Why access mattered here
Healthcare buildings raise the stakes on both sides of an inspection. The interior reports pointed to a real pattern, but confirming the exterior route meant getting a close look at upper facade and roof details without disrupting patients, staff, or clinical operations below.
By the time this hospital called, an estimated 150 to 250 bats were reaching surgery and recovery areas, and other pest-control companies had already attempted a fix without resolving it. The number reflects bats entering the affected interior areas, not the size of the colony using the building overall, which was likely much larger.
How the team approached it
The standard process starts with a phone consultation and a review of what has already been tried. At a hospital, the field investigation also has to account for restricted areas and clinical operations that continue while the exterior problem is being reviewed.
Because earlier attempts had failed and the interior reports involved sensitive spaces, the team needed a way to examine the upper exterior without setting up equipment near occupied windows or active patient areas. That is the specific condition that shaped the access method chosen for this project.
The access plan
The team flew a drone to examine upper exterior details and connect the surgery and recovery reports with likely entry points. The aerial review gave the team a closer view of areas that were not clear from the ground.
Sequence of verified work
- Consolidated the interior reports from surgery and recovery areas
- Documented that earlier pest-control attempts had failed to resolve the activity
- Used aerial footage to examine upper exterior zones the ground view could not reach
- Located the openings tied to the reported activity
- Prepared an exclusion and repair sequence built around hospital operations rather than a standard timeline
The result
The drone survey found entry points that the previous pest-control attempts had not resolved, which is the direct reason the earlier work did not stop the activity.
The investigation gave the hospital a building-specific exclusion and repair plan instead of another isolated patch.
What property teams can learn
General guidance for any property, not specific claims about this project.
- A pattern of interior sightings in sensitive areas deserves an exterior investigation that does not depend on reaching every surface by ladder or lift.
- If a previous attempt did not work, ask what method was used to find the opening, not just what was sealed.
- Aerial or remote survey tools can document upper facade conditions without setting up equipment near patient-occupied space.
- A colony estimate tied to one interior zone is not the same as the size of the colony using the building. Ask which number is being reported before drawing conclusions about scope.