In the past couple of weeks there has been no news on the bat front. The weather has been exceptionally cold, so maybe they're all hibernating nicely.

Another theory is that all of the smart ones are still sleeping--they weren't conned in by some false, soul-destroying message about the nearness of spring.

The theory that I hope is true is that we just had a few confused bats in the church for the winter rather than a colony and we're done with them now.

Stay posted, because in a little over a month hibernation time will be ended and things could get interesting...

------------------
Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. Rom. 12:12 NLT

The bats are back.

One was found on Sabbath (before the service) and two were taken out on Sunday. A sharp-eyed person removed one from an aisle of the Sanctuary before anyone walked down it (fortunately other took the centre aisle). Another was found in the kitchen, just behind the garbage can.

Last night I read that disturbing a bat during its hibernation so that it moves from one part of a cave to another uses up 1 month of food reserves.

Pray that Spring (and its food for bats) comes soon!

------------------
Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. Rom. 12:12 NLT

Thank you for your updates on the bat situation.

Where I work there are a lot of warehouses. In this one warehouse they had a bat infestation. When I first started to work there 4 yrs. ago this one part of a warehouse was the worse post to have. I was a rover on the graveyard shift so I had to patrol the building every hour. I was not afraid of the bats....It was the awful smell that was yucky. They never cleaned up the droppings....just let them pile up in this one end of the warehouse.....smelled bad.
Hope your church does not get that smell....this was over a few years in the warehouse....finally another company came in and cleaned it all up...new lights...it was dark and dismal before, very few lights.....amazing what happens when you bring in the lights.

In The Blessed Hope

Avalee

Actually, the smell of bat droppings is the least of their problems.

According to our local health unit, when airborne, the dust from guano (bat dung) carries a disease that causes ulcers to form in lungs that could prove fatal.

Cleaning bat droppings requires advanced chemical protection. (Gasmasks, etc. for larger "piles."

Bats also bring with them batbugs and bedbugs that can infest a building and look for human hosts if the bats leave.

Bats are actually wonderful to have around--as long as they're nearby, not living in the same space as humans.

------------------
Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. Rom. 12:12 NLT

That is interesting about the health reasons. We all knew that business could get in some trouble about letting that stuff just pile up....makes me wonder about some of the people who got sick on graveyard shift there..all doors closed all the time..no air getting in.

Avalee

Not to mention those with allergies and specific sensitivities...

One bat control expert says that people don't understand what a problem bats are until they have to get rid of them.

Our church has a "window" of April and early May. That is the time before bat babies are born and need permanent place so their mothers can feed them.

This next board meeting we will discuss the need to transfer the bats somewhere else in our conference.

------------------
Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. Rom. 12:12 NLT

I am glad you said in your conference and not in another conference.

__________________________
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
Romans 8:28

Daryl

I don't think there are too many conferences with enough funds to support these bats and their brood.

------------------
Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. Rom. 12:12 NLT

On April 16 we're going to get the pest control people work on our church. So far it's going to cost 200 dollars plus GST.

THe thousands of dollars some churches pay are for a total cleaning and plugging up of wholes. The pest control man said that there's only one possible hole in our church that the bats came in. Hopefully it will be an easy job.

Irony: The male nurse who chopped of a bat's head (to keep it from starving to death) has a bat problem in his own house. I recommended the pest control company our church is using.

------------------
Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. Rom. 12:12 NLT

Any more bat updates?

__________________________
In His Love, Mercy & Grace

Daryl