Be on the lookout for bats in North Carolina homes, wildlife officials say. Here’s how

If you think you have bats in your home, you should take action now, North Carolina officials warn.

It’s not recommended to remove the animals during roosting season, which starts at the beginning of May, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission said in a news release Wednesday. So, the commission urges homeowners to check if they have bats so they can get licensed wildlife agents to remove them in time.

But how do you know if you have bats?

The best sign is guano, which looks like mouse droppings and is often found near shutters, vents or in other nooks of your home. It’s also a good idea to watch for movement at dawn and dusk, according to wildlife experts.

“Bats prefer dark, narrow spaces for roosting and raising young,” the wildlife commission said on its website. “While bats aren’t capable of making holes themselves, they can squeeze into preexisting holes as small as 1/2 inch wide.”

Experts say anyone who finds bats can seal up home entrances and install so-called “eviction devices” that let the animals leave but prevent them from coming back — as long as those steps are done before the end of April.

“If a homeowner waits until May to install an eviction device on the opening that the bats have used to get to their roost, female bats will not be able to get to their young, leaving the pups to starve to death or try to find other ways to escape, including entering the homeowner’s living space,” said Katherine Etchison, a wildlife diversity biologist.

Wildlife officials said bats may appear at this time of year after migrating south or going into hibernation during winter months. In North Carolina, the season for pup-rearing lasts from May 1 to July 31.

The state is home to 17 species of bats, including three that are endangered. The animals “are ecologically and economically valuable, providing free pest control as they nearly devour their own body weight in insects nightly,” wanting even more food while they raise their young, according to the commission.

If you don’t get rid of bats before May, experts encourage you to let the small mammals roost through July.

“However, you can still ask a Wildlife Control Agent to seal off entryways that lead into the living space of your home to minimize the chance of human interaction,” the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission said. “If a bat does enter the living space, it’s imperative to determine if human exposure occurred.”

About 2 to 4% of North Carolina bats test positive for rabies, and the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences said the animals can bring other diseases to humans. People are discouraged from touching or holding bats.

Since bats return to the same sites every spring, people who have had bats in past years should keep their homes maintained and may want to consider installing “bat boxes,” structures that allow the creatures to roost safely, according to the wildlife commission.

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