Melonie Byrd said she’s complained about bats at her apartment for years, but one in her bedroom was the final straw.<\/p>\n
HOUSTON \u2014 A Clear Lake woman says she\u2019s fed up with the bats that have taken over her apartment, and after years of unanswered requests, she\u2019s turning to KHOU 11 for help.<\/p>\n
She says it\u2019s been a three-year problem, that the bats get into the siding and roof and will swarm outside at dusk. But the final straw was finding a bat flying in her bedroom.<\/p>\n
That resident, Melonie Byrd, said it\u2019s happening at the University Green apartments.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s ridiculous,\u201d she said. \u201cI had to take it this far to get something done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Byrd said she noticed the bats when she first moved in but says she was reassured by apartment management that the problem was rectified, and it seemed that way for a time. But around this time every year, the bats get stirred up.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hear them scratching on the walls. You can even hear them at night hitting the window,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Byrd said bats play an important role, but they aren’t needed in her walls. She said bat waste lands on window sills and ledges and wonders if any diseases they may carry are impacting her or her son, who she says has immune issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a rash on my face area. And at one point I had a head-to-toe rash that I had to get Cortisone shots, prednisone, and other things,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re just not sure what it is. And for me, I think it\u2019s due to the bats.\u201d<\/p>\n
Byrd said she\u2019s keeping watch when she leaves and goes at night. But the outside problem recently made it inside. She shared cell phone video of a bat flying in her room.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou may not think they\u2019re gonna do anything, but until they\u2019re in your home and messing with your safety and your health concerns, then you know I feel like then maybe it would be a problem for you,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Byrd filed a report with 311 and said a wildlife expert is supposed to come check things out soon. But she said nothing has happened in the past and wonders if it\u2019ll be the same.<\/p>\n
KHOU 11 reached out to the property representatives about Byrd\u2019s bat concerns and are waiting to hear back.<\/p>\n