<p>We’re cohosting a graduation party for my daughter and two classmates in a few days. Party is in a park shelter, which also is home to some bats. Party is scheduled to end at 8 p.m. Any tips for keeping the party furry-winged creature free?</p>
<p>I had a tremendous population of bats living in the walls of my attic when we first moved into my house. They were…well…horrible. I could ignore them most of the time but once in a while one would get into the house itself. I could tell you stories!!! We finally got rid of them by filling the tiny holes on the outside of the house so that they couldn’t get in. They were migratory and would leave in the winter and come back in the summer. We waited until winter to plug the holes. No problem since.</p>
<p>Anyway, that doesn’t help you but I do remember that those bats did not stir at night until deep dusk so I would imagine that 8:00 pm is still light enough that you shouldn’t see too many. If you do, I would ignore them as best you can. They are not really interested in people, just bugs.</p>
<p>Eeek! And people are complaining about the possibility of “Joe” showing up at a graduation party!</p>
<p>Might want to bring a few spare tennis rackets, just in case…</p>
<p>My daughter was living in an old unoccupied school one summer for her job - they discovered they had a bat infestation over the room they were sleeping in when they started finding dead and dying bats. She and the other staff were required by the public health dept to have rabies shots. Fortunately workers comp payed as the series was over $3000. Always though bats were kind of cute till then.</p>
<p>Have fun!!!</p>
<p>If you live with bats, you will never again think they are cute :(</p>
<p>No, they are not cute but they are everywhere. If you go outside at dusk during the warm months, there is a good chance you will see them diving and fluttering as they look for mosquitos. Only the males leave the nesting place at night to hunt and they bring the bugs back to the females and babies. They rarely bother humans and they are very beneficial to us in that they keep the mosquito population down. Some bats do carry rabies but, so do many wild mammals.</p>
<p>If you are havinga a party in a wooded area, it is important to remember that the humans are the visitors and often the nuisance. Not the other way around.</p>
<p>just politely and firmly ask the bats to leave. these pests need to learn a lesson about respecting others’ boundaries.</p>
<p>^^^
Unless you think they might have Asberger Syndrome and are not picking up on the social signals you are sending. If that seems to be the case, you should kindly sit them done with an old aunt or uncle who can keep them occupied for the evening.</p>
<p>^^^ lol…</p>
<p>There’s an old joke I heard at church - 3 pastors were discussing the problems their churches had with bat infestation. First pastor said, "We waited until they were out for the evening, and made sure the windows and roof were sealed, but they came back anyway. Second pastor said, “Well, we contracted with a pest control company, and they were gone for a little while, but then they came back.”</p>
<p>Third pastor said, “Well, we invited them to attend a new members class and join the church. We haven’t seen them since.”</p>
<p>“Party is in a park shelter, which also is home to some bats.”</p>
<p>If you knew this before booking this particular shelter, I just have to ask: Why didn’t you pick a different location?</p>
<p>We did not pick the location. The parents of one of the other girls booked the shelter after they backed out on holding the party in their home. (It apparently did not occur to them until we all got together for a party planning meeting that a graduation party would involve large numbers of people and food. They don’t like people to eat anywhere in their house but in their kitchen.) I didn’t go to the shelter until Monday of this week; other people had been there already. I immediately recoiled when I saw the guano on the floor and some of the tables. Not much we can do at this point except get it cleaned up and cross our fingers, I guess.</p>
<p>rosered, it sounds like the bats are roosting in the shelter. Most likely they’ll be flying out at sunset to hunt for insects. Here in northern California our Mexican free-tailed bats are starting to have their pups and any pups that have been born are most likely too young to fly out so the pups remain in the roost while mom goes hunting for insects, though she’ll return often to nurse her young. Most bats in the U.S. are insect eaters so they won’t be after your food. I think you’re right there probably isn’t much you can do but clean up and hope for the best and appreciate all the insect eating bats do for us! I hope the party goes well!</p>
<p>When I was a kid, we used to keep a long-handled crab net leaning next to our fireplace to catch errant bats swooping down the chimney. Worked very well. Our guests didn’t think much of it though. I think the fact that we had a crab net (we called it the bat net) at the ready and would just move into action without saying a word is what really appalled them. One couple even left before finishing their drinks.</p>
<p>The nightly bat exodus from under the Congress Street bridge in Austin, TX is a huge tourist attraction. Maybe you could incorporate the “eats millions if Mosquitos, is cool and trendy” into the bats presence. Clean up the guano, yes (yuck!) but otherwise can you make it a part of the evening? “The cute little mosquito eaters will be exiting at dusk, please join us in viewing the nightly bat-flight from the meadow adjacent to the shelter”. Of course cover your food during the flight.</p>
<p>dragonmom–I think that is a great idea. Some guests will be freaked out but others will be interested. Young kids can take turns throwing small pebbles in the air & watching the bats swoop for them.</p>
<p>Wear face masks when cleaning up guano and don’t throw rocks at the bats, please.</p>
<p>^^^
Yes to both of those. Also wear gloves. Bat guano can carry Histoplasmosis which can be dangerous.</p>
<p>Any way you could move the party to your house? Assuming that you allow people to eat there? lol.</p>
<p>It also occurs to me that these bats may be a protected species under federal, state, and/or local policy. A phone call to the local wildlife agency or DNR is probably in order. That particular picnic shelter should probably be closed to the public until the bats move on. Right now it isn’t really useable. The renter shoul get her money back.</p>