A Mississippi State University class is working to humanely keep an Armstrong Middle School building free of pests.
Four students from Assistant Extension Professor Jessica Tegt’s Human-Wildlife Conflicts class removed a colony of around 25 bats from the AMS band hall in September 2016, fulfilling the course’s community service project requirement.
“Our goal was just to humanely remove the wildlife, and make (the building) safe for the students to go into.” Tegt said.
Tegt said the students observed the bats leaving from a crack in the wall, and sealed the hole with foam sealant. A bat cone, which allows bats out but not in was installed, in case any bats were still inside. Squirrels were also removed using live traps.
With the consent of nearby homeowners, bat houses were installed on neighborhood trees to give bats a place to roost away from buildings. Bat guano was also removed from the building, and the interior of the hall was treated to neutralize the odor.
“Our goal is coexistence,” Tegt said. “Our goal is to give them an alternative location to roost. There’s a lot of benefits to having bats in the community, particularly in insect control. “
Tegt said students would continue to observe the building until May to see if bats emerged from any other openings. However, she considers the project a success.
“It seems very successful,” Tegt said. “The school district was happy, and the students learned a lot.”
Tegt said the Armstrong project was the first of its kind, and that she plans to keep it in the curriculum.
“There’s no better way to learn than having a hands-on, real life sort of project.