Is Bat Guano Dangerous?

When bats take up residence in your home, they usually leave behind identifying “clues.” One tell-tale sign is guano, or bat droppings. Guano is not only unpleasant, but it also harms your health and your home.

Guano can cause illness in humans and damage the structure of your home.

The professional exterminators at E.Exterminateur have outlined the dangers of bat guano below to help you identify and remove it.

How to Identify Bat Guano

Before we explain the danger of bat droppings, you should first know how to identify them. Our expert bat exterminators will help you recognize bat feces when you see it.

Guano is typically black and dry and can appear shiny if it is fresh. The droppings crumble easily when pressed, like dust. They are about the size of a grain of rice—between 1 to 3 mm wide and 5 mm to 1 cm long.

Unlike rodent droppings, guano contains fragments of animal shells. Bat prey includes insects and spiders.

Bat Guano is a Health Hazard

We typically think of bats as dangerous because they can spread rabies.Bat guano, though lesser known, also poses health risks. For one, it releases pathogens into the air that can spread histoplasmosis, a dangerous respiratory infection.

Histoplasmosis: a dangerous respiratory condition

As guano breaks down, it releases harmful pathogens into the air.

These spores can cause histoplasmosis if inhaled. Histoplasmosis is a respiratory infection that affects the lungs. Its symptoms vary widely, but can include: a mild cough and headache, difficulty breathing, fever, chest pain or blurred vision.

Histoplasmosis does not have a high mortality rate in general, but it can be serious for those with compromised immune systems. That is why it is important to protect yourself by having the bat droppings removed.

Additionally, the spores in bat guano are airborne. Your home’s ventilation system may spread these spores easily.

 

Bat Guano Threatens Your Home

Beyond threatening your health, bat guano can also be dangerous for your home.

Bats will typically seek refuge in your attic. The droppings they leave behind can damage the insulation. This corrosive bat poop can also threaten your home’s structure and the attic flooring. The weakened floorboards can pose a risk to your home.

 

Removing Bat Guano: Decontamination May Be Required

When it comes to bats, prevention is key. The first thing you should do is preemptively seal and caulk your home.

If these creatures have already invaded your home and contaminated it with guano, you may need to have it decontaminated. Removing guano and cleaning the area is not enough. As we mentioned, bat droppings are corrosive and their spores are airborne.

Call in a decontamination expert to permanently remove all evidence of the bat’s presence.

 

Got Bats? Contact E.Exterminateur Today!

Bat guano can harm your health and your home. You should take this problem seriously and take appropriate action.

If there are no longer bats in your home, a thorough decontamination will eliminate their guano. However, if the bats are still there you will need to call in an exterminator to get rid of them for good.

Contact E.Exterminateur ASAP. Our team will come to your home to discuss what steps to take and provide a free quote.