NEVER CHASE a bat around your living room when it’s flying, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has said as it announced a new freefone helpline on how to live with bats.
In response to the “hundreds and hundreds” of queries about bats in houses it receives each summer, the line will tell people how to manage bat roosts in their homes and cope with bats entering your home.
Indeed, the service would have you believe you are disadvantaged if you are not visited by bats and says they seldom cause any problems. Many householders all over the country have lived happily with their bats for years.
Not only that, it says bats are not blind, will not fly into your hair and are hugely beneficial as they eat midges, mosquitoes and other pest species in enormous numbers.
“Even our smallest bats, the pipistrelles, which will fit on the end of your thumb, can easily consume 3,000 insects in one night. Other bat species will feed on moths, beetles and spiders,” a statement says.
Minister for the Environment John Gormley says the helpline will provide practical advice to homeowners to enhance their appreciation of bats and help to ensure happy co-habitation with their bats.
Dr Ferdia Marnell of the National Parks and Wildlife Service says this is the time of year when a bat can fly through an open window pursuing an insect, or when a young bat in the attic exploring the roost can end up in the hot press.
The helpline and web information tells you what to do if a bat joins you in your living area. You close the doors, seal off the area, turn off the lights, open the windows and curtains and hope the unwanted visitor finds his own way out. If not, wait until the bat lands either on your curtains or on the ground and, wearing gloves to avoid being nipped, or with a towel or cloth, pick it up, bring it outside and place it high up on a tree or wall and allow it to fly away.
The service says bats use houses seasonally, rather like swallows, arriving in April or May and leaving in September. Bats rarely cause any problems when they roost in houses.
There are 10 different types of bats in Ireland, some very rare and others still quite widespread.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service says Ireland is under significant pressure from the European Commission to improve the level of protection afforded to all bat species in here.
It has identified a number of areas where conflict may arise and is taking steps to address them.
Bats and their roosts are protected by European and Irish law and cannot be disturbed by building work or renovation without specific permission.
The bat helpline freefone number is 1800 405 000. More information on www.npws.ie
Bat facts
THE NATIONAL Parks and Wildlife Service has circulated a list of positive things about bats as part of its freefone roll-out.
It says bats pose no threat to you or your home. In fact, bats and people have been sharing buildings for centuries.
* Bats do not spread disease;
* Bats do not chew cables or wood;
* Bats are not blind;
* Bats do not get caught in your hair;
* Bats do not bring nesting material into houses;
* Bats are more closely related to humans than to mice.