Tifton resident Louise Holley hasn't seen the bats. Nor has she smelled them. But since she lives just one block from the neighborhood home infested with several thousand of the critters, she took the proper precaution.
"I had somebody come out here and go over my roof and fix any holes that are in it. He put wiring on the sides of my house where the vents are open," said Holley, who has lived in the area since 1949.
It's a good bet that Holley's neighbors are following suit to prevent the soon-to-be displaced bats from making their homes the next stop for nesting.
The battle with the bats all began a few weeks ago when Julie Smith, a real estate agent who lives down the street, found a buyer for the home at 316 W. Sixth Street. The historic Victorian house had been in foreclosure and uninhabited for about six months, she said.
"The house does need quite a bit of work, but the exciting thing was someone saw beyond that and was willing to take the risk to renovate the house and, hopefully, it would come back to its former glory," Smith said.
They knew there were bats in the house, Smith said. But the previous inhabitants, "the nicest family" according to Smith, simply could not afford to handle the problem before it spun out of control.
"Bats are nothing new in South Georgia," she said. "When we submitted an offer on the property, we were told a company had been hired to come in and make an assessment on how to get rid of the bats and how they were going to clean up the property."
One company estimated up to 20,000 bats in the home -- a figure Smith and listing agent Norris Bishop say seems on the high end. Smith said several sources gave her estimates from as few as 200 to as many as 20,000 bats in the house.
"There are not 20,000 bats in that house," Bishop said. "There are a lot, but it is more like 1,000."
Before anyone could bat an eye, the 20,000 estimate was reported nationwide and the story took on a life of its own. Tifton was becoming known as bat central.
Bishop said no one has been hired yet to eradicate the bats, which would involve installing one-way valves to allow the bats to fly out but not return. Bats are federally protected and can only be removed before May or after August in Georgia.
The asset management company is evaluating bids for the project, which could cost quite a bit.
"It is going to cost more than the house is worth to get the bats out," Bishop said. The house was last listed around $40,000 and it could cost almost $30,000 to get rid of the pests, he estimated.
The house is currently off the market and has been declared unfit for human habitation or other use until the bat problem has been resolved. Bishop was unable to say when the house might be available for sale.
"I am hoping the asset management company is going to take the measures to do the clean up, not just for their personal property, but for the community," Smith said.
It wouldn't be the first time the neighborhood had beaten the bats. Holley said her neighbor across the street had bats but was able to get rid of them.
Until the latest batch of bats are under control, Holley is keeping her distance.
"I ride by that way in a hurry," she said.
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