CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) -- An east Charlotte man says there are at least 200 bats that call his attic home and he won't be able to get rid of them until next month.
Michael Halbeisen told WBTV his attic is infested with the bats, but because they are a protected species, they can't be killed.
So, Halbeisen is stuck with them until next month when a pest control company will come out and safely remove them.
"As soon as it gets dark outside they start making their bats sounds and their squeaky, squeaky sounds and it's kinda creepy," he said.
Halbeisen first noticed the bats about two weeks ago.
"I first found them in the laundry room which was kind of like one or two bats here and there," he recalled. "It wasn't a big deal. But then I found out that I saw hundreds of them and it was like, well, we need to do something about it."
Every night, he said, they come out en masse. Halbeisen said he's dealing with his unusual houseguests and added,"I wish them well wherever their new home is going to be."
While he's not too worried, he know his neighbors are. Halbeisen said he has gone door-to-door alerting his neighborhood the bats come out at night.
He has also already taken measures to make sure they don't make a home in any other part of his house because a contractor has come out and "checked and sealed and caulked and screened; they only have one way in and out," he said.
The bats will not be removed until next month because some of them are still babies and they have to be able to fly on their own before they can be removed safely.
Copyright 2012 WBTV. All rights reserved.
