Bats make a big mess in this Monroe, NJ attic

Challenge

A Monroe homeowner, a regular customer of Cowleys throughout the years, had contacted us. She was hearing wildlife noises in the attic, and was extremely worried. When I arrive at her home, her nervousness was palpable as she explained to me the problem upstairs. We reviewed when she heard the noises, the sounds, and how long this was going on for. After listening to her description, I assured her that there was no need to worry anymore, and that Cowleys would resolve her attic wildlife problem.

I knew exactly where to start. First thing, I grabbed my flashlight and headed straight up into the attic to find out what I was dealing with. With wildlife infestations, you often find evidence of the infestation before locating the critters themselves. This job was no different. The first evidence I saw of an infestation was a massive pile of droppings on a floored area of her attic. From my experience, the droppings were easily identifiable as guano (bat feces). Although bats are small creatures, because of their numbers, copious quantities of guano can quickly accumulate. As I continued my inspection throughout the rest of the attic, I found multiple areas of these droppings. Bat guano resembles rodent droppings, and tends to cluster as it piles up in the same locations. Their droppings are often shiny and speckled because of their insect diet. Also, bats often leave milky white urine stains on windows, and smears of grease and dirt from their coats. The good news here is that there were no baby bats nesting. All of the bats were out of the attic and all that was left was their toxic mess.

Solution

After completing my inspection, I showed the home owner pictures of the droppings and all of the places in the attic where bats could hide. I told her that the next step would be to bat-proof the home by finding and sealing the entry points and vacuum, sanitize, and deodorize the attic until all remnants of a bat infestation were gone. I explained to the homeowner that bat guano can be a very dangerous health threat because of its toxic fungi. If guano particles are inhaled, they can cause histoplasmosis, a serious lung disease. Guano should only be removed by trained technicians using personal protective equipment. The homeowner was visibly relieved that she now knew what the problem was, and that Cowleys had once again come to the rescue.

Her old insulation was also damaged by the bats and the level of insulation was not where it should be. The homeowner agreed that it was a good time to remove the old insulation and re-insulate her home, especially since she was going to try to sell it. She did not want the insulation to be an issue. She asked to set up a meeting with one of our insulation specialists. Cowleys is licensed to install TAP Pest Control Insulation, an environmentally safe, ENERGY STAR designated, fire retardant loose-fill cellulose insulation. TAP stands for Thermal, Acoustical, and Pest Control. This insulation offers superior thermal and acoustical (sound-deadening) properties as well as a pest control component. The paper fibers are treated with a borate solution that is harmless to people, but lethal to many insects including ants, beetles, and termites.

This homeowner had experienced the quality of Cowleys services in the past, and she was pleased that she could also use Cowleys for the insulation work after the bat infestation is resolved. After Cowleys, the final result will be a pleased homeowner who has an attic free of wildlife and their droppings and odors, as well as expertly installed top-quality attic insulation that will add value in many ways, including savings on heating and cooling bills.