Moorpark Says Homeowners Not Doing Enough To Fight Bats

MOORPARK (CBS) —  A colony of bats have roosted at Miriam Quintero's home, and she and her boyfriend have hired a company to eradicate the bats -- but the city of Moorpark says its not good enough.

"This is very unusual," said a Moorpark city worker after inspecting the Quintero's home. "We've never seen something quite like this."

City officials told the couple last Friday that they had to get rid of the bats.

The bats that are on the property must be contained on the property. They can't be allowed to leave," city senior analyst John Brand said.

The couple called in a pest control company that installed a trap and mesh along the Spanish tile that is supposed to attract the bats.

Quintero and Steve Spence just moved into the house last month. Spence and his puppy have been bitten by bats and are undergoing treatment.

Colonies were found in five separate homes over the past two months.

Animal advocate Mary Cummins said there  are so many openings along the sides of the house that make it easy for bats to roost along the roofline and that the Quintero's pest control efforts haven't been effective.

"There's nothing else we could have done," Miriam Quintero said. "We can't sit up there and make sure a bat doesn't leave our house.

Another resident said Quintero's bats have moved into his adjacent home.

"Their trap, I don't think, caught too many bats. But their bats, when they got out of the roofline, came over to my roofline," neighbor Denver Leamy said.

"We've had bats in the past and it hasn't been a big deal. But if the city requires abatement that's going to cost me thousands of dollars then that's a little frustrating," Leamy said.

City officials said they'll take their findings and have their experts review them to determine how much more needs to be done to the roof.

Quintero and other residents with bat problems said they're going to get a second opinion.