Q. My neighbor just told me that she found a bat in her upstairs bedroom last week! I’ve seen some bats flying at night outside in our yard. Should I be worried that the same thing could happen to us?

A. It’s not a common occurrence. Bats don’t intentionally try to enter the living spaces of a home. A bat can end up inside a home in one of two ways. It either accidentally found its way in from outside, or there are bats nesting somewhere in the house (usually the attic) and this bat took a wrong turn. Often it’s a young bat that blunders into a living area.

In summer, young bats are just learning to fly. They can become confused, get lost, and end up entering buildings through an open door or window, or through an unused fireplace. Mature bats sometimes accidentally enter buildings in spring or fall when they are moving between winter roosts and maternity roosts. The wayward bat doesn’t want to be inside your home any more than you want it to be there!

Usually, the bat will leave on its own if you give it a little help (don’t touch the bat though). Try to confine it to one room by closing doors. Open a window or outside door in that room. If it’s dark, dim inside lights to help the bat find the opening. If there’s too much light, the bat may hide behind drapes, or curtains, or pictures. The bat should find its way out by following the movement of outside air. If that doesn’t work, call Colonial. We have specialized trapping techniques for bats. We are fully certified and licensed to perform live bat removal and all trapped bats are live-released away from your home.

Bats are beneficial creatures; they eat lots of flying insects like mosquitoes. They won’t attack you or harm you but they can bite if you handle them. And they can carry rabies. Just coming into contact with the saliva of an infected bat can transmit rabies. So be smart; leave the handling and the trapping to the professionals.

Our experts at Colonial can do a thorough inspection of your house and attic to determine if roosting bats are a problem, and if so, where they are entering. Bat removal should always be combined with bat exclusion, the sealing of all openings that bats can use to get into an attic or other area. We permanently seal all bat entry points on your home and our bat exclusion work is guaranteed for 7 years! For more information on our bat removal and exclusion services, see Bat Removal under Services on our website.