How do you handle bat poo?

[shelly_belly]

So I have a colony of bats living behind the wooden shutters (4 total) on the front of my house and they're putting out an incredible amount of poo. So far I've just been blowing it in to the yard. I was just wondering if anyone had any experience collecting it, and if so, do you have any advice or knowledge of how to handle it safely, and what needs to be done processing wise to make it useful and also storageable?

The photo shows what falls under 1 shutter in 3 days time.

 

[JonK331]

Do you have a .22?

 

[FromZwolle]

dracula-berry weisse?

 

[Airborneguy]

Move out of Alabama where homebrewing is illegal anyway?

 

[Fionnbharr]

Good rule of thumb is that all bats, like raccoons, have rabies.

Even if an individual wild bat doesn't have rabies, if it's close to human habitation, then it's more than likely diseased.

It's not a matter of cleaning up the guano, you need the animals removed. Professionally is best.

 

[Vance71975]

Sweep it up in a dust pan and add it to your mulch pile.

 

[shelly_belly]

Damn, I have racoons too. They come and finsh off the cat food on the back deck nightly.

 

[dfc]

You should brew with it. Maybe a guano stout?

 

[shelly_belly]

Move out of Alabama where homebrewing is illegal anyway?

I've 'bought the farm', and actually have a decent job so moving is not an option. Also, I've determined that the illegality of homebrew is moot. My LEO friends consume more of my homebrew than my non-LEO friends.

 

[cfonnes]

Gun powder?

 

[Hang Glider]

Not sure about the guano. but I think there are federal laws regarding bats...

Tough it out this season - they leave in November - and then cover the shutters with visquene, leaving only the bottom open - for ventilation - then the bats cannot get in next year.

If you have a soft spot for them (they DO eat a ton of mosquitos!) - then build them a bat house and place it as close to the shutters as you can stand - they'll find it and roost there. You can even force a move during the season this way -

build a quality bat house, leave it be for several days - they're curious and will circle around it. Then, in a week or so, after they leave at dusk, cover the shutters. - they'll re-settle in the bat house.

I know this because they roosted in my gable vent all last year, directly over where I like to sit and drink a beer with my neighbor.
This year, as soon as the "evidence" of their return appeared, I covered the gable vent for like 2 months...

 

[Celticway]

I have used guano in the past, great stuff for plants. First off, protect yourself. Get gloves, mask, and eye protection. A respirator would be best and perhaps even a disposable tyvek suit and boots. I would recomend composting the guano first. This will alow all the bugs and nasty stuff feeding on the guano to do there buisness and leave before you add them to your beloved plants and cause problems. Wait until it turns into a powder like substance.

Then, brew up some compost tea and use it on everything growing. It does wonders for hops!

 

[shelly_belly]

I was all for forcing them out but earlier a baby dropped out and the wife insisted I put it back in. Then she read that the babies wont be ready to leave until the fall. As much as she is afraid and disgusted of them she does have a soft spot for baby anything so she won't let me evict them. They must not eat mosquitos close to the ground because my ankles still get eat up at dusk and dawn!

I'll look into building some bathouses - maybe I can get them to move to one of the outbuildings where it won't be such an issue as it is on the front porch.

 

[bob1852]

Good rule of thumb is that all bats, like raccoons, have rabies.

Even if an individual wild bat doesn't have rabies, if it's close to human habitation, then it's more than likely diseased.

Wow.

That's like saying a good rule of thumb is that homebrew will make you blind. But, ignorance aside, this vvvvvvv is good advice.

It's not a matter of cleaning up the guano, you need the animals removed. Professionally is best.

 

[rjwhite41]

It is illegal in most, if not all, states to kill bats. They really don't do much harm as long as they don't get into the living spaces of your house. As far as rabies goes, less than 1% of bats have rabies, even when living near people as they frequently do. If bitten by one, you do need to assume that it was infected since it is not worth the risk.

Now to the guano, it makes amazing fertilizer but you do not want to inhale the dust, it can give you hystoplasmosis which is a respiratory illness that can kill. Therefore, you need gloves, respirator, etc. to handle as mentioned before. One last thing, you are right the babies take a while to leave the nest and a momma bat will do just about anything to get back in if she is evicted while a baby is still inside. One more last thing, 4 is not a colony (that looks like a lot of guano from just 4 however). Colonies are usually a thousand or more. Good luck with your bat problem, they are difficult to get rid of and bat houses don't always work.

 

[Airborneguy]

I've always wondered where the bats that I see live because we don't have any caves around here. Maybe they're living just like yours. My house is three stories so I wouldn't be surprised if I have them and don't even know it! I actually like seeing the bats at night, they look cool.

 

[Hang Glider]

It is illegal in most, if not all, states to kill bats.

One last thing, you are right the babies take a while to leave the nest and a momma bat will do just about anything to get back in if she is evicted while a baby is still inside.

One more last thing, 4 is not a colony (that looks like a lot of guano from just 4 however). Colonies are usually a thousand or more.

Yes, I agree - if there are babies, you won't get to move it this year - but they will come back to a comfortable place next year, so start building your bat houses, if so inclined, and prepare to seal off the shuttered area.

Also agree - that is not a full colony, but that much guano - I had 8 living in my gable vent, and had no where near that much - if that is three days, it looks like you have a several dozen... you can see them leave when the sun goes down and try to count...

 

[rjwhite41]

I've always wondered where the bats that I see live because we don't have any caves around here. Maybe they're living just like yours. My house is three stories so I wouldn't be surprised if I have them and don't even know it! I actually like seeing the bats at night, they look cool.

I have bats that live underneath the tiles on my roof. They used to live in the attic as well but thankfully we have got rid of them up there.

 

[shelly_belly]

...Also agree - that is not a full colony, but that much guano - I had 8 living in my gable vent, and had no where near that much - if that is three days, it looks like you have a several dozen... you can see them leave when the sun goes down and try to count...

Yeah I just said colony not really knowing how many I have or how many make a colony! Sounds like a good excuse to throw a couple of beers in the cooler and head out to the front porch.

 

[shelly_belly]

Wow! I counted 62 from 1 window (2 shutters). Way more than I thought. There's still a few in there-I can hear them.

 

[Fionnbharr]

Wow.

That's like saying a good rule of thumb is that homebrew will make you blind. But, ignorance aside, this vvvvvvv is good advice.

Well, you can choose to drink or not drink your ignorant neighbor's 'brew' he's possibly made in his bathtub with woodchip adjuncts. An animal makes that choice for you if it decides it's going to bite you.

And until or unless that specific animal is captured, tested and found clean, you WILL be treated for rabies. I hear it's not as painful as it was forty years ago, but it's still neither pleasant nor cheap.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

Holy ****, Batman!!

Sorry, someone had to say it.

 

[wildwest450]

Tennis racquet + bats= good times.


_

 

[Homercidal]

Man, I wish I had a colony living at my house. I really should build those house plans I've had for years. They eat a HUGE amount of mosquitos and are one of the most useful flying creatures ever made.

See if you can move them to a bat house. Place the bat house nearby in an area that gets lots of sun during the day. You can buy or build a house.

The guano is not really a problem unless it builds up in a warm still environment. Just try not to breathe it, or you run the small risk of getting that disease mentioned above. It's probably not likely if the air can circulate around.

 

[shelly_belly]

Wife had a couple of pics of the pup that fell out. It spent the day crawling around the bricks from one end of the house to the other...

 

[heferly]

Tennis racquet + bats= good times.

_

Or a broom! Used to knock a few dead every year at our house in indiana...still not sure how the feckers got in...by the time i moved out, half the house was great-stuffed

 

[Daybis]

Maybe call a local exterminator?

 

[Bernie Brewer]

Bats? Raccoons??? Yikes. Does the name Jeanna Giesemean anything to you?? Get that vermin outta there quick before someone dies.