ITHACA, NY (WSKG) - Students in Tompkins County can add 'Check For Bats' to their move-in list of things to do.
The county department of health has issued a warning to beware of bats because they may carry rabies.
Cynthia Mosher, with the Tompkins County Health Department, said juvenile bats are learning to fly and leave the nest at about the same time every year that college students are coming back.
"For about two weeks," Mosher said. "We have this perfect little storm of people moving into apartments and juvenile bats learning how to fly and winding up going into the wrong places."
Mosher said there has only been one bat with rabies confirmed this year.
Some people may be bitten and not realize it. They include sleeping children, people with sensory impairment and or just coming in contact with a bat.
To avoid unnecessary treatment the health department is asking people to safely catch bats that have ended up inside and submit them for testing. They have a video on their website showing how to catch a bat safely without touching it.