ORLANDO, FLA. (WSVN) - A different set of neighbors have moved into an apartment complex in Orlando, and they are quite a noisy nuisance, but it’s the season of federal protection, so they’re not going anywhere.
Cameras captured scratching and flapping from inside a homeowner’s ceiling. The critters making the racket are bats.
Cellphone video captured the nocturnal creatures flying from the roof of the building.
“Oh, hell no,” a woman is heard saying.
Nevertheless. the flying mammals are protected year-round in Florida. It’s illegal to harm or kill them, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
In addition, for four months out of the year, during bat maternity season, property owners are not even allowed to remove them from their homes if they’re dealing with an infestation.
So regardless of where the bats build their roosts, they’re basically untouchable.
Derrick Clay is the manager of a wildlife removal company.
“Anything after April 15 and before August 15, we can’t do anything,” he said.
Clay said their customer waiting list to address bat infestations is currently about a mile long.
“Thousands, thousands out in the area, for sure,” he said.
But come Aug. 16, it’s go time for Clay and his crew. They’ll be armed with little plastic eviction cones.
“It’s a bat valve. Yes, it’s made specifically for bats,” he said.
Clays said he and his crew will aim at giving folks some relief from the winged squatters.
“We put this part on the actual part of the home, screw it on to the house,” he said. “The bats come out of this portion, they fly out every night, but they can’t get back into this.”
The bat valves stay on for about a week, giving the critters enough time to humanely get out and move on.
While bats help the ecosystem by pollinating plants, dispersing seeds and controlling insects, FWC officials said they can also pose health risks, in addition to rabies.
“Bats carry all types of diseases, most notably histoplasmosis. It can get in the attics and stay up there, it can affect the breathing and all that good stuff,” said Clay.
Clay advises homeowners to ensure their properties are properly sealed to prevent future bat invasions, since they can enter through openings as small as a quarter of an inch.
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