Local experts urge restraint, respect for bats in your house

When Mike DiSalvo responds to a house call, usually in the dead of night, he’s greeted by people in various states of panic.

One woman awaited him on her front porch, sobbing and promising she’d sell her home, said DiSalvo, owner of Iowa Wildlife Removal, based in Ames. Others actually like bats but are afraid they’ll harm one by trying to remove it themselves.

DiSalvo is of neither camp.

“I don’t think bats are super cute or super disgusting,” he said. “They just are.”

The idea that Iowa is entering “bat season” is misguided, said local experts, because bats are no more active now than they have been since spring. If it seems like there are more this time of year, it’s because the bat pups born this summer are now old enough to leave their roost. Those babies are most likely to be caught indoors.

“This year seems on par with last year, which was really busy,” said DiSalvo. “We have found mid-August through mid-September is when we get the most calls, but that’s also when young bats are … getting lost.”

State law prohibits anyone from harming or killing bats, mostly to prevent the public from laying glue traps or spreading poison to kill a large colony.

DiSalvo said on average he’s captured 50 bats each of the last three years. His method is simple: a leather glove, a bucket and a gentle touch.

“When they land, they’re very docile,” he said. “They squeak a little bit but they don't really struggle.”

None of the roughly 45 bats he’s sent for testing in recent years had rabies. About six percent of all “obviously weak or sick” bats tested in the country are shown to have the fatal disease, according the the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

DiSalvo said buildup of bat guano creates a fungus that causes a lung infection called histoplasmosis, but extreme cases are rare.

Heidi Anderson, a naturalist at Polk County Conservation, thinks more homeowners should show respect to bat species when they’re trapped inside.

“I would not say that bats are pests at all, and I would not even say that they are a problem,” said Anderson.

In fact, bats are a critical part of Iowa’s environment. The state is home to nine species, all of which eat only insects such as beetles, moths and mosquitoes. A colony of 150 adult brown bats eats as many as 18 million crop-destroying rootworms each summer, according to Polk County Conservation.

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The best way for Iowans to rid themselves of bats, Anderson said, is to open doors and windows so one can find its way out using echolocation — the same way they locate insects to eat. It’s also possible to catch a bat in a box while wearing thick gloves and release it outdoors.

When it doubt, Anderson said to call an expert.

Once the house has been completely extracted of bats, all openings larger than a pack of matches should be sealed, said DiSalvo. 

In a few months, Iowa’s bats will migrate south or hibernate for the winter. Until then, Anderson said homeowners should remain calm if one appears inside.

“It’s okay to not like a certain animal, but each animal has their own place,” said Anderson. “Not liking an animal is not a reason to kill or harm them.”