Bat benefits and problems

I read a post in the dengue fever thread about bats eating mosquitos. Bats may eat mosquitos, but they also create bacterial problems when they live in areas of dwellings that are not able to be cleaned regularly.

Years ago, I repaired the roofs on a number of condos where bats s been entering in the roof overhangs and then scurrying around in between the roof laminates and the interior ceilings, which had been annoying the residents.

The management had tried everything known to man to deter the bats. They had installed foil strips and compressed balls hanging from the exterior soffits and insecticide pellets to deter the bats.

They even brought in an eco friendly rodent specialist to solve the problem without harming the bats. The bats continued to bother the residents and defecate under the roof laminates, on the wood ceilings and then when the wood seasonally expanded, the bat excrement fell inside the condos.

After inspecting the areas where the bats had been entering, I realized I would need to remove the roofing laminates and fill the void where the critters were living.

I suggested to the condo owners who wanted the bats to go away, that they should consider adding some improvements, like ceiling fans and lights, while I was up there solving their bat problem.

First, I removed the metal roofing laminates and discovered a lot of bat excrement and lots of dead insects that fed off this filth. So we cleaned the filth and then installed thick plastic over the tongue and grooved wood ceiling strips (tablilla) that were nailed into the rafters.

This plastic would now keep dirt from entering the rooms below through the wood ceilings that contract and expand with changes in humidity.

Next, I installed 4″ thick fiberglass insulation over the plastic, which filled the void between the metal roofing laminates and the rafters. Once the roofing laminates were screwed back down, the fiberglass insulation took up the space where the bats previously entered.

The fiberglass insulation has a coarse surface that is abrasive and deters rodents that come in contact with it. This solved the bat intrusion problem and the R-19 fiberglass insulation provided heat and noise barriers, which allows the residents to hear their music and television when it rains.