Bats

There are 17 species of bats in the UK all of which are protected by law and therefore not considered to be a pest species. It is an offence for anyone intentionally to kill, injure or handle a bat, to possess a bat (whether live or dead), disturb a roosting bat, or sell or offer a bat for sale without a licence. It is also an offence to damage, destroy or obstruct access to any place used by bats for shelter, whether they are present or not.

 

The relevant statutory conservation body for example the Bat Conservation Trust can be contacted on 0845 1300228, at their website www.bats.org.uk or a professional wildlife consultant should be contacted in circumstances where bats are reported to be causing a nuisance or the following treatment is required in areas occupied by bats:

 

 

Bats are insectivorous mammals that hibernate in the winter months.  They do not build nests, nor do they chew cables or timbers when in a loft or roof space. Their droppings may concern some people but there is no evidence of any significant disease risk from these droppings.

 

Bats may be roosting in (loft spaces, old barns, dead spaces in houses etc) it is always important to keep an eye open for bat activity because of their legal status.