Q: A new neighbor has bats in the chimney. How do we find someone to remove them?
Salisbury, Md.
A: First, your neighbor should make sure it’s really bats. Although they do occasionally roost in old chimneys, it’s rare for them to locate in modern ones, said John Simpkins, one of the owners of Mid-Atlantic Wildlife Control in Edgewood (443-417-3137; midatlanticwildlifecontrol.com). “Ninety-nine percent of people who say they have bats in chimneys have chimney swifts,” he said.
How to tell if it’s bats or birds? Go outside at dusk and watch the flight direction. Bats head out at dusk to feed, while chimney swifts head in to roost.
If the creatures are chimney swifts, just wait a few weeks and they will leave on their own. Chimney swifts migrate to South America for the winter and don’t return until April. By then, your neighbor can have the chimney capped — or look forward to hosting these intriguing birds again. Chimney swifts are never around during fireplace season, so having the chimney cleaned in the fall eliminates the risk that the nests will block airflow. The babies do chatter as they beg their parents for food, with sound level highest during the last two weeks before they fly from the nest. But in return for putting up with that, anyone who hosts these birds gets great insect control and a close-up look at a fascinating species.
Read more at the Washington Post
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