10 Things to Know About Bat Poop.

1.Bats and war.

When the American Civil War began in April 1861, the Confederacy did not own enough gunpowder to supply their army throughout the war. Additionally, the Union’s blockade on the Confederate ports prevented the importation of gunpowder. So the Confederates had to find an abundant local gunpowder supply if they were to have any hopes of winning the war. Luckily, all three components necessary to manufacture gunpowder are naturally available in western Virginia. Guano consists largely of saltpeter (potassium nitrate) making it an ideal component for gunpowder. In fact, it's been used by the United States as early as the War of 1812 for making gunpowder. Luckily for the Confederates, the bats in Virginia’s caves are isolated allowing their guano to collect on the cave floors and so become easily accessible.

2. Dangers of bat guano in the home.

Aside from the health risks, bat guano and urine accumulating in attics and wall spaces can attract roaches and mites and the bad odor can be quite powerful. In addition, droppings over time work their way into the structure, leaving a lasting smell that’s hard to remove. It can also damage your attic’s insulation, which in turn could increase home heating and cooling bills. Bats defecate up to 30 times a day and a buildup of bat poop can even cause the structural collapse of beams and ceilings. If you do have a build-up of bat guano it’s important to get it dealt with professionally.

3. High nitric acid content.

Bats produce plentiful nitrogen-rich guano which can be mixed with limestone deposits to create fertilizer. It is obtained from only fruit and insect-feeding species. This versatile fertilizer is used as all-purpose manure for soil maintenance or as an agent to aid plant growth in horticulture, farming, and fisheries (to fertilize pond plants such as algae and plankton, which are eaten by fish). Now here’s the science bit! Nitric acid and ammonia are used to make ammonium nitrate. This material is a good fertilizer component because it has a high concentration of nitrogen. Plants take up nitrogen from the soil in the form of ammonium ions and nitrate ions, and along with carbon-containing molecules made during photosynthesis these ions are used to synthesize amino acids, from which proteins are made. Proteins are important structural components of the cell wall so proteins and their building blocks, amino acids, form a large component of plant life.

4. Seals and birds.

Yes, it’s not just bat poop! The word guano is also used to describe bird and seal feces and both are also used in fertilizer. Bat and seal guano are actually lower in fertilizer value than bird guano. As the source of guano is so varied, the nutrients in guano vary too. Sea birds eat small fish; seagulls also scavenge. Bats of one species eat fruit, of another, insects. This dictates the number of nutrients in the fertilizer. Bird guano has been harvested over several centuries along the coast of Peru, where islands are sheltered from humans and predators allowing large amounts of guano to collect.

5. Still mined today!

Bat guano has been mined worldwide for centuries. It was also exported till the late 19th century as a prime source of saltpeter (gunpowder). Guano is still mined in North America, but only for a niche market, however, it’s still an important resource in much of the developing world, where mining is still done with shovels and strong backs! But there is a downside. Bat guano is usually mined in caves and this mining can affect the biodiversity of the caves as the guano supports a great variety of cave-adapted invertebrate species, which rely on bat feces to survive. But perhaps the greatest damage caused by mining to caves is to the bat colonies. Bats are highly vulnerable to disturbance to their roosts. In fact, research has shown that mining for bat guano can be directly connected to the loss of bat species, associated invertebrates, and fungi.

6. Its real name is guano.

Guano (via Spanish from Quechua: wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds, seals, and bats. Evidence suggests that Andean people collected guano from small islands and points off the desert coast of Peru for use as a soil amendment for perhaps as long as 5,000 years. Spanish colonial documents suggest that the rulers of the Inca Empire greatly valued guano, restricted access to it, and punished any disturbance of the birds that produced it with death. Today you'll most often find the word guano used for fertilizer. But while bat guano plays a valuable role in the environment you will want to keep it outside your home as it can be dangerous to your health, more on that later.

7. Coffee and bats.

Have you heard of Kopi Luwak coffee? It’s a common myth that the most expensive coffee in the world comes from bat poop but it’s actually made from coffee beans that are partially digested and then pooped out by the civet, a catlike creature found in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. What about bat spit coffee? Yes, it is indeed a thing! The bats feed on the coffee cherries but, unlike the famous Kopi Luwak civet cats, the bats are too small to swallow the coffee cherries. The idea is that a reaction between their digestive fluids and the outside air produces a uniquely smooth flavor. It’s a natural coffee processing method!  It was originally discovered in 1711 on Réunion Island, off the east coast of Madagascar and this version of bourbon pointu beans can now go for $110 per pound.  A London supplier of exotic and high-end specialty coffees, also stocks a bat-enhanced coffee, although it differs in both bat and bean from the Madagascan version. It sources its geisha beans from Costa Rica.

8. It’s not used in makeup products.

The whole bat poop in mascara thing is really just a massive urban legend. Guanine was added to various cosmetics to give them a shimmery, iridescent look and it’s very abundant in bat poop. In fact, “guanine” originates from the word, “guano.” However, the cosmetic industry does NOT harvest it from bat guano. The FDA requires that guanine only be derived from fish scales when used in beauty products. Not keen on fish scales in your mascara? Don’t worry too much, most cosmetic companies aren’t willing to pay the high price for guanine these days and there are several cheaper alternatives like synthetic pearl, mica, aluminum, and bronze particles.

9. It makes some of the best fertilizer in the world. 

Yes, as mentioned, it makes the best fertilizer! It promotes green, rapid growth for lawns, supports flowering, promotes root growth and helps plants grow strong stems. It also helps hold together loose soils and makes dense soils lighter. Microbes in bat poop have been found to have bioremediation capabilities. This means bat guano can aid in cleansing toxic soils.  In addition, bat guano makes an acceptable compost activator, speeding up the decomposition process. As a fertilizer, bat dung can be made into tea, yes that’s right, tea. Bat guano tea recipes vary but it contains about a cup of dung per gallon of water. Mix together and after sitting overnight, strain the tea and apply to plants, this allows for deep root feeding.

10. It can be toxic to humans under certain conditions.

Bat guano, if disturbed, can release infectious spores resulting in Histoplasmosis. Histoplasmosis is an infection caused by a fungus called Histoplasma Capsulatum. Symptoms include fever, cough, and fatigue. Many people who get histoplasmosis will get better on their own without medication, but in some people, such as those who have weakened immune systems, the infection can become severe. That’s why clean-up of bat droppings requires proper care and the use of a HEPA filter mask. Attempting to clean up or sweep up in an area where there are bat dropping present could release the spores into the air, attempting this without the proper protection could lead to serious consequences and definitely isn’t worth the risk. In addition to the use of a HEPA filter mask our crews wet the bat guano first with a special solution to keep the dust down as much as possible no matter which collection method we use. We try to always use an industrial vacuum cleaner with a high-efficiency (HEPA) filter to bag contaminated material whenever possible. If we have to shovel or sweep it, we double bag it in 55 gallon trash bags.

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Michael Koski is the Owner and President of Get Bats Out, the industry leader in bat removal. Mr. Koski founded the company in 2007 and has since expanded operations to 43 states across the country. Specializing in commercial bat removal from hospitals, schools, apartment complexes, log homes, historic lodges and many other buildings, Michael Koski is an expert in the industry who is discreet and sensitive to any company’s PR needs.