out every night". They were roosting in the first story wall cavity, directly behind the TV! They would crawl out the gap, then crawl UP the brick wall about 2 feet before dropping into flight. It was very cool to see. Also had a home where the huge wrap-around porch (only 3 feet high) had several old metal grates for vents. Bats (big browns) were going through the diamond-shaped holes in the grates, then flying UNDER the porch about 12 feet to a basement window. Mortar was missing in a 3-inch area above the window. The gap was almost touching the underside of the porch floor. Bat guano pellets told the story. Can't overlook ANY cavities when bat-proofing, no matter how difficult to access. Did an inspection today at an historic home. Two primary entries. One up high, and the other UNDER this porch where an electrical wire passes through the bricks. Of course this porch is fairly tall, but no matter how low, every area on every home must be closely inspected. Guano pellets on the bricks in the passage through the wall, and accumulated on the dirt below the opening.
Ron Scheller
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Re: most missed areas when sealing for bats
[Re: TRapper]
#5170337
08/23/15 09:47 PM
08/23/15 09:47 PM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,191 Mt. Olive, IL
Ron Scheller
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trapper
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Mt. Olive, IL
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Paul... Judy and I just got back from moving Clayt in to his dorm. He's on the 3rd floor (top) and there were a dozen bat guano pellets on his window ledge. Historic old college.... probably with some senior-aged bats!
Ron Scheller
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Re: most missed areas when sealing for bats
[Re: TRapper]
#5170553
08/24/15 01:51 AM
08/24/15 01:51 AM
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 111 NM
HD_Wildlife
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trapper
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Posts: 111
NM
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The ground level entry brings up a question to you guys who see it fairly commonly, are the homes places where others including the homeowner tried already to exclude the bats or straight up places they are roosting even with higher locations available? Also associated question, if you have ID'd them in these cases, do you see little brown, big brown or other doing that more? Some researchers from Canada presented on finding a hibernating colony of little brown bats on Prince Edward Island at the WNS conference two years ago. The foundation was stone, and the secondary location of hibernation for a portion of the colony was an open well pit that was dug and had a mesh placed over it for human safety but large mesh squares that the bats went through. Of course though this was a huge find for them in terms of novelty for the first hibernating bats there on the island, they were all dead within 2 years of the finding due to WNS... **** I've had plenty of bats low on buildings we have here including log cabin faux cupped out log window framing and door framing, have run my gloved hand around the interior of the frame and had big browns just inside more than often enough to call it common. On "normal" structures including log cabins and wood sided metal roof structures, we see the common roosts being at least above my head level (6' 2") and typically tied more to the type of structure like dormers and other interfaces as described by others, fascia/trim boards, etc... Have had them pack behind flashing that was tight against the wood by squirming in there, 100+ in one little section of flashing with no other entry than to push under.. As was stated by most, every time you think that isn't a likely place they will show you otherwise... One of my first fails, I sealed the whole house after excluding, all was good and then the following summer the client called and there was guano being put down right over his front door on the mat... I went and looked and sure enough about 200 bats were inside a trim board just above his shaded, covered porch, totally not what I expected and since then I stopped guessing and just follow the rules in terms of everything gets attention, period.... As Jason eluded to, great group of species to work with if you want to lose your hair early!
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Re: most missed areas when sealing for bats
[Re: TRapper]
#5170680
08/24/15 08:33 AM
08/24/15 08:33 AM
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Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 32 OH
Eric Arnold
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trapper
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OH
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My most difficult entry point to date was an outside mercury light. The bats were flying up into the housing then crawling along the wires that ran through the housing arm to enter the house. It took me two years to find that location.
As for species at grade/below grade level, it has always been big browns in terms of colony usage. I like to use grade as the description as I've had more of these happen with "walkout" basement style homes that have been cut out of a hill than with a standard foundation where work was performed for window wells or storm cellars.
Justin, the house where I had them entering 1 1/2 inches off the concrete driveway then climbing into the attic was a case where I was the third person addressing the house for bat removal. You know I talk about this case in the bat management course, but I never thought of it possibly tying in to work others did as there was so much that still needed addressed that would have been easier for the bats to use.
Eric Arnold Publishing Editor W.C.T. Magazine Editor The Fur Taker Magazine
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Re: most missed areas when sealing for bats
[Re: NE Wildlife]
#5171252
08/24/15 05:46 PM
08/24/15 05:46 PM
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 141 Wisconsin
Mike Wilhite
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Wisconsin
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I have had them, (Seen with my two eyes) enter under a Garage door where a chipmunk chewed the Garage door weather stripping at the bottom of the Door X2 They crawled down the door, under the damaged weather strip, back up the inside then flew to the open and exposed attic.
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Re: most missed areas when sealing for bats
[Re: Pez77]
#5181411
09/02/15 10:03 AM
09/02/15 10:03 AM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,061 Ames, IA
MikeTraps2
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,061
Ames, IA
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Great thread here.
So what is the best way to find/detect low level entries? Look for dropping and staining? Treat it like a rodent exclusion and seal all the gaps you find on the lower ends of the structure. Just looking to improve on my work and our business.
Mike
Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure
Theodore Roosevelt
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Re: most missed areas when sealing for bats
[Re: Paul Winkelmann]
#5182648
09/03/15 10:37 AM
09/03/15 10:37 AM
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 129 Dudley NC
Muddawg
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 129
Dudley NC
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As long as we're discussing bats, I have a question. ( Wow, that's unusual ) I know that it is against the law nearly everywhere to
kill bats and that you can be fined. What I'd like to know is if there are any cases of people paying fines and what the cost was. I
looked it up in Wisconsin and couldn't find anything but I'm not exactly Sherlock Holmes when it comes to searches. I've not heard of anyone around here being fined... Although, I'd like to see that the guy who's been sucking them up in a shop-vac, piling them in garbage bags and dropping them off at the landfill get caught.
Muddawg
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Re: most missed areas when sealing for bats
[Re: TRapper]
#5197979
09/16/15 04:19 PM
09/16/15 04:19 PM
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 25 Michigan
DaveK
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 25
Michigan
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My guess 95% or more. No joke...
Last edited by DaveK; 09/16/15 04:20 PM.
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Re: most missed areas when sealing for bats
[Re: TRapper]
#5198091
09/16/15 05:51 PM
09/16/15 05:51 PM
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Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 32 OH
Eric Arnold
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 32
OH
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100%
The real question is how long does it take for a bat to find, not will they find it.
Eric Arnold Publishing Editor W.C.T. Magazine Editor The Fur Taker Magazine
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