Going batty

[ratbag455]

My ten year old daughter complained recently of 'crickets' keeping her awake, which is impossible where we live. I have heard a similar sound in the early hours on two occasions, and this morning our cat brought us a 'gift', a small bat:: is it at all possible bats are responsible for the unusual nocturnal noises? All help much appreciated.

[paddywak]

Yes they make audible noise especially in large numbers. Unfortunatley if you have them in your house there is very little you can do as they are protected, If they are nesting in your house I can only suggest you contact the council and find out just how you stand legally

[Cetti]

Ring the Bat Conservation Trust Helpline on 0845 130 0228. They will know the correct procedure as all bats are highly endangered and also as paddywak has said ,totally protected.

Please let us know the outcome if possible.

[YvonneM]

Not just the bats their habitat is also protected. If they are in your roof space it will be registered as a bat roost. It is most probably a breeding colony of females and their young together with immature males. Several years ago a neighbour had them and the bat conservationist came and caught one in a net to weigh it and she had a sonic sound thingy so she could count them leaving the roost at dusk to hunt for food she counted 120 some of the females stay behind and look after the babies in a creche.

[YvonneM]

PS they only stayed for 2 years

[pastafreak]

How exciting!....I would be up late looking for sitings of the bats..fascinating!!

[Rtaxron]

I would just kill them, they can carry rabies.
Why are they protected, they don't do anything for the environment, same as wasps?

[Ice.Maiden]

Bats DO help with the environment...
The foods that bats eat make bats crucial to the preservation of most of the Earth's ecosystems. Insect-eating bats typically consume about half their own weight in insects during a night's hunting. Without this occurring, the insect population could explode, threatening crops and the balance of nature. Bats that eat fruit disperse small seeds in their droppings, sometimes scattering them in locations far from the parent plant. Because many fruit-eating bats live in tropical areas, they play a vital role in maintaining such habitats as rain forests. Bats that eat nectar and/or pollen, carry pollen from flower to flower, helping to pollinate plants. Pollination makes it possible for the plant to produce fertile seeds that grow into new plants.

They hardly ever carry rabies either. Only 2 cases, in 1966 and 2002 were bats found to carry the EBLV 2 virus. Rabies-carrying bats are usually found abroad, have little contact with people and don't nest in houses.