Orkin and bats

[1skrewsloose]

Orkin was out today, don't know how many or how long they been here. Just noticed them this past spring, they're protected species, they caulked the living crap out of everything and put up a couple of bat doors. I'll watch them leave tonight and again in the morning look to see what kind of luck they have getting back in. They give me the heebie jeebies. I know they in general don't come after people, but still. Is $8k worth peace of mind? If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy! Seems like I'm getting hosed, but what else can I do?

Somewhat disturbing to get up to take a whiz in the middle of the night and see a bat in the toilet.

[Hawg]

Bats freak me out when in the house. Bats outside are good they eat the Michigan state bird

[stevekozak]

Bats freak me out when in the house. Bats outside are good they eat the Michigan state bird

Yep, my bat policy is the same as my spider policy: I think they are useful and essential but I don't want them in my house and will bring down great vengeance and furious
anger upon them if discovered there-in.....

[Texas PO]

My policy as well. Outside is fine, they eat the bugs. Inside, they die.

[shootbrownelk]

I've been battling the goddammn squirrels. Trying to chew their way into the house. The bastards chewed through a fiberglass window screen and they were trying to chow down on the grounds in my Mr.Coffee on the kitchen counter. I took them out and 48 others over the summer. I live trapped them and transported them miles away to release them. Didn't seem to work, and with the price of gasoline these days....now I shoot them and provide them with a proper burial....a plastic grocery bag and a trip to the dumpster.

[1skrewsloose]

One of guys who came out to do the bat thing says thay actually put out trail cams on the roof some places to get their trail habits.

[T-Man 1066]

I never had a bat in the house that I know of, but I went into the attached garage one day years ago, seen something flying towards me, ended up caught a bat mid-flight with my bare hand. Didn't realize it was a bat until I took a look. I says look here Mr Bat, the mosquitos are outside, you don't need to be hanging out in the garage trying to get my beer. So I tossed him outside. I did wash my hands real good before I grabbed the beer...

[Texas PO]

I have caught a couple of bats in the house over the years but I usually use a bath towel to ensnare them. They are known to carry rabies and I didn't want to get bit. One I killed because it just wouldn't stop trying to get loose. The other I tossed outside and away he went. I had one get into a bar I was at once, that was fun. All the ladies screaming and diving to the floor and the owner and a couple of other guys chasing it with pool cues. Bottles going everywhere overturned bar stools, it looked like the three stooges. I just sat at my table and laughed and laughed.

[T-Man 1066]

Chinese fire drill right there! Haha!

[1skrewsloose]

I think thats known as having very good hand eye coordination, something a machinist would have.

[1skrewsloose]

I've been watching them, they have to leave to eat every day, they find the only ways out through the bat doors but still think they can get back in through the old entry points. No joy for them. You have to keep up on things, the young try to return to where they were born for years.

[SparkyPrep]

Bats never bothered me. They are great at eating mosquitos. But, that doesn't mean I want them in my house, or barn, shitting all over everything.

[1skrewsloose]

Actually, after what I watched what they did, I thought, I paid $8k for this?? wtf was I thinking? They say they provide free call backs if needed for 5 years, Ha, the contract you sign says they charge $500 per year for that!! They try to blow it off as a breakdown of the pricing. Boy, do I feel like a dumbfuck.
2 guys were here for 4 hours, I had to loan them my caulking gun, use my ladder, use my impact screw driver. These people call themselves professionals?

I should have watched some youtube videos of how to do it. Not a happy camper!!! My fault for not doing more research.

The only thing that would have given me trouble was crawling thru the tiny access panel, accross the 2x4's without falling thru the ceiling to scoup out the bat poop.

[Texas PO]

Contractors who show up on the job site without the proper tools is unacceptable. I always told our service manager and crews that unexpected or unforeseen problems can be dealt with, but if you show up on a job without the proper tools to do the job, we are going to have a problem. There is no excuse.

[~MG~]

Actually, after what I watched what they did, I thought, I paid $8k for this?? wtf was I thinking? They say they provide free call backs if needed for 5 years, Ha, the contract you sign says they charge $500 per year for that!! They try to blow it off as a breakdown of the pricing. Boy, do I feel like a dumbfuck.
2 guys were here for 4 hours, I had to loan them my caulking gun, use my ladder, use my impact screw driver. These people call themselves professionals?

I should have watched some youtube videos of how to do it. Not a happy camper!!! My fault for not doing more research.

The only thing that would have given me trouble was crawling thru the tiny access panel, accross the 2x4's without falling thru the ceiling to scoup out the bat poop.

Opinions vary, but don't beat yourself up too much on this. Calculate what the cost would have been to repair your ceiling had you fallen through, or a trip to the hospital had you fallen off the ladder. They did the work, took the risk and liability had something gone very wrong; you now have a job done and a bat-free peace of mind. Fair deal, IMO.

[1skrewsloose]

Thank you, you're right, I don't feel comfortable getting over 8 feet up on ladder any more, money well spent, rather have some young punks break their neck than me.

[T-Man 1066]

100% agree with showing up with the right tools.

[1skrewsloose]

As they always do, they send a message asking how did we do, I don't want to beat up on little guy. Those guys do the best they can with what is given them.

[T-Man 1066]

As they always do, they send a message asking how did we do, I don't want to beat up on little guy. Those guys do what they do the best they can with what is given them.

As I got older, I try not to chew the ass of the first person on the phone if the issue is outside of their control. If it is their issue, then the ass gets chewed for sure.

[1skrewsloose]

No shit, whoever answers the phone is most likely one of the lowest paid worker in the company reading off a script with pre-written answers to questions.

[Dwight]

Fortunately . . . bats here are few and far between.

We have some little dark colored birds . . . they swoop in and around the porch if I leave the light on . . . eating bugs by the mouthful.

If I'm on my mower and kick up the skeeters . . . 6 or 10 of them will come diving in . . . 12 inches from my nose . . . grabbing them on the fly.

I love seeing them . . . don't knock down their nests on the porch either.

Gonna put up a bird house for them next summer . . . may have a skeeter free summer . . . between the Martins and the Barn Swallows . . . might just work out

May God bless,
Dwight

[1skrewsloose]

Are they wren's ? Wrens are tiny tiny. Like the size of your thumb, head to tail. I had a family of them couple of years back. They never fed at my bird feeders. The bird house entry hole needs to be like 3/4" so bigger birds can't get in. Talk about being small, they were smaller than the goldfinches that came to eat. They ain't all that pretty to look at, but cool tiny birds.Probably 3 years ago the wren nest fell off the hook, little one fell out of the nest, I put it back in the nest, hung it back up. no shit, later Mom and Dad and the young one were sitting on my fence, they little one comes and lands on my grill 12 inches from me then moves and rests on my toe, almost like saying thanks for saving my life. Freaks me out a bit when wild animals get so close without fear.

[T-Man 1066]

+1 on Wrens. They should sell them on Amazon!

[shootbrownelk]

I never had a bat in the house that I know of, but I went into the attached garage one day years ago, seen something flying towards me, ended up caught a bat mid-flight with my bare hand. Didn't realize it was a bat until I took a look. I says look here Mr Bat, the mosquitos are outside, you don't need to be hanging out in the garage trying to get my beer. So I tossed him outside. I did wash my hands real good before I grabbed the beer...

Good thing he didn't bite you, or you'd have been getting those painful rabies shots. Bats are notorious rabies carriers.

[T-Man 1066]

Good thing he didn't bite you, or you'd have been getting those painful rabies shots. Bats are notorious rabies carriers.

Agreed. Like I said, it was more of a reaction then an attempt at a barehanded catch.