Winter time is never time off. Maine Wildlife
Exclusion Services

Specializing in Wildlife Removal and Damage Repair.
Fully Licensed and Insured.


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Bats

If you think that you or someone in your care has been bitten by a bat or been in contact with a bat, call the Maine Center for Disease Control (CDC) immediately at 800-821-5821.

Although the likely hood of contacting rabies from bats is relatively low, it's worth following up on testing and treatments considering that if you contract the rabies virus and it is not treated the outcome is almost always death. If you wake up in the morning to find bats have been in the room with you during the night while you are sleeping it is worth while to try and capture the bat and take it to Augusta to determine whether or not the bat is carrying the rabies virus or not. We have provided several links to assist you at the bottom of this page.

Aside from an unexpected surprise in the morning, the most common time of the year for bats to show up is in early spring. During this time they are migrating from large hibernacula (structure where many bats over winter) into new areas for living. It is here where they are able to raise their young for the year. Pups are born between Mid-May until Late July, and this is the time when calls begin to peak. The young begin exploring and wandering away form their parents as they begin testing out their new wings. This is the time of year that is very common for calls about bats inside the living areas. Often times, they have been living in the attics or wall voids in the roof since spring and were not noticed until the young finally made it into the living area.

Typical service calls for bats include inspection and sealing of all living quarters from the rest of the house. Maine Wildlife Exclusion Services approaches this method regardless the time of year, even when full evictions are possible. Sometimes, with even limited bat proofing on the exterior of the home, the air currents flowing through the house can be altered enough to send bats down into living areas. It is our goal to avoid this situation whenever possible. Some instances such as unfinished camps, or renovations and construction within a building can cause its own set of problems trying to seal bats out. Upon inspection we can give you a realistic expectation of likely costs and procedures to evict bats form your home and keep them out.

The Maine Wildlife Exclusion Services Approach to Bat Exclusion

1. Seal the inside of the house as much as possible so bats cannot enter living areas.

2. Consider time of year. Early Spring into early May, and Late August into the Fall, full exclusion of bats from the building can be performed.

Mid-May through August, only limited bat exclusion work will be performed. It is during this time of the year that pups are still developing, yet may not be able to fly yet. Excluding bats during this time of year could result in bats being trapped in the structure and dying. If bats are in the structure at this time of year, every effort will be made to try and determine the possibility of maternal colonies, but it can not always be determined. Emphasis would be placed on ensuring young bats can enter into living areas by sealing the structure from the inside. After the young bats were flying, full exclusion of all bats could be performed.

3. Seal and close all openings a bat may use to enter the home after excluding bats. The Little Brown bat is our most common bat found in homes, followed by the Big Brown bat. Little Brown bats can enter an opening in a building measuring roughly ¼"x1½".

When buildings are constructed, they are designed to shed water and ventilate air within the extremes of climates. Being rain proof and breathable does not mean that the house is bat proof. Our exclusion involves going over all portions of the house and identifying and sealing all potential entry points.

With White Nose Syndrome dramatically affecting bat populations throughout the Northeast and across North America, Maine Wildlife Exclusion Services does not endorse euthanizing bats unless a bat is suspected of possibly haven bitten someone. Maine Wildlife Exclusion Services encourages everyone to try and support bat populations. A higher bat population equates to a lower mosquito and black fly population.

For more information try the following links:

Bat Conservation International is a is devoted to conservation, education, and research initiatives involving bats and the ecosystems they serve. They have a great source of information here including building bat houses and information about everything bats. http://www.batcon.org/index.php/bats-a-people.html

Our business is listed here, as is other areas businesses dealing with bats. There are lots of great follow on links from many universities and government agencies covering rabies, exclusion, and dealing with bats. Very informative. http://www.maine.gov/agriculture/pesticides/gotpests/othercritters/bats.htm

Everything you could ever want to know about rabies in Maine.
http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious-disease/epi/zoonotic/rabies/index.shtml

Some information on White Nose Syndrome from Inland Fisheries and Wildlife http://www.maine.gov/ifw/wildlife/disease/WhiteNoseSyndrome.htm




click photos to enlarge


Bad roof ridge vent is an invitation to bats

Bat Check Valve: lets bats out, doesn't let 'em back in

Bats love seams around chimneys if they are not well sealed

Bats in a row.



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MAINE WILDLIFE EXCLUSION SERVICES IS A BRANCH OF
Heritage Farm Logo.
owned and operated by
Randy & Aislinn Canarr
Located at: 142 Meadow Road, Winterport, Maine 04496
Mailing Address: PO Box 165, Hampden ME 04444
www.HeritageFarmMaine.com
randy@heritagefarmmaine.com
207-852-2559
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