If you’ve ever found a bat in your attic or flying around your porch light, you’ve probably asked yourself: Are bats dangerous to humans? It’s a fair question, especially if you live here in Southern Louisiana, where bats are part of the local wildlife mix.
While bats can pose some health risks, they also play an important role in our ecosystems. So let’s take a closer look at the good, the bad, and what to do if you’ve got bats roosting a little too close for comfort.
Key Takeaways
• Bats can carry diseases such as rabies and histoplasmosis, making direct contact or exposure to their droppings a significant health risk.
• Most bats in Louisiana are beneficial insect-eaters and are not aggressive toward humans.
• Bat guano can release spores that may cause respiratory illness if disturbed during cleaning or removal.
• If bats are roosting in your home, professional removal and exclusion, paired with installing a bat house, offers a humane and safe solution.
Do bats pose a health risk to humans?
Most of the time, healthy bats are not dangerous. But like any wild animal, they can carry diseases, especially if they’re sick or feel threatened.
Rabies is one of the main concerns, a disease caused by the rabies virus that spreads through bites or bat saliva. Bat bites are often tiny and hard to notice, but if you wake up and find a bat in your bedroom, it’s worth calling a doctor, even if you’re not sure you were bitten. Medical professionals usually recommend a rabies vaccine series as a precaution.
Another lesser-known but real risk is histoplasmosis, a lung infection caused by inhaling spores found in bat droppings, also known as guano. This is more likely to be a concern in old buildings, attics, or barns with large bat populations. Bat guano can build up over time and stir up spores when disturbed, especially during cleaning or renovations.
What about coronavirus and bats?
Bats have gotten a lot of attention in recent years due to their possible connection to zoonotic diseases, diseases that spread from animals to humans, including strains of coronavirus.
While this research continues to evolve, there’s no evidence that handling a bat in Louisiana will give you COVID-19. That said, it’s smart to avoid direct contact and let the professionals handle it.
Are all bats dangerous?
Not all bats pose the same level of risk. Most of the species of bats in Louisiana are insect-eaters, not biters. Fruit bats and flying foxes, the bigger, tropical types you might see in places like Australia or South America, don’t live in the U.S., and vampire bats (yes, they exist) are also not found in our region.
Many of our local bats are healthy bats that help keep bug populations down. They’re especially good at eating mosquitoes, which makes them beneficial to have around, as long as they stay outside.
Why do bats roost in homes?
Bats are on the lookout for warm, dark, and quiet places to roost, especially when they’re hibernating or raising young. That’s why attics, soffits, and vents are common spots for bat roosts in Southern homes. Once they settle in, it’s not uncommon to find bat droppings accumulating under the roosting site.
If you’ve found dead bats around your property or notice an increase in droppings, it’s a sign that a colony may be nearby.
How to handle bats safely
Handling bats yourself is risky. Even experienced wildlife experts use protective gear and special tools like one-way doors for bat removal. These methods let bats fly out but keep them from coming back in. In Louisiana, you also need to be mindful of bat conservation laws that protect certain species during their maternity season.
If you discover bats in your attic, installing a bat house nearby can give them a new, safer place to live without harming the local ecosystems. Bat houses are easy to maintain and support bat conservation efforts by keeping them out of human structures.
What to do if you think you’ve been exposed
If you’ve had close contact with a bat, or worse, a bat bite, seek medical attention right away. Even if you’re not sure, doctors may suggest a rabies vaccine as a precaution. Don’t wait to see if symptoms develop.
And if you’ve been cleaning up guano, be cautious. Wear a mask to avoid inhaling any airborne pathogens and avoid disturbing large piles of bat guano without the right safety equipment.
Final thoughts
So, are bats dangerous to humans? They can be, but only under certain conditions. Most of the time, bats want nothing to do with you. They’re shy, nocturnal critters that do a lot of good for the environment, especially when it comes to pest control and helping pollinate plants.
Still, if you’ve got bats living in your attic or notice signs like bat droppings, don’t try to handle it on your own. Reach out to a licensed pest control professional with wildlife experience.
At LaJaunie’s Pest Control, we know how to safely and humanely evict bats from your home while protecting both your family and the bats. We’ve handled bat removal all across Southeastern Louisiana; whether you’re in Thibodaux, Houma, or Baton Rouge, we’re just a call away.
