By the way, it is bats. The critter guys came and indeed we have a colony nesting under a loose shingle in the back of the house. To further protect their brood they have gnawed a hole in the wall which is why we can hear the scuttling and tweeting so clearly inside.
Bats are protected so their nests cannot be cleared out (interpret that as you may.) They will remain safe and sound until mid-August when all kinds of nonsense will take place. We will basically hint that perhaps they have overstayed their welcome and then install a contraption to discourage their reentering their/our home.
This will take place after our return from a house in Colorado where sightings of mice, voles, bears and mountain lions are not uncommon.
Did I mention that I have a headache?
Bat images found here.
While bats are really cool, and I believe you will come to miss the little creatures, I ask for your forebearance while in Colorado.
My youngest is a forest fire fighter near Lake George, and I worry about him constantly. No fires please!!!
Oh, boy, fun not!
Beautiful bats and, boy, do you have a headache!
Oh!oh!oh, poor Mrs B.a headache- but no loss of wit and humour… no bat jokes from me. la
Ew. We had tiny little field mice in a wall once, but they were easy to get rid of. I still felt sorry for them though… nesting in our house was a really bad decision on the part of Mr and Mrs Mouse.
Hope you can find a way to "enjoy" your bats while they last!
Oh no! Several years ago we had friends who had bats that made their way into the attic of their home. They were able to have someone come and get them out.
Well, you've been right all along. Maybe they are exacerbating your headache, maybe you are allergic. If so, is there a clause that would enable you to send them packing before August? 🙂
They are intriguing, but I am so scared of them. I had one get in a house I lived in, it took all I had to open the door and hide so it could leave. Strange, I am so much larger than a bat or a mouse, they both instill the fear of God in me.
Patricia, you were right about those nocturnal sounds!!!
Sounds like Mr B owes you a make-up present*cough*, jewelry…
I should have mentioned we have had bats before. We had a large colony living in the attic a few years ago which we discovered when they began exploring inside. I have respect for most creatures and appreciate their particular roles; I just wish they would stay outside the dream house.
Toad, no fires, promise. The house has been in Mr. Blandings's family almost 100 years; everyone is very connected and very careful.
Linda, I couldn't agree more.
Oh dear. Better get a large bottle of gin for the summer.
Bats are terrific, at catching bugs, and I'm happy to let them live in woodpiles, holes in trees, migratory bat caves etc… just not in the house. Might've been better not to know for a few months.
You are funny.
Sounds like the bats have good taste, too. Sorry about the intrusion. I hate snakes (I know, I know) so what do I do? Build stones terraces and walls: mouse condos. Who likes mice? Snakes! I try to appreciate the ecosystem, but EEEEKS! Have a good time in Colorado, maybe the climate will be better for the sinus thing. My husband swears by a twice a day saline (Neilmed) gargle (that would be a gentle word for nose snort). He says it was THE THING that helped him get past his three month headache.
balsamfir – generous amounts of wine and vodka (not together) seem to helping.
HBD – It was nice of you to create a snake buffet – eeeks, indeed. I have been introduced to the neti pot -similar to what you are prescribing – and I am a fan. Unfortunately, the sinus cavity that is causing the problem is further back. There are hints of surgery, but I am ignoring them.
I grew up in a house where this was a constant battle at the old chimmneys, turrets, and the fifth (unfinished) floor. It was a nightmare at first. In later years we became used to the shots, removal people, police, and insundry others who had to get involved with the old house and her many would-be inhabitants. It kept things lively and we always made doubly good use of our tennis rackets.
Mrs. Blandings,
We had bats in our home in Boston. When the creatures ventured out of their home and into our living spaces we were able to have them relocated. The idea that the bats could have been exposed to rabies was enough for the "bat police" to remove them… humans and a dog were at risk. We had the help of the West Newton police to capture the things flying around in my dining room. Our dog went on a vacation until the police were sure he hadn't been exposed to anything.
Sooooo sorry it isn't as cut and dry a subject in your home.
How about putting in a bat house near the space they are getting into your home… for the post eviction?
Wine does help when one needs to whine.
So sorry about the headache!!! Ouch.. and everyone home for the summer doesn't help. I know that this sounds corny, but my sinuses are much better when I take green tea capsules everyday and acupuncture seems to open them up, also. Hope that the bats simply raise their babies and them depart while you are in Colorado.
While they aren't as bad as having a nest of wasps… still, they are a little creepy. We had a nest last summer outside the back exit. I found myself always covering my neck when I scurried by. (I know they are harmless, but some things stick with you since childhood.) Good luck.
Vindication!
It is so funny that I saw this today. This morning on the way to Jr.'s swim lesson I was behind a Terminix truck and noticed something swinging from the ceiling as we drove along. When we stopped at an intersection, I realized that it was a huge BAT (as big as my Pomeranian). It had it's own little bar back there and appeared to have a leash on it's foot, like it was a pet or something! Ack!
Maybe the bats are there to desensitize you for the wildlife you may see on this season's trip to Colorado, which sounds like it will be a great vacation. Hope your headache gets better!
please be aware that bats in the KC area carry rabies.
Gahhh! I know they're hell on mosquitos, but still.
Mrs. E. had a Dachshund that hunted them. They swooped too low and that was that. Don't have a Dachshund or a neighbour with one do you?
I once dispatched a bat that had invaded the kitchen in college. It took me by surprise, swooping at my roommate who was on the phone, and I was carrying my fencing sabre… .
Shani – I would have given that van lots of space.
I have been battling bats since I bought my house…makes me…batty.
E&E – when we had them the last time Mr. B took one out with a tennis racquet, scooped it up with a towel and popped it into a cooler. As I stood at the bottom of the stairs. I'm just the idea guy.
Gosh! I am just dying for bats! I wish you could give them a forwarding address!
I belong to Bat Conservation International; and they are such beneficial animals. They eat millions of mosquitoes; in minutes!
I have a bat house here in Montecito..but no bats!
Maybe if you put up a bat house; they would move in when their babies grow up. Rabies is very rare. I am glad you are keeping them safe until the babies mature. I wish they would move to Montecito!
Bat Conservation International has website with lots of info and bat houses.
One friend told me to hang some chairs upside down and cover them with sheets! HA!
Mrs. Blandings!
I had to LOL! I too would have a headache!
Blessings…and a little nip!
EWEEEEEE! We used to have bats where I grew up and we'd chase them out with squash racquets!
Have you seen the size of the bats in the Sydney, Australia? Fruit bats that fly in the twilight… darn near the size of a small airplane, each one. They hang upside down off the trees in the Botanical Gardens.
After seeing them there, I understood where the cartoon images came from.
I'm having a giveaway at my blog, and I just love yours. I hope you might be able to stop by.
Penelope – I'd gladly crate my up and send them to you. We have one of the densest bat population for miles around right here in our neighborhood.
And we still have mosquitos.
I feel once our unwelcome houseguests make their departure in August we should celebrate with…batinis? batsuits? I'll draw up a few sketches and send out for more spandex
Mrs. B,
We are over-run with mosquitos this side of State Line. I had heard a bat house was just the thing. Maybe our town has mosquitos of the non-delicious variety.
I will now move to Plan B which is spray nozzles with cedar oil around the backyard. All else has failed. I demand my yard back!
Mrs. Jones
I think an e-mail or a call from SG would make it all better. A house call.
PvE
Tracy – it sounds like we could round up a whole party of bat landlords.
Mrs. Jones – we are over run with mosquitos, too, which means our bats are either lazy or anorexic. Good luck.
Patricia – any day of the week!
Biting my lip … tigers and lions and bats oh my…. hope your headache is gone Mrs. B…. that makes everything easier to take.
I have chased many a bat out of our Lake house with a tennis racket. It's more violent than I care to be and mostly made necessary by silly people who open screens. The most effective removal, which we have done for decades, is a clear plastic wastebasket and a sheet of stiff cardboard. Wait until the bat sleeps in the daytime, invariably hanging upside down on a wall, cover bat with wastebasket, taking care not to harm the rodent, slip cardboard between wastebasket and wall, and remove startled bat to outside. Finally wash hands and drink relaxing beverage.
I am more circumspect now, after a friend's experience. They awoke to a bat circling their bedroom in Vermont and coaxed the bat outside. They thought nothing of it until their daughter insisted they see a doctor. Apparently, while sleeping you can be bit by a bat and not be aware you have been bitten. Furthermore, the bite would be undetectable to a medical professional – no bite marks! Their doctor insisted they endure a course of rabies shots. Yikes!
This knowledge has given me something else to worry about, particularly as my little dog is off rabies shots, due to a severe reaction. That said, I console myself that I have never known any person or animal who has actually been bitten by a bat.
Hello Pat….Some info for you on
being bit by a bat. I was, two
weeks ago, during the night. Bat
must have flown in through fplc
in bdrm. Cat apparently injured
him somehow, but proceeded to bring
him to my bed. Luckily he was proud
and running around to wake me up!
Well, waking up, turning on light
and finding a bat on your bed is
enough for a heartattack for me!
I did the wastepaper basket,
cardboard trick, and ran it out
to my upstairs porch, and it
could not fly, but landed on my
walkway, below. Yikes. Next day
went to Emergency just because I
thought it might have bit me, and
am now on my tenth shot….yes
10th! After doctor discovered
what looked like "fang marks" on
my upper shoulder…she wouldn't
let me go home with out starting
on the rabies shots. I have two
more to go. People die from bat
bites, so if you think you may
"may" have been bitten, go get
them and don't take a chance.
Bonnie