NC homeowners forced to live with bat colonies

Large colonies of bats are living in North Carolina homes and there's nothing homeowners can do about it.

Why? Because it's against the law to remove them.

It's baby bat season and inspectors are not allowed to get rid of bats infestations. The restriction will be lifted in two weeks when the bats start to migrate.

Until then, families have to live with bats in their homes.

The bats only need a gap as small as a fingertip to get inside the homes, and experts say the removal restrictions are in place so the bats don't get trapped inside homes.

"You want to give the baby bats time to mature to gain the ability to fly, and at that point, you can properly evict them," animal removal expert Andrew Cole told ABC affiliate WSOC in Charlotte.

He adds the biggest threat they pose to people is the potential exposure to rabies.

Cole recommends bat-proofing your home to prevent them from getting in in the first place.