SARASOTA- They were under the eaves of the media center building at Pineview Elementary. The family of Brazilian free-tail bats slept by day and flew by night - doing what they do best. Click here for more.

BALLSTON SPA, NY (AP) - An upstate New York couple didn't think a few bats in the attic much of a problem when they were buying a house last summer.

Months later, they found out how wrong they were - when they discovered more than a ton and a halfof bat droppings up there.

Nick La boda and Jenna Caputa say a home inspector informed them about the bats. They called an exterminator, who told them to wait a while befor removing the bats the babies were too young too fly.

Then they forgot about the bats - until they smelled a foul odor in January. When they checked the attic, they found dead bats and piles of guano.

An exterminator said hundreds of bats had been living in the attic, leaving behind 3,500 pounds of droppings.

It cost $25,000 to clean up the mess, and the couples insurance company wouldn't cover it. They are fighting it out in court.

(copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Florida Bat Control legislation proposal

68A-9.010 Taking Nuisance Wildlife.
Any person owning property, may take nuisance wildlife except those species
listed in subsection (1) below on their property by any method except those
methods listed in subsection (2) below or they may authorize another person
to take nuisance wildlife on their behalf. Persons responsible for
government owned property are considered "landowners" for the purpose of
this rule. The executive director or a designee may authorize the take of
additional species of wildlife or additional methods of take for justifiable
purposes by permit issued pursuant to 68A-9.002 F.A.C.
(1) Wildlife prohibited to take as nuisance wildlife.
(a) Species listed in Chapter 68A-27 F.A.C.
(b) The following mammals.

3. Bats - Except that bats may be taken either when:
a. that take is incidental to the use of an exclusion device, a device which
allows escape from and blocks re-entry into a roost site located within a
structure, at any time from August 15 to April 15 or
b. that take is incidental to permanent repairs which prohibit the egress of
bats from a roost site located within a structure provided an exclusion
device as described in sub-subparagraph a. above is used for a minimum of
four consecutive days/nights for which the low temperature is forecasted by
the U.S. National Weather Service to remain above 50°F prior to repairs and
during the time-period specified.

(2) Prohibited methods of take for nuisance wildlife.

1. All of Florida's native bat species feed on insects and are major
controllers of night flying insects, including many agricultural pests.
Individual bats can devour up to 3,000 insects in a night. Bats are, in
fact, beneficial wildlife.

2. Bats are native Florida wildlife and are therefore protected under
Florida wildlife laws. The general prohibitions include: "No wildlife or
freshwater fish or their nests, eggs, young, homes or dens shall be taken,
transported, stored, served, bought, sold, or possessed in any manner or
quantity at any time except as specifically permitted by these rules nor
shall anyone take, poison, store, buy, sell, possess or wantonly or
willfully waste the same except as specifically permitted by these rules."

3. With respect to destructive or nuisance wildlife the code states: "The
prohibitions contained in Chapters 68A-12 and 68A-24, F.A.C., shall not
prevent persons from killing destructive mammals except deer or bear on
their own property by means other than gun and light, steel traps or poison,
provided that they may be killed only within the immediate locality where
damage is occurring," and "Destructive or nuisance wildlife may be taken on
another's property by any person or entity only at the property owner's
request and if authorized by a permit issued by the executive director,
except that family members of or persons with an employee-employer
relationship with the property owner, may do so without such permit as
provided in subsection 68A-12.009(1), F.A.C." There are no products
registered to kill bats in the United States. The use of fumigants or insect
sprays on bats would constitute a violation of the products label and the
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act and /or Chapter
68A-12.009 (1) F.A.C.

4. Bats are not destructive wildlife. They do not gnaw or chew building
materials, wiring, etc. They do not create openings in buildings.
Accumulations of guano can occur if a colony remains in a building for a
long period of time. The dust from dry bat guano may be a source of
allergens because it is composed of ground insect cuticle. The noises, odors
and accumulations of guano associated with a bat colony within a building,
however, may be considered a nuisance by the home or building owner.

5. There are no resident fruit bats in Florida. Therefore, there are no
native bats feeding on Florida fruit, citrus or other agricultural products.
On rare occasion a fruit or pollinating bat has shown up in the extreme
southeastern tip of Florida and the Florida Keys. But none, as yet, have
colonized any portion of the state. Furthermore, fruit-eating bats do not
eat citrus because of its acidic juice.

6. Killing bats to remove them from a building is unnecessary, and should be
classified as wanton and willful destruction of Florida wildlife. Proper
exclusion methods have been developed for removing bats from buildings, and
if done correctly will almost always be successful.

7. Most Florida bat species give birth to, and rear their young in a time
period ranging from mid April through mid August. The young at first are
flightless and the mothers leave them in the roost while they go out to
forage for insects. They return and feed milk to the young. After three to
four weeks the young become flighted and will leave with the mother to
forage. The pups are poorly skilled at first and the mothers supplement
their diet with milk. Around the middle of August the young are sufficiently
skilled to survive on their own. Conducting exclusions during the early part
of this process will prevent the mothers from re-entering the roost and the
young will die. This creates additional problems for the building owner,
such as maggots and flies inside the house, foul odors, and large greasy
stains cause by putrid fluids rendered from numerous decomposing bats. If
exclusions are conducted during the latter portion of this cycle it will
disrupt the nurturing process and cause unnecessary mortality. The consensus
among those working with bats in Florida is that exclusions should not be
conducted from April 15 through August 15.

8. Attempts to remove bat colonies from buildings by entering the roost,
capturing the bats and moving them to a new location will nearly always
prove to be unsuccessful, and should not be considered a viable means of
removing bat colonies from buildings. Portions of the colony will scurry
into secluded areas of the building which are unreachable for removal. Bats
moved to a new location will abandon it and attempt to return to their
previous location even if moved great distances. The nature of the process
places huge and unnecessary stress on the colony, not to mention the
individual bats. It will cause unnecessary bat mortality, and is inexcusable
considering that more successful methods are available. This method also
exposes people to unnecessary contact with bats, putting people at risk.

9. Bats are not carriers of rabies. Bats can contract rabies like other
mammals, but they are not asymptomatic carriers. Bats like other mammals can
harbor the disease for several moths or more, but can only transmit it when
the symptoms begin to develop. Very few bats contract the rabies virus. A
study conducted by random sampling methods concluded that less than a half a
percent of structure-roosting bats come down with the virus. When bats
contract the virus they become paralyzed, end up on the ground, or in
unnatural locations, and usually die in a few days. This unfortunately, is
when people and pets find them. Consequently, of bats found by the public,
approximately ten percent test positive for rabies. Rabies does not run
rampant through a colony. This is likely because the affected bats become
separated from the colony as the disease progresses. Therefore, finding one
sick bat on the ground does not mean the whole colony is infected. The
message here is that building owners need not be fearful of a bat colony in
their building, but no one should handle a wild bat, or any other wild
mammal with their bare hands.

10. Bat guano in a building under normal conditions does not create a health
hazard. However, a fungus known as Histoplasma capsulatum can grow in guano
enriched soil such as in bat caves or under migratory bird roosts. The
fungus appears to flourish in damp environments where guano (bird or bat
droppings) has accumulated and mixed with the soil over a period of time. If
spores of the fungus become airborne they can cause a respiratory illness
which for most people appears as mild flu-like symptoms. For many people
there are no symptoms at all. It is a common illness, particularly in
Mississippi and Ohio valley regions of the US. For a small percentage of
people, it can progress to a chronic form of lung disease, similar to
tuberculosis. In the rare and worst cases, it can spread to other parts of
the body in a form of the disease referred to as disseminated
histoplasmosis. It is the occurrence of these uncommon and rare cases that
are cause for concern. There have been no reported cases of histoplasmosis
as a result of bat guano in buildings in Florida. Histoplasma could be a
concern for cavers that enter bat caves, gardeners that use un-composted
poultry manure in their garden, or people working, especially digging, under
migratory bird roosts, but it is unlikely to infect a homeowner in Florida
from a bat roost in their wall or tile roof.

11. Building owners should not panic on the discovery of bats in their
building. Rarely is there an immediate concern regarding human health. There
are reasonable and successful ways of removing bats from buildings. In most
cases a little patience will enable the owner to conduct, or have conducted,
an exclusion to remove the colony at the end of the bat maternity season.

12. The existing wildlife regulations do not specifically address bats. This
has created frustration for building owners, pest control companies,
wildlife law enforcement officers, and bat conservationists. This is likely
due to the fact that up until recent years the nature of bats has been
greatly misunderstood, there has been little concern about their existence,
and little was known, or documented, on how to remove bats from buildings.
All of this has changed. A growing number of people are concerned about the
future and well being of bats in Florida. Many building owners do not want
to harm the bats. Bats are now considered beneficial Florida wildlife and
successful means of removing bats from attics have been developed. It is
time to update the Florida administrative code to address bats in buildings.

13. It is proposed that code be developed that permits the exclusion of bats
from buildings in Florida, provided proper methods are used that do not harm
the bats in the process. Furthermore, exclusions should be prohibited during
the bat maternity season (April 15 - August 15). Exceptions can be granted
in rare instances when there is an immediate and otherwise irresolvable,
human health issue. Examples include situations such as: it is necessary to
conduct a rodent or insect extermination in the building that cannot be
delayed until mid-august, or bat guano is dropping into an area used for
food preparation, and cannot be temporarily prevented. Bats entering the
living quarters of a building is not necessarily a basis for granting an
exception. In most cases it is possible to block the points at which bats
are entering the living area, and allow the bats to remain until the end of
the maternity season.

14. Children should always be instructed not to touch or handle a bat found
on the ground, or anywhere else for that matter. Pets should always have
their rabies vaccinations up to date. Adults can remove a bat using heavy
leather gloves or a large bath towel. The bat can be released in the evening
or turned over to a local wildlife rehabilitator so long as no one was
bitten, or suspected of being bitten, by it. If there is any concern that
someone may have handled it or been bitten by it, the local health
department should be contacted immediately, and the bat tested for rabies.

15. Failure to address bats in buildings results in a number of problems.
Bats will continue to be improperly removed from buildings, resulting in
unnecessary mortality and adversely affecting Florida's bat populations.
Poorly conducted exclusions, or illegal poisonings, will cause sick and
dying bats to enter living quarters in search of an exit or on the ground.
Either situation can become a burden for state and local agencies attempting
to determine if there were any exposures to rabies. Pest control companies
and wildlife trappers who observe the maternity season in scheduling bat
exclusions will continue to lose business to companies that ignore it. This
approach adversely affects those who support Florida wildlife and rewards
those who willfully to destroy it.

16. At the 2005 Southeast Pest Management Conference in Gainesville,
Florida, 56 licensed pest control professionals completed a survey of bat
work performed by their companies. 73.2% (41) of the respondents did no bat
removal or exclusion work and 26.8% (15) reported they did at least some
exclusion activities. For these companies eleven reported that bat
exclusions made up less than 5% of their company's business, two reported
5-9%, one reported 10-24%, and one reported that bat related work made up
over 50% of his business. Of the fifteen that do bat related pest
management, only ten conduct bat activities from Sept. to April, four do at
least some exclusion work during the summer and one did not answer that
question. It is of concern that the one individual that reported bat
exclusion activities made up over half of his business only reported doing
bat exclusions from May through August. These results show that a legally
mandated exclusion season would have little financial impact on the pest
control industry.

17. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service currently recommends bat
exclusions be conducted from August 15-April 14
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/MG/MG34200.pdf . Exclusion or eviction of
nuisance colonies during the non-maternity season is the least expensive,
simplest, most humane and most environmentally responsible method of
eliminating conflict with unwanted colonies of bats in structures. The use
of traps to remove bats from structures is generally unwarranted,
excessively stressful to the animals, biological unsupportable because bats
will return to the roosts from hundreds of miles away, and increases human
exposure to the bats. Bat traps should only be used for scientific study
with regulated scientific collecting permits issued by the Executive
Director of the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.

ENTREPENEUR BLESSED BY HOLY BAT DROPPINGS

AMESVILLE, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio man is reaping what's left behind by bats in the belfry.

Matt Peters collects bat droppings, or guano, fromthe attics and bell towers of area churches and sells it as fertilizer for $2 a pound. Click here for more.