Bats in Thailand a Problem or not

[Paul Laycock]

Hi,

Over the last couple of years I have had what seems an ever increasing number of Bats living in my roof area. I have Googled Bats of Thailand but cannot identify them, they are large with an estimated wing span of 18 inches. My questions are, is there a humain way of moving them on/out, are they protected by law and what sort of damage do you think they will do if left unchecked. I'm thinking Bat poo in quantities on my ceilings. I am talking around 100 plus of the critters.

Thanks for sensible answers if that's possible.

[DTL2014]

good question - my house is covered in bat poo- happened in the last 2 weeks. In England - i hear that they are protected.

But here they eat them.So i'm guessing not protected.

i have seen them place nets near the mouths of caves- they fly right into them and get stuck.there sonar doest pick it up. therefore any net placed on the underside of the eave might help.

Have a look around as to what is attracting them- probably fruit trees?

It might only be seasonal, once the fruit or moth they are seeking dries up they will hunt somewhere else..

[isanbirder]

The best answer is to block the entry.... if that's possible.

They do fly into nets.... from which they're near impossible to disentangle, alive at any rate.

Sometimes I see nets strung by farmers to catch birds in the rice-fields; I can get the birds out safely, but bats I leave strictly alone.

[Dr Robert]

determine for yourself if they are a problem when they are known to carry the following diseases which can be transmitted directly to human beings;

rabies virus; bat lyssaviruses type 1 and 2; West Caucasian bat virus; Aravan virus;Khujand virus;Irkut virus; Lvirus.

And if there are horses around they can pass the Hendra Virus to the horse which can then transmit it to human beings.

Humane or otherwise, they should be removed from close proximity to your family

[meatboy]

having been ill the past 7days with 7 of the 8 symptoms of the mers virus, BATS DO CARRY THE SAME VIRUS so as isanbirder say's leave them alone.

[Paul Laycock]

I have never heard of any pest control but as an after thought could they be gassed or driven out by high frequency sound. Buggered if I'm going to touch them. They are large and imagine they could give a nasty bite.

[Fallangpakwan]

A month or so had one fly in the condo as we came home late at night; was a surprise, thought it was a bird at first;chased it around with a tennis racket for a while, then it stuck on a curtain where I managed to bang it a bit, then took it out still alive and dropped it on the entrance; was gone in the morning.

[Paul Laycock]

I'm talking about 100 plus. A small colony, a 12 bore might help.

[angelbat]

Well, being a caver and all, I know a lot about bats.... The best thing to do to get them out of your house is to determine their point(s) of entry and block that while they are out feeding at night, so they can't get back in. Bats eat massive quantities of insects and are highly beneficial to humans. Please don't kill them! It's true that some percentage of bats have rabies, but bats are not aggressive at all. The only way you would get bitten by a bat is by picking it up (and even then it probably wouldn't bite you). If you do need to pick up any bats in order to move the stragglers out of your attic, be sure to wear gloves.

Bats are your friend! But you definitely don't want them living in your attic!

Angela

[oneday]

Yes, bat poo or "guano" would become a problem. Sorry, don't know a humane way to remove them other that blocking all entrance points with screen.

I would like to emphasize that removing them humanly is a must because bats are incredibly important to the ecosystem. They are far more important than many people thought some years ago.

[Paul Laycock]

Angela,

I take on board what you are saying. I don't mind them but worry what the long term effects of the droppings would do to my ceilings. I now the entry exit point but would be reluctant to attempt this at night.

I have no access to my roof area so it's a problem with stragglers.

[Sheryl]

Oh can I ever answer these questions......

1. The droppings will continue to amass until it seeps completely through the ceiling causing unbearable stench and eventual collapse of the ceiling altogether. I speak from bitter experience (and expense).

2. To rid yourself of them (took me a 2 year battle to figure this out), 2 things:

- put up lighting within the ceiling area. They want dark. I use yellow tinted fluroescent lights as these atttact fewer bugs.

- seal off the entry points, in my case this was right where the eaves meet the frame. Doesn't look like it is a large enough space for bats to squeeze through but it is and they will. I use a plastic mesh thing and have to repair/replace it periodically. A hassle but better than the stench of guano and paying for new ceilings.

These measures work best in combination. If you only put up the mesh, they will noisily burst through it at about 4-5 AM with an unbelievable racket..these critters once they make up their mind to live somewhere, are very stubborn abut it. Lighting it up makes it much less desirable from their point of view.

Oh and chances are they are fruit bats. Any fruit trees nearby? My bat infestation took off after a neighbor planted a lot of banana trees.

However many bats you think you have, you have at least 100 times as many.

Don't bother with mothballs, those devices that supposedly emit Rf waves, or country western or other music, I tried all of those and none worked. Just the lights and the sealing off.

[Torrens54]

Angela,

I take on board what you are saying. I don't mind them but worry what the long term effects of the droppings would do to my ceilings. I now the entry exit point but would be reluctant to attempt this at night.

I have no access to my roof area so it's a problem with stragglers.

Presume the odd one might also croak/die in your roof space....don't think I'd like the smell but the Rats might come and dispose of it...all in all, be a good idea to get rid of the Bats.

[angelbat]

Paul,

Where do you live? (Generally speaking, I mean.) I can see if I know a caver type person in your area who might be able to help with the problem.

Angela

[Paul Laycock]

Angele,

I live in the N/East, Loengnoktha, Yasothon. As a guide 40 minutes drive to Mukdahan, Friendship bridge to Lao or the other way 2.5 hours drive to Ubon Ratchathani.

Being partially disabled I could offer little assistance also non attain speaking.

Regards

Paul

[angelbat]

Well darn, I can't find any friends or friends of friends who live in that area. Maybe you can find a neighbor or another expat in the area who would be willing help with blocking the bats' entrance? I hope so. Good luck!

[Sheryl]

I doesn't need any special expertise to do this. Just the agility and willingness to climb a long ladder. I bought the net material and small nails and then got an unskilled local who had a ladder to do it. Pix to follow. Once you have the mesh and nails to show, with use of a drawing it is not too hard to convey what it is you want done. My ix may also help.

[Sheryl]

This is what I used - it is plastic and sells in large rolls by the meter at shops that sell netting, plastic sheeting linoleum etc. I initially tried nylon and fabric netting but both tangled and tore easily. This stuff lasts well and is supple enough that can bend it to shape.

Here it is in place. Attached with nails.

It is not necessary to do most of the work at any special time. The nailing in place makes enough racket that the bats move to another part of the ceiling. So just do during daytime until you get the last segment then try if possible to do that between 6 - 7 PM (if you observe for a few days you'll find out what time they tend to all fly out) in order to minimize trapping any inside.

Until you get to the last segment, they'll manage to get out each night through the places still open (though you may hear some racket while they find out previous entry/exit points are now sealed.)

[Sheryl]

For some reason I was unsuccessful in adding the second pix to the above post so here it is:

[Paul Laycock]

Sheryl,

That makes it clearer, many thanks.

Regards

[Sheryl]

I should add that besides the disesse others have mentioned, bats can carry rabies. So you don't want to risk a bite and if you or workman do get bit, need to get vaccine ASAP. (They are also thought to be the resevoir for Ebola though not of course in Thailand...)

[Mousehound]

Bats poo can carry disease as well - so if you are cleaning it out of the roof area etc wear a mask. However, I am with those that think you need to exclude them from the site but preferably not exterminate them. As mentioned above they are very important in keeping down insects and as pollinators.