Specialists help rid local homes of creepy critters

Batman Forever

Batman Forever

Wade Spees
The Post and Courier

Bats take wing at dusk from the eaves of a house off Broad Street. The old houses in Charleston's historic district, with plenty of openings in their exteriors, are particularly attractive to the winged rodents.

Wade Spees
The Post and Courier

John Newland, owner of Critter Control, points to an opening under the eaves of a house in Charleston's historic district where bats have taken up residence — 'just a part of living downtown,' he says.

They come in the black of night. Dark agents, sneaking into Lowcountry homes. Lurking in the shadows and swooping down when least expected.

Luckily, an army of wranglers has been summoned to banish them.

Call them batmen.

Palmetto bugs may be the bread-and-butter of the exterminating industry, but bats are becoming big business in Charleston — a city of old, asymmetrical homes full of gaps big enough for a tiny mammal to claw into. Charleston also is an area with a temperate climate and an endless supply of bugs, big and small — an all-you-can-eat buffet for a bat.

About 10 species of bat wing their way through the Palmetto Bug State.

"They are really nature's pesticide, in many ways," explained Willem J. Hillenius, a College of Charleston biology professor.

But they can cause a stink in a home, and their squeaking is unsettling.

Perhaps more unsettling are reports of bats with rabies. Almost 1,700 rabid bats were found in the United States last year, and about one in four incidences of the disease are in the winged mammals, up from 17 percent in 2003, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And those numbers count only the suspicious-acting animals that are found and tested, said Dr. Charles Rupprecht, head of the CDC rabies program.

"It's just the very tip of the iceberg of what's out there," he said. "We essentially live in a sea of rabies."

Lofty roosts

In 2006, seven rabid bats were found in South Carolina, and another six infected bats turned up this year through August, according to the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.

"They aren't leading the rabies parade, but they are statistically viable," said DHEC spokeswoman Claire Boatwright. "When I'm outside and I see them swooping down, I don't care what I've got to do, me and pup are booking back into the house."

But bats are pretty happy in a house, as well. A South of Broad couple who asked not to be identified discovered some flying tenants in the million-dollar-plus property they bought in 2004. All seemed fine when they closed on the house in March, but a few months later, when the bats came out of their winter slumber, there was squeaking and a musty smell.

Treatments worked with varying degrees of success, but hundreds of bats descended on the historic brick property this summer.

"We got to know each other very well," the woman joked. "They were serving lunch by the end of it."

John Newland, owner of Critter Control, said he sees similar infestations all the time, particularly in recently sold homes, where the new owners may not have grown accustomed to bats as some longtime locals have.

"It's just a part of living downtown," he explained.

Hazardous duty

Bat busters generally forgo the seek-and-destroy methods of exterminators. Instead, they seal most holes in a house and then install "excluders," plastic sleeves or other devices that act as a one-way valve similar to the mechanism of a crab pot. The bats slip out in the evening and aren't able to find a way back in around sunrise. After a few days, the workers remove the excluders and seal the remaining holes.

The work is reserved for the spring and fall, when bats are active and pups born in the summer have taken to the air.

"They are kind of awkward to deal with," said Hillenius, the College of Charleston biologist. "It's not like you can set a Havahart trap or something for bats."

Like any tricky or unappealing job, bat wrangling commands a premium. Treatments generally cost at least $100 an hour, sometimes twice as much as it takes to rid a house of palmetto bugs. The hours can add up quickly, depending on the size of the infestation, the size of the house and its proximity to power lines and other obstacles.

Bat bills climb sharply when guano is involved. The excrement fertilizes toxic fungi that can cultivate histoplasmosis and other respiratory diseases. Crews "hazmat up" for guano, according to Newland, by donning respirators and full-body suits.

Mike Hughes of Wildlife Nuisance Management said his average bill to rid a home of bats is $1,200. Getting rid of rats, which Hughes spends about half of his time doing, costs roughly $800.

"You've got to know what you're doing," Hughes said. "It's definitely a specialized skill-set."

The couple in the infested South of Broad home had to spend a lot more than average. In August, after a host of treatments, a bat flapped its way into their living room. This time, they pulled out all the stops, tearing out a few walls and getting a city permit, so workers could bring in a cherry-picker and plug dime-size holes all around the brick property.

"I think they're charming," the woman said. "They look like Halloween all year-round ... but I'd rather be hospitable to something else."

Reach Kyle Stock at 937-5763 or kstock@postandcourier.com.