Gallaway continues to lead through innovation and science. The Butte County Department of Public Works recently engaged Gallaway Enterprises to assist them with a “bat problem”. The Honey Run Covered Bridge is a historical bridge located on Honey Run Road over Butte Creek. The site is used for educational events, weddings, photo shoots, fundraisers and other public events. Over the years a large populations of bats have been using this historical structure as a maternity roost and the population of bats has grown. The concentration of bats creates a regular maintenance problem for the County. 
The waste products left by over 500 bats stains the structure and the caustic nature of the urine damages the wood. Our biologists evaluated the situation and developed a solution to significantly reduce the number of bats utilizing the bridge structure, while protecting the integrity of the bat population. After the bats left for the winter we estimated the total volume of space available to roosting bats and designed special bats houses that included “pup shelves”. 
The bat houses were mounted outside of the structure on tall poles with predator guards. The roosting areas within the bridge were sealed with a variety of materials and painted so that the historical aesthetics of the bridge remain intact. Bat waste was concentrated and applied to the new structures so that when they return in the spring and find their previous roost sites sealed they will, via smell, locate their new digs. Kudos to the Butte County Department of Public Works for working to find an environmentally friendly solution to their “bat problem”!
Honey Run Covered Bridge
Bat House @ Honey Run Covered Bridge
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