Who’s to say you have either?
I’ve had to give some advice today on bats and mice. Now, how do you tell the difference between one poo and another?
Yes it’s interesting isn’t it?
Now I’ve had plenty of experience with this – bats are fine. They live in all sorts of environments and they live in many places without the occupiers ever even knowing.
This is a common question asked because surveyors have to mention it if they suspect it, that’s what they are paid to do.
On a serious note, if your buyer is really concerned about mice and bats then this is what I would suggest you do.
Firstly, establish whether the droppings are indeed those of mice or bats.
Depending on the species bat droppings look very similar to mice droppings.
Mice droppings are hard and bat droppings crumble if you rub them between your fingers – well it makes sense because the droppings are compiled of digested insects.
Now the other thing is that both mice and bat droppings will hang around for years so who’s to say they are present right now?
To check for mice just put a biscuit in the roof space and go back a day later – if it’s been nibbled then clearly there are mice about.
If not then you can be pretty sure they are not in residence right now.
If you find crumbling droppings and you can’t see any bats resting but you still aren’t sure then leave a couple of sheets of white paper where the existing droppings are and leave for a few days – clearly if there are bats in residence then you will find the droppings and test for crumbling.
Mice can be eradicated quite easily if you really must.
With bats you will need to consult a bat expert because they are protected. Depending on the species and when they are roosting you can block any holes up when they have gone but it really isn’t easy. These beautiful creatures live nicely in all sorts of crevices and tight spaces all around us.
If it were me I’d find out more about these creatures and put a bat box up.
The only time bats would cause a real problem is when you wanted to demolish or carry out extensive maintenance on a building and it was clear that bats are present – clearly you can’t just disrupt a family of bats that are protected, you have to follow very strict guidelines.
If you would like further clarification I can put you in touch with our pest control expert.
I hope that helps.
Paul
