Bats in Your Pocono Cabin: What You Need to Know Before You Call Anyone

Bats in the Poconos: More Common Than You Think

If you've found a bat in your Pocono Mountain cabin, you're not alone. Bats are among the most common wildlife calls we receive throughout Monroe, Pike, and Wayne counties — especially from owners of older cabins, log homes, and properties with steep rooflines.

Before you do anything, there are things you need to know — because the wrong response can create serious legal and health complications.

The Two Most Common Species in Pocono Homes

Little Brown Bat (*Myotis lucifugus*): The most common bat species in Pennsylvania. Small (3–4 inch body), forms large maternity colonies (sometimes hundreds of individuals) in attics, wall voids, and behind shutters. Hibernates locally in caves and mines.

Big Brown Bat (*Eptesicus fuscus*): Slightly larger than the little brown, typically forms smaller colonies. More likely to use structures year-round and more commonly found in living spaces during winter when they rouse from torpor on warm days.

Why Pocono Properties Are High-Risk

The architecture of Pocono Mountain properties creates exceptional bat habitat:

• Log cabins: Natural gaps between log courses, around windows, and at roof/wall interfaces

• Older construction: 1950s–1980s construction has settled, creating gaps at eaves, around fascia boards, and at utility penetrations

• Wood shake roofs: Gaps under shingles and at ridge lines

• Gable vents: Often without adequate screening, or screening has deteriorated

• Ridge vents: Standard ridge vents without proper exclusion backing allow bat entry

• Chimney gaps: Gap between chimney crown and flashing, or open chimneys

• Stone foundations: Mortar gaps, weep holes, and cracks in stone or block foundations

Bats need a gap no larger than 3/8 inch by 1 inch to enter a structure — approximately the width of a finger.

The Law: Why Timing Matters Enormously

This is the most important section in this guide.

Pennsylvania law — enforced by the Pennsylvania Game Commission — prohibits the exclusion of bats from structures during June 1 through August 15. This is the maternity season, when female bats are raising pups that cannot yet fly.

If exclusion devices are installed during this period:

- Adult females will be locked out of the roost

- Flightless pups inside will die, creating odor and fly problems

- Trapped adults will desperately seek other entry points into living areas

- Violations can result in significant fines

The legal exclusion windows are:

• August 16 – May 31 — fall, winter, and spring are all acceptable

• Late August through October is the optimal period: pups are flying, bats are preparing for hibernation, and colony size makes complete exclusion more feasible

Never hire a company that offers to seal bats out in June or July. This is illegal and will make your problem significantly worse.

White-Nose Syndrome and Why Bat Populations Are Protected

North American bat populations — particularly the little brown bat — have been devastated by white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease (*Pseudogymnoascus destructans*) that has killed an estimated 90% of little brown bats in some regional populations since its discovery in 2006.

This ecological crisis is why Pennsylvania takes bat protection seriously. Bats are critical insectivores — a single little brown bat eats up to 1,200 mosquitoes per hour. The loss of bat populations has real consequences for agricultural pest control and disease vector management.

Health Concerns: Rabies and Histoplasmosis

Rabies

This requires honest, measured communication. Approximately 1–6% of bats tested following human exposure are found to be rabid — the same rate as most wild mammal populations. The vast majority of bats do not have rabies.

However, bat rabies strains are responsible for the majority of human rabies deaths in the United States, primarily because bat bites can be imperceptibly small. The critical rule from public health authorities:

> ANY bat that has been in a room with a sleeping person, an unattended child, or an intoxicated person must be captured if possible and submitted for rabies testing. The exposed individual should receive post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) unless the bat tests negative.

This is not because bats are uniquely dangerous — it's because we cannot always confirm that no contact occurred.

Histoplasmosis

Accumulated bat guano in attics can harbor *Histoplasma capsulatum*, a fungal spore that causes histoplasmosis, a respiratory illness. Guano cleanup should be performed by trained professionals wearing appropriate respiratory protection, not disturbed with a vacuum or broom by homeowners.

What to Do Right Now If a Bat Is in Your Living Space

1. Don't panic — most single bats in living spaces are juveniles that accidentally entered from the attic. They are not there to attack you.

2. Do not touch the bat with bare hands — use leather gloves if you must handle it

3. Close interior doors to contain it to one room

4. Open windows and exterior doors and turn off interior lights — many bats will find their way out on their own within 30–60 minutes

5. Do NOT use pesticides or try to kill the bat — this is counterproductive and unnecessary

6. If anyone may have been bitten or had contact, capture the bat in a container and call your county health department

The Professional Exclusion Process

A proper bat exclusion by a qualified wildlife professional includes:

1. Full structure inspection: Identifying every potential entry point, not just the obvious ones

2. Exclusion device installation: One-way excluder tubes or netting installed over primary entry points, allowing bats to exit but not re-enter

3. Waiting period: 7–14 days for all bats to exit through the one-way devices

4. Full sealing: All entry points sealed with appropriate materials (hardware cloth, caulk, copper mesh, foam sealant) after bats have vacated

5. Guano assessment: Evaluation of attic or void for guano accumulation; removal and sanitization if significant

Typical cost for a Pocono Mountain residence: $500–$2,500 depending on structure complexity, number of entry points, and whether guano remediation is required.

Call us for a bat inspection and exclusion assessment. We operate legally within Pennsylvania's exclusion windows and can schedule your exclusion before the summer maternity season lockdown begins.