Parkersburg has a bat problem, and it comes down to the housing stock. The hills above the Ohio River are lined with Victorian homes, early 20th century bungalows, and older brick two-stories built when construction standards left plenty of gaps. A Big Brown Bat needs an opening less than an inch wide to get into your attic. The fascia boards on a 90-year-old house in the South Side or the Quincy Hill neighborhood? That is prime real estate for a bat colony.
We have been doing bat work in Wood County for a long time. Here is what you need to know right now.
Two species show up in Wood County attics regularly. The Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus) is the larger of the two and tolerates cold better, which means it sometimes overwinters in the same attic it used as a maternity colony. The Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus) is more common overall across West Virginia, forms large colonies, and is the species most likely behind the high-pitched scratching sounds you hear in the walls at dusk.
Both species are state-protected under WV DNR regulations. That means you cannot exterminate them. You cannot use poison or traps. The only legal method is humane exclusion: get them out, keep them out, do no harm.
The common entry points we find on Parkersburg's older homes:
WV DNR Wildlife Resources Section restricts bat exclusion work between June 1 and August 15. Young bats are in the roost during this window and cannot fly yet. Sealing entry points during this period would trap juveniles inside. That is illegal and causes unnecessary mortality.
What IS allowed during maternity season: inspections. We can walk your property, identify every entry point, photograph the evidence, and give you a written scope of work, all before August 15. Then we start the actual exclusion and sealing on August 15, or as soon as the season ends.
The practical advice: call now. September is when everyone who put it off calls at the same time. We book out. Get your inspection done in July and your exclusion scheduled for mid-August and you will be finished before the first frost.
The whole process takes one to two days of active work on our end, plus the natural vacation period for the bats. Most jobs in Parkersburg are complete within a week from start to final seal.
Most residential bat exclusion jobs in Wood County run $300 to $1,200. The range comes down to structure size and entry point count. A simple job on a ranch house with one entry point is at the low end. A Victorian home with a complex roofline and six possible entry points is at the higher end.
Inspection is free with booking. Standalone inspection is $75, applied toward any work you schedule. We give you a fixed written price before we start. No surprise bills.
If the bats have been in the attic for years, you will also want to look at attic restoration: guano removal, decontamination, and insulation replacement. That is a separate scope and a separate quote. We will be honest with you about whether it is necessary.
Bats in West Virginia are protected under state wildlife regulations administered by the WV DNR Wildlife Resources Section. No extermination. No poisons. No trapping and relocating colonies. Exclusion only. We follow those rules, not just because we have to, but because bats are genuinely useful: a single Big Brown Bat can eat thousands of insects per night. The goal is coexistence, just not inside your attic.
Inspections are allowed any time of year. Exclusion work, meaning installing one-way devices and sealing entry points, is restricted by WV DNR from June 1 through August 15. This is the bat maternity season when young bats are in the roost and cannot fly. We inspect now and schedule all exclusion and sealing work to begin August 15. Do not wait until September, that is when the calls pile up.
The two most common species in Wood County are the Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus) and the Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus). Both are state-protected under WV DNR regulations. Both form maternity colonies in attics, soffits, and wall voids of older homes. You cannot tell which species you have without an inspection.
Most bat exclusion jobs in the Parkersburg area run $300 to $1,200. The price depends on the number of entry points, the size of the structure, and how accessible the work areas are. Older Victorian homes with complex rooflines typically sit at the higher end. We give you a fixed written price after the inspection.
We install one-way exclusion devices at all active entry points, allowing bats to exit but not re-enter. All secondary entry points are sealed immediately. After the bats have vacated, we return to remove the one-way devices and permanently seal the primary entry points. No poisoning, no trapping, no killing. WV state law requires humane exclusion only.
In older Parkersburg homes we most commonly find entry at soffit returns where wood has separated, gaps behind gutters at the roof-wall junction, chimney flashing that has pulled away from the fascia, loose or missing attic vent screens, and ridge cap gaps. A bat can squeeze through a gap the width of your finger.
Yes. A bat inside a living area is always treated as a same-day emergency because of rabies risk, particularly if anyone was sleeping in the room. Do not handle the bat. Call us immediately and contact Wood County Health Department if there is any chance of exposure. We respond 24/7.
Related services: Attic restoration after bat removal · All wildlife removal services
Exclusion begins August 15. Get your inspection done now. Do not wait until September.
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