Finding Animal Droppings
Poop…pooh…scat…feces…excrement…dung…The list for that which exits the digestive tract of animals goes on and on.
And while this is a gross topic for many, it is very important in the nuisance animal removal world.
This is true because it is animal droppings surprisingly found around homes and yards which gets people to suspect they have a nuisance animal problem.
Second only to noises in attics and walls, the surprise find of animal poop somewhere it is not expected gets people investigating.
One of the poops people find which puts them on high alert is bat poop, otherwise known as bat guano.
Bat Poop = Bat Guano
Squirrel poop is just squirrel poop. Raccoon poop is just raccoon poop.
Bat poop, however, is much more sophisticated in that it is correctly referred to as guano by many. Don’t let this confuse you.
Guano is term coined in South America hundreds of years ago and usually refers to large concentrations of bird or bat poop.
Finding lots of bird or bat poop concentrated on nesting islands or in caves, people collected this fecal matter and used it for fertilizer. Guano fertilizers became of huge part of many agricultural enterprises and are still used by many for fertilizer today.
The guano industry story is definitely more in depth and interesting but, suffice to say, the term guano has stuck with bat droppings and is prevalent in our version of the English language we use today.
So the next time you hear someone mention the term guano remember:
- It can be applied to the droppings of birds or bats
- It is associated with the fertilizer use of these animals
- You can say bat poop instead of bat guano and be correct
Bat Guano Important Part of Bat Removal
This topic is relevant this week because many homeowners here in the Akron, Canton, Kent, OH have become aware of their bat problems because of the presence of bat guano.
Bats may be a little tougher to actually spot because of their nocturnal habits and hard to get to roosting spots. But, often, accumulated piles of bat droppings are quite easy to spot. These let homeowners know there is a problem.
We’d like to show you a couple of videos Ryan recently took while doing inspections. Both of them illustrate a build-up of bat guano indicative of bats roosting in these spaces for multiple years. The first is in an attic. The second is in a soffit.
Here’s the other video of bat guano build-up:
As you can see in these two videos, because bats use the same roosting spots year after year, bat guano build-up can be impressive.
Bat Removal and Bat Guano
Finding bat guano is important for us during an inspection because it informs us about extent of the problem. It gives us insight into whether this is a new or old problem.
Guano build-up adds undesigned loads to soffits and ceilings which can be bad for them. And, where bats poop, they also urinate. These same areas where bat guano builds up often show the ill effects of bat urine exposure as well.
Keeping them out stops the build-up of poop and urine and is the goal.
Many people also want to know if bat guano is dangerous. It can be, but not very likely in most circumstances. Under some conditions a fungus which causes histoplasmosis CAN grow on it. IF that fungus is growing on the guano pile AND the pile is disturbed AND spores are released AND you breathe these spores in AND your immune system is in a weakened state, you could be affected and contract histoplasmosis; a disease which typically effects the lungs.
But, since much bat guano is in an unused attic or soffit, there is usually little risk of exposure.
That said, don’t turn bat guano into dust by scooping it or tromping through it and then take deep breaths. That would be foolish. If you have to work around it (removal, electrical, work, insulation work, siding, etc.), standard respiratory and skin protection like a respirator, goggles, and gloves usually suffice. If you are going to be directly involved with it, take a few precautions and you’ll be good to go.
With that said, beware of anyone doing a bat inspection that states you need a complete attic insulation removal and guano removal because of a health hazard. This is an all too common occurrence in the industry by operators looking to capitalize on fear and fatten their wallets.
Remember, stopping the bats from re-roosting in the area is the goal. This will take care of multiple issues. And, unless you or someone else is actually going in and distrubing the bat guano, there is no real health necessity to remove it.
Help with Bats | Akron, Canton, Kent, Ohio
If you’ve found bat guano and would like some help with your bat problems, please give us a call.
We can help make you structure bat proof and give you sensible guidance on the areas already affected by bats.
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