They're not birds, either. Bats are mammals who belong to the order Chiroptera, which means "winged hand." A bat's front limbs have membranes that form true aerodynamic wings and enable them to take off from a resting position, ascend, and fly. These wings make bats the only true flying mammals. Flying squirrels can't take off and ascend. They can just glide.)

Tennessee's and Georgia's Bats are Beneficial Animals

There are at least 16 species of bats in Tennessee and Georgia, of which the Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus) and the Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus) are the species most commonly encountered as nuisance wildlife. Tennessee and Georgia bats play an important role in the ecosystem by consuming countless insects, including mosquitoes, during their nightly flights.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a single bat can eat between 600 and 1000 insects every hour. Multiply that by the number of bats flying around Tennessee and Georgia every night, and then think about how many mosquito bites the bats are preventing. Kinda makes you appreciate bats a little bit, doesn't it?

In fact, bats' insatiable hunger for insects is one reason why bats are protected under both federal and Tennessee and Georgia law. Bats feed on insects that are pests of man and which often carry diseases, making bats important allies in fighting vector-borne diseases.

 When is Bat Control Needed?

It's only when bats get into attics, structural voids, church steeples, bell towers, and other areas of buildings that bat removal is allowed. When bats get into buildings used by humans or domestic animals, they can cause serious health hazards:

• Bat droppings ("guano") may contain pathogens and serve as a breeding medium for insects and fungi, some of which can cause disease.
• Bats carry parasites like fleas and ticks, many of which are disease vectors.
• Bats have a fairly high incidence of rabies.

In densely populated cities like Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, Hendersonville, Murfreesboro, Mt Juliet, and Lavergne, bat control is especially important from a public health point of view.

 Bat Control in Tennessee and Georgia

In Tennessee and Georgia, bat control must be done without harming the bats. The goal is humane bat removal and relocation, not "bat extermination." At Trapper Jack, we have always practiced humane, non-toxic, environmentally-friendly bat relocation. We're not "bat exterminators." We're bat conservation professionals. We get the bats out of your house and seal bats out, but we don't kill bats. We remove bats from your property alive so they can find a more suitable place to live.

This can be a real challenge in Tennessee and Georgia, where the architecture ranges from 18th century churches (bats just love those steeples and bell towers) to modern, commercial office buildings and skyscrapers. Every building style in Tennessee and Georgia presents unique bat control challenges. This is especially true of our historic homes, churches, and other fine, old buildings, which have a lot of nooks and crannies that are especially attractive to bats.

But no worries: We're Tennessee's and Georgia's bat removal experts. We lead the state in safe, non-lethal bat control and bat control and relocation. We've performed thousands of bat control jobs, and we have the training and equipment to handle any bat problem, no matter how big or how small.

Finally, we're nice enough to clean up after the bats, seeing as how we evicted them without notice. We remove hazardous guano (droppings) and other bat by-products, and provide replacement of contaminated insulation, if needed.

Bat Control is a Job for Professionals

Bat control is difficult and sometimes hazardous work. It requires extensive training, specialized equipment, and strict observance of safety and health precautions. But rest assured that we can handle any bat control job, in any building, no matter how difficult.

No other Tennessee or Georgia bat control company can match our crew, our training, our experience, our equipment, and frankly, our guts. We take on even those difficult, big bat control jobs that other Tennessee and Georgia bat control companies won't touch.

Our comprehensive bat control program consists of bat removal, bat exclusion ("bat-proofing"), and sometimes installing "bat houses" to provide alternative places for bats to live. We also acquire any necessary bat control permits to make sure that the job is done in full compliance with federal, state and local laws.