Bats don't rest or hibernate outside, but rather inside either a cave or a protective structure.
From the first cited site:
"The only permanent solution in dealing with problem bats is to build them out or "bat-proof" the building. Because bats cannot gnaw new holes or reopen old ones, once openings are closed they should remain that way. Bats can enter a hole as small as 3/8 inch in diameter. You must find ALL openings larger than 3/8 inch and seal them because bats will continue to use the building as long as they have an entry point. Openings can be anywhere because bats do not need to fly through an opening to enter or escape."
Why wouldn't you remain calm? How would getting unnecessarily excited improve the situation? If you thought that the bat was rabid, how would trying to kill it be safe? If, for some reason, you are overly concerned about the safety or your children or your pet, what is so hard about having them go to a different room, shutting the door to the room that the bat is in. Then, go back into the room that the bat is in and open the windows. Either stay in the room and watch it or leave. Within minutes, certainly within five or ten, it will leave.
Personally, what I would do, indeed what I did as a kid, would be to stay in the room, remaining quiet and still, and watch the bat until it flew away. I'll treasure those experiences as long as my memory sticks around.
An unfamiliar cat or dog might be carrying rabies, yet I don't try to kill every cat or dog that I see, and I've seen some dogs with some pretty frothy mouths. Do you not go outside at night for fear of bat guano falling from the sky and contaminating you with histoplasmosis? Do you tremble in fear of starlings or not visit Ohio?
