Mitten Wildlife

Michigan wildlife & pest directory — connecting homeowners with licensed local providers.

Bat Removal Help in Paw Paw, MI

Van Buren County Pop. 3,526 April through October (some species hibernate in MI; others migrate)
How this works: Mitten Wildlife is a directory. Tapping the call button below connects you with a licensed wildlife removal provider participating in your area. We do not perform removal services ourselves.
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Bats in Paw Paw

Paw Paw sits at the confluence of the east and south branches of the Paw Paw River, about 30 miles east of Lake Michigan in the lake-effect snow belt — a mild shoulder season keeps bats roosting in village attics from April through October. Bats are Michigan's top rabies vector: 34 of 55 positives in 2023 and 14 of 15 statewide through late May 2026. Even with no recent positives in Van Buren County, a single bat in a bedroom where any of Paw Paw's 3,500-odd residents slept is a rabies-testing event under MDHHS guidance. The directory connects 49079 homeowners and folks toward Mattawan and Lawton with licensed pros handling exclusions outside the May-August 15 maternity window required by Michigan law.

Local context: Nearest state park: Van Buren State Park (21.8 mi). Nearest forest area: Allegan State Game Area (21.4 mi).

Rabies risk — important

In Michigan, bats lead all rabies cases. Of the 55 rabies-positive animals confirmed statewide in 2023, 34 were bats. 2026 YTD figures (as of 2026-05-29) show 14 of 15 positive animals are bats. Whenever a bat is found in a bedroom — or near someone who can't reliably confirm a bite, such as a sleeping person or a young child — Michigan public health code requires rabies testing. Do not release the bat.

Van Buren County has not had reported rabies-positive animals in MI DHHS surveillance for 2023 or YTD 2026.

Bats are responsible for more confirmed rabies cases in Michigan than any other animal, and dried guano can carry the fungal infection histoplasmosis. Never clean guano without gloves and a respirator.

Source: Michigan DHHS Emerging & Zoonotic Infectious Diseases rabies surveillance maps.

Signs you have a bat problem

  • A bat seen indoors in flight — almost always means a colony is nesting in the structure
  • Strong ammonia odor coming from guano accumulating in attics or wall voids
  • Squeaks, scratches, or fluttering in walls or the attic, especially around sunset
  • Tiny dark pellets of guano that crumble into shimmering insect-wing dust beneath entry sites
  • Dark, oily stains around vents, eaves, or rooflines from the residue on bat fur

What to do right now

  1. Confine the bat to a single room when you can do so safely: close the door, switch off lights, and open only the windows in that room.
  2. Repeated bat sightings inside living areas, or evidence of a colony, warrant a call to a licensed wildlife removal provider for inspection and one-way-door exclusion (exclusions must happen outside the maternity period, generally May–August 15).
  3. Never touch a bat without protective gloves — bats can carry rabies and bite wounds may be invisible.
  4. If a person slept in a room with a bat present, or a child or impaired adult was in the room: DO NOT release the bat. Call your local health department immediately — Michigan requires rabies testing of bats involved in potential human exposures.

Michigan regulations

Trapping and relocation of bats is restricted under Michigan DNR rules (Michigan DNR — all native bats are protected. Exclusions must occur outside the maternity period (typically May–August 15)). Licensed wildlife pros carry out removals within those state regulations, whereas DIY trapping can put you on the wrong side of state law.

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Calls are routed to participating licensed providers in your area.

Common questions — Bat in Paw Paw

What does bat removal cost in Paw Paw?
For a single bat that got into the living space, licensed wildlife removal pros in Paw Paw typically charge $250-$400 for capture, containment for MDHHS testing if needed, and a basic inspection. A full colony exclusion — sealing every gap larger than three-eighths of an inch and installing one-way exit devices — runs $500-$1,500 depending on roof complexity and how many access points the colony is using. Older homes around the village center with multiple gables tend to land at the higher end.
Should I call animal control in Van Buren County for a bat?
If the bat is in your bedroom and someone may have been bitten or exposed while asleep, the right first call is your doctor and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services — not animal control. Van Buren County does not list a public animal control hotline for wildlife inside homes, and Paw Paw village has no published number either. For the bat itself, contain it (do not release) and reach a licensed wildlife pro who can safely capture and submit it for rabies testing.
What if a maternity colony is living in my attic?
Michigan DNR rules prohibit excluding a bat maternity colony between May 1 and August 15. During that window, flightless pups are inside the roost; sealing the adults out kills the young and creates a serious odor and biohazard problem in your attic. All native Michigan bat species are protected. A licensed pro will inspect now, document entry points, and schedule the exclusion for after August 15 when pups can fly out on their own.
Is a bat in the house actually an emergency?
Sometimes, yes. Bats are Michigan's number-one rabies vector — 34 of 55 confirmed positives in 2023 and 14 of 15 statewide through late May 2026. Under Michigan public health code, any bat found in a bedroom where someone slept is treated as a potential rabies exposure regardless of whether a bite is visible, because bat teeth can break skin without leaving a mark. Capture it without releasing it, and contact MDHHS and your physician the same day.
What cleanup is involved after a bat colony is excluded?
Guano accumulates fast in an attic colony and carries Histoplasma capsulatum spores that go airborne when disturbed. Post-exclusion work generally includes vacuuming or removing contaminated insulation, surface decontamination with an EPA-registered product, and replacing batting where saturation is heavy. Sealing alone is not enough. Ask any Paw Paw pro whether guano cleanup and insulation treatment are quoted as part of the exclusion or billed separately before you put a deposit down.

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