CHARLOTTE, N.C.— If you’re dealing with bats in your home in North Carolina, you may have to wait until August to kick them out.

That’s because from May 1 to July 31, bats are giving birth and taking care of their pups.

Companies, such as Critter Control of Charlotte, won’t begin removing the bats again until after this time period.

"In January or February, bats send scouts to go back to the roost to make sure they're open,” said Company President David Crowe. "The scouts come back to the hibernacula, wake up the entire colony, and then the entire colony goes up to the roost for the summer.”

Crowe, who is also a wildlife biologist, says instead, they can seal off the rest of the house to make sure the bats don’t spread.

"We're on a holding pattern till August,” he said. "Now we can stop by homes and do up all the extra seal-up work where the bats are not currently located and roosting.”

Crowe says there are signs to look for that bats are sharing your home.

“As they go in and squeeze into a gap, they will rub that dirt off on the siding, so there'll be dirty streaks going in,” he said.

"But more than that, the droppings will accumulate very specifically in a concentrated area,” he added.

He says it’s very important to not remove a bat on your own.

Bats can carry rabies, and if you’ve had an interaction with a bat, call animal control because experts say the animal will need to be tested.