The walls on the sixth and seventh floors of Hamlin Hall are infested with brown bats, according to Ann Bailey, the director of student housing and administration. Bailey held a mandatory meeting with Hamlin Hall residents and staff Thursday to discuss the infestation.
During the meeting, Kris Goowin, state director of United States Department of Agriculture wildlife services, told residents that reports, calls and complaints of strong odors and unusual droppings in dorm suites prompted the university to look into the situation.
Sept. 23, Goowin and other staff counted at least 200 brown bats entering and exiting the dorm in only 20 minutes.
Although Goowin said action is now being taken to protect residents and staff, she also noted that the problem has been in existence for “some time.”
Goowin said that the bats “were coming out of four main windows on the sixth and seventh floors.” She explained that the bats were attracted to heat and had settled between the bathroom windows and heater units.
Throughout the week, maintenance workers removed and vacuumed accumulated piles of guano, or bat droppings, from behind the heater units. However, Goowin said that it would be impossible to remove all of the guano from the walls, which would leave residents still exposed to histoplasmosis.
Histoplasmosis, commonly referred to as “histo,” is a fungal infection that can affect the whole body and is caused by inhalation of the fungal spores that is contained guano. When the airborne spore is inhaled, it may infect the lungs. The degree of infection in humans varies widely, depending on the individual’s immune status and degree of exposure to the fungal spores.
“If all of you were tested tonight, at least two-thirds would test positive for exposure to histo,” Goowin said.
On occasion, bats were spotted in or outside the suite halls. Because of this, residents voiced their concern of catching rabies, a disease also associated with brown bats. Goowin told students to contact their resident assistant immediately if bats were spotted within suites.
In an effort to calm residents, Goowin said that bats play key roles in keeping a wide variety of insect populations in balance. However, with the increased awareness of the West Nile virus, many residents questioned whether exposure to the bats would also expose them to the virus.
Goowin told residents that bats could be detected in two ways: by body oil residue and odor body oils left and by odor. Residents complained the pungent odor was not only in the bathroom, but spread to the bedrooms, and throughout the suite halls, and disrupted their breathing, studying, and sleeping. Goowin urged residents to look for such signs and asked them to participate in a “bat watch” to help monitor the accuracy of the bat count and to ensure the proper handling of the situation.
Residents also worried that the bats would migrate from floor to floor. Goowin said that the bats could only move from side to side, and not between the concrete separating the dorm floors.
“The residents asked questions about rabies and warning signs of the disease,” Lauren Maxie, senior and Hamlin Hall resident, said. “The representative from Mississippi Wildlife Association came to speak to us about the bat problem here.”
“She explained to us what we need to do to assist them (MWA) in controlling the bat problem,” Maxie said.
Goowin said that work would start immediately to seal the four known entrances used by the bats on the sixth and seventh floors, leaving the bats with only a “one-way” exit. Temporary bat houses will then be built on each side of the dorm so that the bats have somewhere to go until they can be properly disposed of.
After a question and answer period, residents received handouts on brown bats and safety tips. Bailey told students that they could request dorm assignment changes as needed. She encouraged residents to participate in the bat watch and spoke with individual students after the program.
For more information, contact Bailey at 325-3557 or Goowin at 325-3014.