TIFTON — An historic house at 316 W. Sixth St. has been found to be severely infested with up to 20,000 bats. Code enforcement officials posted a sign on the door Monday declaring the structure unfit for human habitation or any other use until the bats are cleared.

“The interior and exterior walls are just full of guano,” said Melissa Skidmore of Tru Tech, an animal removal service from Marietta. “Some of it is old and has turned to dust and it is just a cocktail of pathogens. People going in will need proper equipment to cover their skin, clothes and noses. We are talking about between 10,000 and 20,000 bats.”

Representatives of Tru Tech gathered at the house Monday afternoon with officers from Tift County’s Environmental Code Enforcement office, city officials, people who live near the house and a real estate agent.

Russell Gay, a local code enforcement officer, said he had no choice but to post the sign when he saw several live bats upstairs. Several dead bats were spotted on the bottom floor of the house.

“We just want to get the neighborhood safe,” Gay said. “It really doesn’t need to sit here like this for another six months.”

Julie Smith, a local realtor, said the house is in foreclosure and that the house is listed with Norris Bishop Realty out of Moultrie. She said that agency has a buyer interested in purchasing the house. She said the house was in foreclosure with a company out of California.

“The goal is for everyone to work together so that a family can live here safely,” Smith said. “We hope it can again become a house in the historic district that is a viable property on the tax digest.”

Tom Campbell lives across the street from the structure.

“The odor in the summer is horrible,” Campbell said.

Campbell said he has been living in his home since 2006 and that his house was sealed 10 to 12 years ago.

“When the bats leave this house, they have to have somewhere to go,” Campbell said. “They can fit through a hole the size of a quarter.”

Skidmore of Tru Tech said agents with the company inspected the house last Thursday.

“After seeing how many bats were inside the home, we wanted to let the neighborhood know that once we eradicate the bats, they will move in somewhere else,” Skidmore said. “The bats have been in the home for some time.”

Skidmore said the infestation of Mexican free-tailed bats was one of the worse she had ever seen.

Skidmore said her company sent Chase Bank, who has possession of the house, a plan Friday on how it will remove the bats and a price to conduct the job.

“It is a health hazard to anyone who wants to live in the house,” Skidmore said. “I’ve given the bank 10 days to decide what to do. If they don’t do anything, somebody will have to.”

Eradication of the bats will be performed by installing one-way valves that allow them to get outside but not back inside after they leave at night to feed.

“They will have to find somewhere else quickly or they will die,” Skidmore said.

She said the bats can squeeze through small holes the size of quarters and homeowners need to be sure their homes are sealed.

“Most people don’t realize they have those tiny spots,” Skidmore said.

She said people should be aware of unusual noises and look for signs of bat feces, called guano. The guano looks like small pellets, similar to fish food, and are usually found against a wall and in small, confined areas. The Mexican free-tailed bats are cave-dwelling bats, according to Skidmore, and look for large, open spaces to breed and live.

Bats are federally protected and can only be eradicated during certain times of the year. “Blackout periods,” times when they can’t be eradicated, are times when they are reproducing. In Georgia, that’s usually May to August. The “blackout period” varies from year to year, Skidmore said.

“A colony can grow rapidly during that period,” she added.

 

To contact senior reporter  Angie Thompson, call 382-4321.