Keep Yourself Healthy with Guano Cleanup in Colorado

Bat guano cleanupWhy would a bat guano cleanup be necessary? The little brown bat (most common bat in North America) can eat as many as 1,200 mosquitoes in one hour! A nursing little brown bat mother can eat more than her body weight nightly (up to 4,500 insects). A bat with this level of consumption generally means it will leave 20-30 droppings per day.

And what does all this mean to you? If you have a colony of bats living in your house and each of them is leaving 20 droppings per day in the attic, it adds up quickly. Bats are natural carriers of the Histoplasmosis capsulatum fungus, which is excreted in their droppings. This fungus can cause dangerous infections, which is why guano accumulation can become a health hazard. It also marks your home as a potential habitat for other bats and animals, and it smells bad in the summer heat. The droppings and urine are corrosive to wood and metal, and they can compromise the structural integrity of the building. These all negatively affect the value and investment you have made in your home.

Cleaning out Guano

Bat guanoWhen a colony is allowed to live inside a building, the droppings will accumulate, which becomes a risk to anyone who enters the roost site or disturbs the material. If the accumulation is in a location that will not be disturbed, than a warning sign should be posted, warning anyone who may accidentally disturb the material of the health risk.

Cleaning out an area that has an accumulation of guano is hazardous and can have serious medical implications and is therefore considered a biohazard clean out. Special steps are taken to reduce our exposure to contaminants and diseases.

Our technicians are trained to remove guano while minimizing the chances of spreading Histoplasmosis spores. Our personal protection equipment includes wearing disposable clothing or protective suits, eye protection and respirators with filters measuring one micron. The guano is disposed of in accordance with local and state laws, and additional decontamination sprays are used. Please note that these sprays will help reduce residual smells and contaminants, but that there are not currently any products or chemicals registered by the EPA that specifically claim effectiveness against Histoplasmosis.

The Risk of Bat Bugs

We also recommend that homeowners have their pest control company help them determine if treating the house for bat bugs is appropriate. Bat bugs are commonly found in the presence of bats and accumulations of guano. Bat guano cleanup is always done after the bats have been excluded or migrate. Exclusion can be scheduled any time after August 15, through the winter, and before the return from migration, but cannot be done during “baby season” (April to August), as the young will die inside your home.

Infestations of bat bugs are important to treat, as they may bite people once the bats have been removed and the clean out performed. We recommend that homeowners contact their pesticide application provider to help determine your options for bat bug Remediation.

Beneficial Bats 120 #C Park Street
Gypsum, CO 81637
Phone: (970) 524-5945
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