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3,500 Lbs. of Bat Guano Found in Attic

BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. (AP) - An upstate New York couple didn't think a few bats in the attic were much of a problem when they were buying a house last summer.

Months later, they found out how wrong they were when they discovered more than a ton and a half of bat droppings up there.

Nick LaBoda and Jenna Caputo say a home inspector informed them about the bats. They called an exterminator, who told them to wait a while before removing the bats because the babies were too young to fly.

Then they forgot about the bats until they smelled a foul odor in January. When they checked the attic, they found dead bats and piles of guano.

An exterminator says hundreds of bats had been living in the attic, leaving behind 3,500 pounds of droppings.

It cost $25,000 to clean up the mess, and the couple's insurance company wouldn't cover it. They're fighting it out in court.

What've I got living in my attic? An onion-looking guy named Willie Nelson. Have you seen any mail for him?

Bat guano makes great fertilizer. They should just quit their whining and shovel it onto their flower garden.

Has anyone ever smelled guano?! It's horrible! How in the hell do you not smell something like that for over a year?!?

They should have sold that shit, it's worth good money.

I have a NeoMasonic pan-galactic transmitter in my attic, but they won't give me the key to go up there.

Bat guano is also an ingredient in gunpowder. I don't think I'd want that in my attic.

Guano is worth money, but the best guano comes from dry environments, according to Wiki. It does make an excellent fertilizer.

i have no bats, but a ton of star wars figures.

BadComrade wrote:My apartment.

Me too. But in the apex of the roof is a space, where the pigeons do play, and make many annoying noises. I'm sure there's plenty of pigeon shit up there, but it isn't smelling. Periodic surges in fly numbers (in maths: like prime, but supa-dupa) suggest there's been a death or two. One day I will get my landlord on to this. Thing is, it's a deceptively tall building for a terrace and the owner does all sorts of handyman things around the place (like drive a pickup and leave bonfires unattended) and I don't want a Rod Hull situation on my hands. Or on the ground.

Would a few bats see the pigeons off?

I have bats. I also have a 145 year old house, so it's kinda to be expected. Hard to completely seal up, since a bat can crawl though a 1/2" wide opening with ease. I put up bat houses, and most of the bats (but not all) have relocated. Cleaning the attic is drag, but my garden does love it. The bats won't scare birdies of any sort away, based on the starlings that used to nest up there with the mammals...

scott wrote:What've I got living in my attic? An onion-looking guy named Willie Nelson. Have you seen any mail for him?

no, but my roommate has some juice for him.