Operators of Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium are hoping to put an end to a growing bat problem, as the facility is now home to thousands of the creatures.
According to The Daytona Beach News-Journal, the bats have been roosting in cracks and crevices underneath the stadium's concrete bleachers at the 10,000-seat stadium.
The stadium has hired ProQuest Pest Control of Volusia County to take care of the problem. The pest control specialists will seal off openings in the stands on the visitors' side of the stadium and also put up netting underneath the bleachers that will allow the bats to fly out, but won't let them fly back in.
The News-Journal reports that the process will take about five to seven days. Crews will also seal off holes that don't have any bats yet to keep them from settling in those areas.
City officials said the efforts will not harm the bats, which are effective at pollinating plants and eating large amounts of insects, and will allow them to resettle elsewhere.
The city has battled the bat problem at Municipal Stadium for years, and officials say they need to be removed because they carry many diseases and there droppings emit a foul odor and can carry harmful pathogens.
City commissioners approved paying South Daytona-based ProQuest Pest Control $26,267 to direct the bats out of the stadium. All work includes a two-year warranty with a renewal at $450 a year after the first two years.
