IONIA COUNTY, Mich. — Rabies-infected bats are being reported across West Michigan, with the two most recent cases confirmed Thursday in Muskegon and Ionia counties.
Of the 50 animals confirmed rabies-positive in Michigan this year, 49 have been bats and one has been a skunk, according to Michigan Department of Health and Human Services rabies map.
Pest Pros, a locally owned pest and wildlife control company
handles a wide range of pest and wildlife issues.
"We do termites, cockroaches, bedbugs, all type and manner of wildlife: bats, squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, possums, skunks, beavers. So, yeah, there's there's a lot," Sorrentino said.
Bats have kept the company especially busy this year. says Tony Sorrentino, director of business development for Pest Pro, saying this time of year, bat and human interactions tend to increase.
"Because the the juveniles don't know the best way to get out of the house and will inadvertently wind up in the living areas cohabitating with humans. And so we run into problems there," Sorrentino said.
Bats don't need much space to enter a home. Sorrentino said homeowners should pay close attention to several vulnerable areas.
"There's roof top work that that happens along the soffits, the gable vents, the roof returns, dormers, dormer ends. There along the chimney there's gaps. If there's a gap of a 5/8 of an inch, a bat can get its whole body in there," Sorrentino said.
There are also telltale signs that a bat may already be inside.
"Accumulated guano directly below the entry. There may be sebum staining. Sebum is body oils, and they as they drag their little bodies into those small openings, they'll tend to leave some of that body oil behind," Sorrentino said.
If you suspect bats have found a way in, Sorrentino recommends calling a professional. Pest Pros focuses on removing bats and preventing their return.
"We focus on eviction and exclusion, so we're going to kick them out, and then we're going to seal them out so they can't get back in," Sorrentino said.
That process starts with a thorough inspection.
"We're identifying gaps, cracks, crevices, structural deficiencies, anything that could be an entry point or could potentially be an entry point would be flagged, and then we typically will get to work sealing that up," Sorrentino said.
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