Bats are a fairly frequent pest in New England. The most common species are the little brown bat and the big brown bat. Both are efficient insect predators. They are pests when they enter structures to roost. They are frequently found in attics. Other bats are rare and seldom enter human structures. There are no vampire bats in New England, but there are some other species that eat fruit and some that eat other bats.

Bats can carry rabies, and can also bring in batbugs, which are similar to human bedbugs and which will act like bedbugs if bats are not available. So, when bats are removed, the area where they roosted should be thoroughly cleaned and examined for batbugs by a professional.

Little Brown Bats

Little brown bats are the most common bat in our area. Adults are between 3 and 3-1/2 inches long. They look for nesting places in the spring and can be noisy when they move around inside an attic or other void. Like mice, they can squeeze through very small openings. They should be trapped and removed by a professional, and all entry points should be sealed when after they are removed. Bat nests should be removed because they can contain other pests that can look for new victims once their bats are gone.

Big Brown Bats

Adult big brown bats are between 4 and 5 inches long. Like little brown bats, they fly out at night and eat night-flying insects. They have their young in the spring. Removal methods are the same as that for the little brown bat.