RI, MA EHS Pest Control Blog

Bats Found At Elementary School

The School District of Pickens County is working to remove bats that have invaded the gym at Clemson Elementary.

District spokeswoman Julie Thompson told News 4 the gym was closed to everyone on Jan. 13 after the bats were discovered in the eaves of the building.

In a statement, Thompson said, "District officials are actively exploring options to determine the number of bats, how they have entered the gym, when they can be removed, and how they can be removed. We assure everyone that the health and safety of our students and staff are priorities as we find the best solution to dealing with the situation. We are also committed to keeping Clemson Elementary parents fully informed at all times."

One parent said he didn't mind the District erring on the side of caution.

"It's kind of random. You don't really give bats much thought, and when you hear about them in the school, it's not something you're expecting to hear from your school," the parent said. "I understand (the District has) to do what they have to do. They'll get the bats out soon."

Third-grader Ethan Richard said he didn't mind the bats.

"I think they're pretty cool," said Richard. "Well, not the part where we can't go to (physical education class)."

Richard's recreational basketball games are also played at the school's gym. For the time being, the games have been moved to a local church's gym.

"I hope (the bats) find a nice place, so they can survive, but not at our gym," said Richard.

Fifth grader Caitlin Pargue said instead of the gym, students are playing games and doing art during P.E.

"It's not that fun," said Pargue. "I don't like (the bats). They're scary."

This isn't the first time bats have been found at a Pickens County school.

In 2009, wildlife experts set up traps to remove and relocate bats that had invaded Gettys Middle School.

Thompson said the District is still "in the planning stages" of how to move the bats this time.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Nearly 7 Million Bats May Have Died From White-Nose Fungus, Officials Say

More than five years since the deadly white-nose fungus was first detected in a New York cave where bats hibernate, up to 6.7 million of the animals are estimated to have died in 16 states and Canada, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday.

The estimate, drawn from surveys by wildlife officials mostly in Northeastern states where the disease thrives, confirmed the worst fears of biologists who have been counting dead bats covered in the powdery fungus in mines and caves every winter and worrying whether the little brown bat, the northern long-eared bat and the tricolored bat will survive.

“We’re watching a potential extinction event on the order of what we experienced with bison and passenger pigeons for this group of mammals,” said Mylea Bayless, conservation programs manager for Bat Conservation International in Austin, Tex.

“The difference is we may be seeing the regional extinction of multiple species,” Bayless said. “Unlike some of the extinction events or population depletion events we’ve seen in the past, we’re looking at a whole group of animals here, not just one species. We don’t know what that means, but it could be catastrophic.”

Bats are a top nocturnal predator, picking off night-flying insects that feed on agricultural crops and forests. A reproductive female consumes her weight in bugs each night. In a single summer, a colony of 150 brown bats can eat enough adult cucumber beetles to prevent the laying of eggs that result in 33 million rootworm larvae, according to a study cited by Bat Conservation International.

White-nose syndrome is caused by an aggressive fungus called Geomyces destructans that eats through the skin and membranes of bats. It was first detected at Howes Cave near Albany, N.Y., in 2006.

Since then, biologists in Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Vermont, Indiana and other states have returned to caves and mines during the annual winter hibernation of bats and reported alarming numbers of fresh dead to wildlife and gaming agencies.

Tuesday’s estimate of 5.7 million to 6.7 million dead bats dwarfed the previous count of slightly more than a million in 2009. The estimate was derived from winter trips to mines and caves through December 2011.

Clustered as high as 30 feet above the floor, the bats are difficult to see, so digital images are captured and studied, said Jeremy Coleman, national white-nose syndrome coordinator for the Fish and Wildlife Service.

“They . . . basically count the noses,” Coleman said. Otherwise “you look at a big brown smudge of bats. Indiana bats can have 300 in a square foot. You can get a much more accurate count with digital imagery,” he said.

The declining population found in the winter counts was supported by summer counts, where bats are tracked to areas where they feed and roost.

The bats being wiped out by white-nose syndrome are usually long-lived, up to 20 years. Mates produce a pup per year. They usually hibernate in the same places year to year, and they return to the same place to feed.

Biologists said the bats’ decline could begin to affect the general public if their disappearance results in swarms of the insects they feed on, and higher food prices if food crops are invaded, biologists said.

A paper published last year in the journal Science, relying on the lower mortality rate projected in 2009, estimated that 1,320 metric tons of insect pests were not eaten because of the decline in bats.

The paper products industry could also be hard hit if pests such as the emerald ash borer proliferate in the absence of bats. Loggers in states such as Vermont “ought to be concerned, but I don’t think the word has really gotten out to these folks,” said Mollie Matteson, a conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity in Richmond, Vt.

“It certainly behooves people concerned about the health of forests — loggers or ecologists — to pay attention,” Matteson said. “But it’s hard to make a direct connection between 7 million bats dead and what happens to forest pests.”

A recent report said bat colonies found in Vermont and Pennsylvania were an indication that some are managing to survive the fungus. But those data are inconclusive, and hopes based on the report might be misplaced, Coleman said.

In Pennsylvania, where the mortality rate of the most common bats is nearly 100 percent, farmers and homeowners are showing concern, said Greg Turner, an endangered-mammals specialist for the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

With 95 percent mortality, there’s little hope that the little brown bats will survive in the state, but Turner isn’t giving up on saving them. “I’m going to plug forward all the way to the bitter end, if there is a bitter end. Hopefully, there won’t be,” he said.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Bat Problem Closes School

An Upstate elementary school remained closed on Friday as district officials try to make sure that a bat problem has been solved.

Fountain Inn Elementary dismissed early on Thursday after a bat got into one of the classrooms, one day after a bat removal expert got more than 300 bats out of the building.

On Friday, school district officials met with a bat expert from Clemson University to find out how to treat and control the Mexican free-tailed bats.

Bat removal specialists also did a walk-through of the school on Friday to make sure all entrance points have been secured to keep bats from getting back into the building.

Two bats that were found inside the building both tested negative for rabies.

School officials said all of the bat droppings were found outside of the building. The droppings were removed with a high-strength cleanser that school officials said is nontoxic for children.

South Carolina Department of Environmental Control spokesman Adam Myrick said the bat problem started at Fountain Inn Elementary about three weeks ago.

District officials say they didn't close the school initially because they felt they had the bat problem under control. They said the public hasn't been privy to what was going on behind the scenes.

District officials said they didn't feel the need to dismiss or close school until a bat disrupted a music class Thursday.

Officials will continue to monitor the building this weekend to see if any other bats are still inside.

Director of Communications Oby Lyles said specialists don’t think there are bats still inside the building, but they aren't 100 percent sure.

Lyles said, “We feel like we've done everything we can to address the problem. It's no different than at your own home. It's very difficult to get rid of bats, but we feel like we're making every effort we can to do that.”

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Rabies Death Heightens Awareness of Virus in Bats

Historically, rabies came with a warning.

A dog or other infected animal, staggering, perhaps foaming at the mouth, would launch an attack for no apparent reason.

Seeing this, people knew to back away.

Pet vaccinations and prompt medical treatment have all but eliminated human loss of life due to rabies. Until last week, the last death due to rabies in Massachusetts was recorded in 1935.

But a Barnstable man died Monday in a Boston hospital, the victim of an attack which came in a way for which little or no warning or protection exists.

A rabid bat likely got into his house and bit him, perhaps without his even being aware of it because such bites can have the size and appearance of a pin prick.

Kevin Galvin, 63, of the Barnstable village of Marstons Mills died Monday at Massachusetts General Hospital, according to the Cape Cod Times. State and local public health officials would not confirm the cause of death, The Times reported.

His obituary did not specify a cause of death, but the Times obtained his death certificate at Boston City Hall on Friday. The certificate listed rabies encephalitis as the cause of death.

Since 1995, rabid bats have been responsible for 32 of the 33 cases of rabies in those contracted the illness in this country and died, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Nevertheless, simply finding a bat in your home “should not necessarily be a cause for alarm and does not necessarily mean that an exposure to rabies has occurred,” said Jennifer L. Manley, a spokesperson for the state Department of Public Health. “Less than 1 percent of bats in the wild are likely to be infected with rabies at any given time.”

Rabies Signs and Symptom

• CDC: What are the signs and symptoms of rabies?

Rabies, which attacks the central nervous system of an infected person or animal, is caused by a virus spread through saliva. The illness has been known for at least 4,000 years.

Rabies in bats was first detected in Massachusetts in 1961. Raccoon rabies appeared in Massachusetts in 1992, and that form has also spread to skunks and foxes.

The number of rabies-related human deaths in the United States has declined from more than 100 annually in the early 1900s to one or two a year now.

Modern-day treatment following an exposure to the virus is nearly 100 percent effective. However, if the infection goes untreated, as it did with the man in Barnstable, once the symptoms appear, rabies is nearly always fatal.

In December, a Montague man was bitten by a fox that tested positive for rabies. However, treatment, which involves a series of shots, was immediate, and the man is expected to recover.

According to the Centers for Disease Control website, “In the United States, human fatalities associated with rabies occur in people who fail to seek medical assistance, usually because they were unaware of their exposure.”

That is what makes a bite or scratch from a rabid bat such a concern; it may go unnoticed because bat teeth are small and razor sharp, and a bite or scratch may leave a barely visible mark.

While bat populations have been declining in the region because of a fungal infection that afflicts them called white-nose syndrome, bats, such as the little brown bat, are still abundant, and they often seek shelter in homes to overwinter and can emerge in living areas.

In 2010, nearly 700 bats that were found dead or captured in homes were submitted to the state lab for testing, and about 2 percent were found to be rabid. Bats living in the wild are thought to have a lower rate of infection.

Manley said, “Any direct contact with a bat should be evaluated for an exposure.”

“In addition, situations in which a bat bite might go undetected should also be evaluated as possible exposures,” she said. “Such situations include finding a bat in the same room as a deeply sleeping person, an unattended child, a mentally incapacitated individual, an intoxicated person or a pet.”

And if you are bitten or scratched by any animal, state health officials advise washing the wound with soap and water for 10 minutes and then calling your health care provider to determine if you need to be treated for a rabies exposure.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Bat in Box Prompts Rabies Concern, Health Department Says Man Showed Bat to People Last Week

An unusual sight in downtown Providence last week as an unidentified man was in Kennedy Plaza, showing off a bat he had in a box.

It happened around 8:45 in the morning on January 23rd.

"This bat, we don't know if it had rabies or not", says Peter Hanney, Department of Health spokesperson. "So out of an abundance of caution we're asking people to please give us a call at the Department of Health."

Health officials were first alerted to the incident by a health care provider who treated two people who came in contact with the bat.

"Two individuals were treated, one for a bat bite and the other for suspected rabies exposure. They informed the health care provider that they received this from a bat in a box from an individual in Kennedy Plaza," adds Hanney.

Health officials say they're concerned about the incident because five percent of all bats have rabies and bat rabies is extremely contagious.

"There's different types of rabies, and the bat strain is really contagious. It doesn't need to be from a bite. It can be just from the saliva if it gets into any mucous membranes or small cuts that you may have on you, you can contract rabies that way too. left untreated it is deadly," says Hanney.

The unidentified man who originally had the bat in a box is in his 50's, about six feet tall with a beard and he was wearing glasses at the time.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Bats Disturbing High School

They're baaack. Bats are lurking in a Charlotte-area high school and it's not the first time.

Students first spotted one bat in a classroom at North Mecklenburg High School before Christmas break. The building was evacuated and the problem was supposedly taken care of. But Monday morning before school, a staffer found another one.

The N Hall is a building on campus that normally houses six classes. It’s closed and quarantined after the health department removed eight bats from inside.

Senior Guy McCrary admitted he’s grossed out. Other students are, too. But they’re not surprised because North Mecklenburg High is 60-years-old.

“It does freak you out. Bats, rabbits, cockroaches, mice—what’s next,” he added.

“They keep finding more and more. I don't feel safe with my daughter back in that hall,” said one student’s mother, who did not want to be identified.

Principal Matt Hayes says when they closed the hole the first time around, some bats were trapped inside.

“By closing the hole, other bats were hiding. We had bats hiding. Now that we closed the hole they don’t have an exit point,” he said.

Instead, he says there is a one-way door to flush them out. In addition, CMS has removed all ceiling tiles to verify there are no other holes.

The problem, they say, is that bats only need a hole the size of a nickel to squeeze through. A private pest control company is working with CMS to get rid of the bats and students are expected to be allowed back in those classrooms on Monday.

A health department spokesman says they tested one bat and it came back negative for rabies. He says they don’t have to test all of the bats because no one came in contact with the others.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Bat Terrorizes Passengers on Airplane

A bat got loose on an Atlanta-bound flight, forcing horrified passengers to duck for cover.

The flying mammal appeared about 15 minutes after Delta flight 5121, operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines, took off from Madison, Wis., on Friday, and cruised around the cabin above passengers' heads.

“The captain called the control tower to say the plane was returning to the airport to remove a winged animal,” said Brent McHenry, spokesperson for the Dane County Regional Airport in Madison.

A passenger near the rear of the plane shooed the bat into the restroom and shut the door, to the cheers of fellow riders, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. But McHenry said that by the time the plane landed and all passengers got off, it seemed to have vanished. As airport maintenance staff searched the plane, however, a bat flew out and into the terminal, he said. From there, workers coaxed it out to freedom.

“Our terminal has high ceilings, and it’s not unusual to have a bird flying around inside,” said McHenry. “But the bat created a bit of entertainment for our early morning passengers as maintenance crew members with a large net ushered it outside.”

After a delay of a few hours, passengers were able to re-board continue on to Atlanta.

Jarek Beem, spokesperson for Atlantic Southeast Airlines, said the airline was “confident in the maintenance search and that the animal was no longer on the aircraft at the time of the next departure.”

Source – nbcnews.com

George Williams
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

click on image to enlarge

The customer gets an occasional bat inside the home. They have no attic though? Then they moved a vent pipe in the upstairs bathroom and this black debris fell out and it looked like mouse poop? I obviously told them that this is bat guano and there was a considerable amount. Then I showed them the stains in their soffets around the perimeter of their house. They never thought those stains were from bats, they thought it was rust or from the wood.

Based on the picture you can tell there is a considerable amount of guano inside the soffet. The bats were getting inside the soffet through the rake board siding which did not form a tight seal with the soffet. This very small and inconspicuous void was all the bats needed to use the soffet as their little cave.

EHS sealed all the roof line voids and installed one-way doors (bat cones) to allow the bats to humanely exit the soffet. We returned one week later to remove the one-way doors and complete the exclusion. Another successful EHS bat job and a very thankful customer!

Justin McDavid
Wildlife Specialist
Environmental Health Services, Inc.

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

Small Colony of Bats Triggers Preschool Evacuation

Colin Ross couldn’t tell if the animal was real. It looked like a toy he had seen before. So he touched it, and it squeaked.

Then the 5-year-old boy walked to the front of the classroom to get his teacher’s attention. “I think I have a problem,” Colin said. “The rat bit me.”

Next came a phone call to the front office of the Children’s Garden Preschool in Shiremanstown, where at 10:30 that same morning a bat was found in the hallway. It wasn’t moving, but it was very much alive.

Two bats found in less than one hour on June 22. That triggered the preschool employees and more than 100 students to evacuate the building and call wildlife experts to remove a small colony of bats nesting in the attic.

“I just chalked the first bat up to being a freak thing,” said Crissy Switzer, the day care’s assistant director. “But then a teacher found another one.”

It was just after 11:15 a.m. when Colin’s teacher notified Switzer that she had found a bat in her classroom and that it might have bit Colin on the pinky finger. Switzer immediately had the children in the classroom moved to the Bible Baptist Church, one block away.

She didn’t waste any time and called Colin’s parents.

“Your son was bit by a bat,” she said.

There weren’t any doubts about that.

It took Heather Ross a few seconds to register what had happened: that her son had been bitten by a wild animal, that it triggered the evacuation of the classroom.

Calls from school usually mean sudden sickness, a fight or fall on the playground.

“When people hear the word ‘bat,’ they’re thinking baseball bat,” Heather said, “Not the animal bat.”

Heather raced to the school, where she found Colin eating lunch, his pinky finger already cleaned and bandaged by school staff. “There he was, happy as clam, none the wiser,” Heather said.

For Colin and his friends, it was an event, that rare and exciting moment that every so often transcends naptime, arts and crafts.

To his peers, the facts were clear: Colin had been bitten by a bat; therefore, he might turn into a vampire.

But while the children joked, Switzer made phone calls and gathered facts of her own. First to the Department of Health, who advised her to send Colin to the emergency room. “If you’re uninformed and you hear the word ‘bat,’ you’re automatically thinking that you’re going to need rabies shots,” said John Ross, Colin’s father.

But since the school had possession of the bat that bit Colin, the ER doctor said the bat should be tested for rabies before any shots were administered.

Switzer had called the Department of Agriculture, who advised her to take the bat to their labs for testing.

Doctors released Colin from the Harrisburg Hospital emergency room that afternoon with discharge papers citing “a possible bite.”

It would take time before the results came in.

MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM

It took a whole 15 minutes for Switzer to evacuate the almost 107 kids from the Children’s Garden to the Bible Baptist Church down the road. She didn’t have to do this, but it was her call.

“I continually asked if I needed to evacuate the premises, and everybody said no, no, no,” Switzer said. “But I decided to evacuate anyway.”

The school provided a blanket statement Thursday night to the parents, explaining about Colin’s bite and giving the option of keeping their kids home Friday.

Wildlife Conservation Officer Timothy Wenrich visited the Children’s Garden the next day and found two dead bats in the attic.

Based on the amount of feces covering the floors, Wenrich determined a small colony of big brown bats had taken the attic as its home.

Wenrich estimated there were 50 to 70 bats, about half as many as the average number of children attending the Children’s Garden daily. “This colony is pretty small,” Wenrich said. “The average for big brown bats is a couple hundred.”

The name “big brown bats” is deceiving because they only grow to the size of a mouse. It was no wonder why Colin mistook it for a rat.

When Switzer called the exterminator to have the bats removed, she met resistance. Since bats are in their mating season, the Pennsylvania Game Commission had to confirm that the species is not the endangered.

Exterminators are restricted by law from removing bats without a special permit. Wenrich was able to obtain one, allowing Switzer to hire an exterminator.

RELIEF

It was about the time Switzer hired an exterminator that Heather Ross could breathe again.

The Department of Agriculture had the results of rabies test on Colin’s bat. It was negative.

John and Heather Ross of Camp Hill said they couldn’t be happier. “Looking back, I don’t think there was anything that could’ve been done better,” John said of how the staff of the Children’s Garden handled the situation.