Bat Infestation in Schools

We live in a very technological world these days. Parents are much more likely to whip out a smart phone and take a video of a bat infestation in schools and send it to the evening news than they are to call the school administration.

Seeing your school on the evening news with a video of bats flying out of the gymnasium is not how any school administrator wants to discover a bat infestation in their school.

We’ve handled this exact scenario before numerous times. So trust us when we say, everyone is going to share the blame in this situation. Echos of “why didn’t you catch this”, or “how did you not know about this” should already be ringing through your head.

Why Do Bats Like Schools?

Bat infestation in schools is not something anyone asks for. Our children should always be in a safe space while at school. However, bat infestation in schools is a LOT more common than most people realize.

This week alone (and it’s only Wednesday), we have found reports of two different schools in two different states being closed down due to bat infestations.

Richmond Senior High School in Rockingham, North Carolina sent students home early Monday and cancelled class for Tuesday and Wednesday upon discovery.

Fruithurst Elementary School in Fruithurst, Alabama also sent students home early on Monday and cancelled school through Wednesday. This instance was especially frightening as the bats were found in classrooms and hallways amongst the young children.

Bats like schools for a few reasons:

1. Modern construction standards are just not what they used to be. There are numerous openings for bats to exploit on a school building.
2. Schools are typically the tallest building around as they are often surrounded by houses. Bats go for the highest point around most of the time.
3. The bugs are plentiful in these areas. Schools often have a field, trees, and stagnant water due to uneven ground.

What Can You Do About Bat Infestation in Schools?

First and foremost, and I can not stress this enough, do not ignore the problem! Bats do not go away on their own and your problem will roughly double each year in the summer when pups are born.

Secondly, hire someone that knows what they are doing. Utilizing the maintenance staff you already employ might seem like a good cost saving measure. The sad reality of this, is that often, your on site maintenance will make the problem worse. They start sealing off where they think the bats are getting in, and end up driving them further inside the building. This results in potential contact with students. How much worse does that make the situation for you?

Onsite maintenance people are great for what you hired them for. General maintenance of your building. A bat infestation in schools is a much bigger problem than that. Many general pest control companies, like Orkin, refer bat removal work to us. Even in the pest control world, bat removal is a challenge.

The best way to minimize your costs, is to call in a professional before your bat infestation in schools becomes an emergency. Whether that is through bad media, student exposure, or a call from the department of health. Emergency services will undoubtedly cost you more.

Our commercial inspections will get you started on the right path to tackling your bat infestation problem right away. Call or click below today.

P.S. – We should also mention, that our services are 100% discreet if you are trying to avoid people finding out. We are also very experienced in handling media problems for you. Make sure that whoever you call for your bat infestation in schools problem can offer the same.

Your local bat removal expert,

Michael Koski