Bats Under Roof Tiles? 300 Most Correct Answers

21 Random Facts About Bats

What temperatures can bats tolerate?

Bats require specific temperatures for hibernation, between 35 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Great brown bats have found that attics can provide the perfect temperature for survival and have adapted to wintering in attics rather than burrows. If the temperature of the hibernacula (wintering place) is too warm, they use too much energy.

How do professionals remove bats from your home?

Follow these 5 easy bat control removal methods:

Identify the bat species(s). Different species may require a different approach.

Locate the entry point in your home.

Carefully remove the entire colony of bats using one-way bat doors.

Completely seal their entry point.

Clean the pest droppings.

Do bats wake up during hibernation?

At this time of year, millions of bats of various species hide in caves, where they huddle together to get warmth and hibernate. Overwintering animals need to wake up from sleep every few days to exercise, eat some of their stored food, and urinate and defecate when necessary.

Do bats leave the attic for the winter?

Bats sometimes appear in your home during the winter months. They hibernate from late autumn (October/November) to early spring (March/April). Bats were once thought to overwinter in caves or mines, but we now know that many will overwinter in houses and buildings.

Where do bats go during the day?

During the day, bats sleep in trees, crevices, caves and buildings. Bats are nocturnal (active at night) and leave daytime roosts at dusk. When bats leave their roosting site, they fly to a stream, pond or lake, where they dip their lower jaws into the water while still in flight and drink something.

Are bats dangerous?

Bats have been linked to diseases including rabies. Additionally, their feces, called “guano,” can contaminate the soil with a fungus that causes histoplasmosis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Is the removal of bats covered by household contents insurance?

Bats aren’t the most common pest problem, but they still plague many homeowners… On the other hand, if bats cause sudden and accidental physical damage that’s covered by your homeowners insurance, your policy could step in to help pay for repairs — but not removal the bats themselves.

What will repel bats?

There is no effective repellent against bats. There is no working bat repellent device. There is no magic bat spray or bat powder or any substance, machine or device that will get rid of bats and keep them out of the attic or home.

Are bats afraid of the light?

Bats are definitely not blind, but they do not have perfect vision. They also avoid natural and artificial light. As nocturnal animals, they have adapted to extremely low light conditions. When bats are out at night, they watch out for artificial light and avoid it as much as they can.

Do bats come back to the same place?

Some bats migrate to winter, but most overwinter in their nest. In April, the same bats return to their nesting sites. If the bats have a nest in your house, they will return to the same place year after year.

How do bats communicate?

Bats communicate with their environment primarily through their biological sonar. By emitting high-pitched sounds through their mouths or noses, bats use echolocation, using their ears to catch the echoes that come back as the sound waves they produce bounce off objects around them.

Do bats prefer hot or cold weather?

When cold weather drives insects away, bats must make a choice between settling down and wintering or moving to warmer areas with more abundant food supplies. Some species of bats hibernate, some migrate, and others do both. And in temperate climates like Florida, bats can stay year-round.

Can a bat live in a house?

Some species of bats prefer to live in houses – the same houses that humans inhabit. Bats live in walls and attics because they are great places to hibernate or raise their young. Occasionally a bat accidentally gets into the living quarters, e.g. a bedroom.

Do bats attack humans?

Vampire bats don’t attack humans or suck our blood; They prefer getting their teaspoon-sized meals from other animals. The remaining approximately 1097 species of bats eat insects, fruit, nectar and pollen. Some species eat fish and frogs. Insectivorous bats eat billions of tons of insects every summer.

How much does it cost to have bats removed from your home?

The cost of removing wildlife from a home is highly dependent on the extent of the infestation and the size of the home. Removing a single bat with a single point of entry or exit cannot be very costly. However, taking care of an entire colony will be much more.

Is bat guano poisonous?

Ask almost anyone and you’ll hear that bats (although useful in insect control) can be dangerous because they transmit rabies. But a lesser-known and not-so-easily-avoidable hazard is histoplasmosis. Histoplasmosis is a disease you can get from exposure to bat guano (bat droppings).

Can bats see during the day?

Bats are not blind. The saying “blind as a bat” just isn’t right. The truth is that all 1,100 species of bats can see and their vision is often quite good, although not as good as many other nocturnal animals. They actually rely on their daylight vision and cannot fly on moonless nights.

Is a bat considered a bird?

Bats are very special mammals. Bats flap their wings and fly like a bird, but they are not birds.

How small holes can bats enter?

They can squeeze through holes as small as 6 millimeters, about the size of a dime. Once inside the structure, bats nest in attics and between walls.

For more information on bats and our safe, legal and effective bat removal methods in Northern Virginia, contact us today.

So it’s important to get rid of bats if you find them living in your ceiling. Fortunately, there are many ways to get rid of bats without killing them.

Don’t try to rid your ceiling of bats in the summer. At this point, bat babies are young and unable to fly. This can present two problems: first, parent bats can be more aggressive and less likely to run away; and second, if they leave, they may leave their young behind, who may die without their parents’ support. Bats are vital to ecosystems as they eat large amounts of insects. Removing bats without killing them allows an important part of the food chain and balance in the local environment to continue.

When checking your roof for openings or cracks, make sure the ladders are secure and that you have the proper safety equipment.

Visually inspect your home for challenging bats. Stand in front of your house at dusk and pay attention to where bats come out. This will let you know how they get in – information you will use to keep your house bat free.

Chase away the remaining bats with bright lights. Bats don’t like bright light and like to hide in places like ceilings, partly because it’s dark. Shine bright lights in the ceiling space to excite the bats and encourage them to find a darker spot.

Put fiberglass insulation in the ceiling to make the room uncomfortable for bats. Fiberglass is painful to bats, so if they come back they won’t stay.

Seal the bats’ entrances. Look for cracks in your roof that could be bat entrances. Common entry points are edges under eaves, loose fitting shingles, and openings near vents. Seal these openings with caulking or wood patches to keep bats from getting back inside.

Everyone knows that selling a home is not without complications. But selling a house with bats is a whole different ball game, one most people haven’t experienced or even thought about.

Bats can actually live in your house completely unnoticed, until of course you come to sell your house and a bat survey discovers bats on the roof.

So how hard is it to sell a house with bats on the roof in the UK and what complications do bats bring?

We’ll answer your burning questions while debunking myths about bats and helping point you in the right direction when you need “bat removal.”

If you’re looking for something specific, this menu will help get you where you need to be:

Selling a house with bats in the roof UK

Selling a house with bats on the roof in the UK is probably something you’ve never done before and don’t know how to go about it. You are probably worried about finding a buyer as most people understandably dislike the idea of ​​having bats on the roof of their home as bats carry a lot of negative stigma. You may have heard that all bats cause rabies or that a vampire bat will suck your blood, but that’s not entirely true.

If you’ve come across a colony of bats on your roof just as you’re about to sell your home, try not to panic. We’re here to help and answer all your questions about selling a house with bats!

Can you sell a house with bats in the attic?

Yes! There are absolutely no rules against selling a home with bats, but you must explain it to the buyer.

It’s likely to be harder to find a buyer if you’re selling a home with bats because, as we mentioned earlier, bats carry a negative stigma. However, if you only have one bat or a small colony that doesn’t cause any disturbance, make noise or carry bad smells, then it shouldn’t be that hard to find a buyer as it will be like the bats. not even there!

Now might be a good time to debunk the “bat myth” to share with potential buyers if you’re selling a home with bats…

Bats suck human blood – WRONG! Vampire bats only suck the blood of cattle, such as deer or cows. These bats are actually very small, weighing about 2 ounces, so they hardly suck much blood anyway.

Vampire bats only suck the blood of cattle, such as deer or cows. These bats are actually very small, weighing about 2 ounces, so they hardly suck much blood anyway. Bats give rabies – WRONG! Bats cannot give you rabies simply living on your roof and will only cause rabies by biting you. Bats will only bite you if you touch one. However, not all bats have rabies. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention only 5 to 6 percent of the bats caught for testing had rabies, suggesting the chances of bats on your roof having rabies are slim.

Bats cannot give you rabies simply living on your roof and will only cause rabies by biting you. Bats will only bite you if you touch one. However, not all bats have rabies. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention only 5 to 6 percent of the bats caught for testing had rabies, suggesting the chances of bats on your roof having rabies are slim. Bats are the enemy – WRONG! Bats feed on insects and if you have them around, chances are you won’t have any insects in your house – yes, no nasty spiders!

Do bats have to be declared when selling a house?

If you sell a home with bats, you must report this to your buyers. We’d guess that’s not the kind of surprise a potential buyer will be happy with.

If you’re aware of the bats in the roof and don’t declare them, chances are they’ll be found at a later date on a survey (which we’ll get into in more detail later). If you don’t declare bats in the roof, your buyer could decide you’re an untrustworthy seller and pull out of the sale.

Are home inspectors looking for bats?

If construction work is carried out, a bat survey must be carried out. If bats are found, the bat survey decides on the building permit and construction work, depending on whether the bats are disturbed or not.

An initial bat survey costs around £400 and if evidence of bats is found, for example droppings, then a more intensive bat survey may need to be carried out, costing up to £900.

*A little tip – the presence of cobwebs in your house is generally a good sign that you don’t have bats on the roof! *

If you need to do a bat survey, it may need to be done at a specific time of year. Bats hibernate between November and March, so an activity survey would need to take place after that, when bats are more active.

A bat survey should be done primarily in daylight so that roosts or droppings can be better spotted.

If you want to learn more about bat surveys, your questions will be answered here.

How to get rid of bats in the UK

Bat removal in the UK is a difficult procedure that no one should easily try themselves. You must enlist the help of a specialist before attempting to disturb bats, and the bats may not be able to be removed…

Can I remove bats from my UK loft?

There is no simple yes or no answer to this question and each outcome will be different.

An expert will know whether or not the bats can be removed and when to remove them. If the bats need to be removed, it will likely be while they are away and also before they are settled for the mating season.

If bats are discovered, any action that would affect the bats or their roosts must be undertaken in a manner that minimizes disturbance to the bats and Natural England must be informed.

It is punishable by law for everyone:

Targeting, injuring, or killing a bat

Bats intentionally “disrupt”—disrupting means interfering with their ability to reproduce, survive, or feed their young

Damage or destroy a bat’s lair/roost even when they aren’t present

Block a bat from entering a roost/shelter

Any of the above cases may result in a prison sentence of up to 6 months and/or an unlimited fine.

If you are unsure what to do, you can contact the National Bat Helpline.

Are bats a protected species in the UK?

Yes, all bat species are protected in the UK. Included in this protection are their breeding grounds and resting places. We have 18 bat species in the UK, 17 of which breed here.

It’s important not to participate in activities that could harm bats, including:

Refurbish, convert or completely demolish buildings

Chop down an old tree or remove branches

Repair/replacement of a roof

move masonry

Change roof insulation

Set up a light outside of a bat roost

Removing a potential bat habitat, such as B. rows of hedges or forest areas

Use of insecticides or treatment of wood

How long does a bat stay in one place?

If you have bats on your roof, it’s likely seasonal and you don’t need to live with them all the time. Once they’re gone, they might not come back.

If the bats are there because they are pregnant, they will likely move on after the baby is born and find food on their own. This can take between 11 and 15 weeks.

A ‘bat expert’ can determine what stage the bats are in and possibly shed some light on how long they stay there and what they can do to remove them once the bats have left the roost.

If you are interested in bat movements and hibernation, read this.

Can Bats Damage Your Home?

Bats on your roof do not usually damage your home and it is often found that households with bats are unaware of this. They don’t make much noise or smell, and their droppings generally turn to dust if even a small colony is found.

They don’t use bedding, so won’t attack your insulation, and while they do hunt insects, they don’t typically bring that food into your home.

Bats can’t chew, so they can’t chew through walls, wood, wire, or similar objects like you would experience mice or other rodents.

However, if bats spend a long time on your roof and/or there is a large colony of bats, bat droppings can become a problem.

Bat guano (a fancy word for feces) is high in uric acid, which can erode metal and clay structures. Uric acid can also attack the binders for stone and concrete and damage the protective oxidation layer on copper and bronze.

Bat urine can also cause stains, and the buildup of bat droppings and urine can result in a foul odor that can be carried throughout the home.

Will Bats Depreciate Your House?

As we have already mentioned, with a small colony of bats, most likely the colony of bats will not make any noise or smell, and the number of excretions will be small, so they should not cause too much damage to the price tag.

If you are selling a home with bats and the bats have damaged the property or are making a lot of noise or smell, there will most likely be a depreciation in value.

If you are selling a house with bats and you have any of the damage issues mentioned in the last section from bat guano or urine, it will definitely affect your house value.

Not everyone is going to want to live with bats on the roof, so finding a buyer when you’re selling a house with bats can be a bit difficult.

If you don’t know about the bats on the roof until you have a buyer and they are spotted on a survey, a buyer can reduce their bid. A buyer may even back out entirely, as the idea of ​​sharing a home with bats isn’t high on everyone’s bucket list!

If you want to buy a house with bats on the roof, you could use the bats as a “bargaining tool” and make a cheeky offer.

Where are bats most likely?

There are certain buildings that are more likely to have bats on the roof. So if you don’t want to share a house with bats, it might be best to avoid the places listed below:

Dwellings built before WW1 (before 1914)

Warm roofs, usually south-facing roofs, are a big goal

Buildings near the foraging area

Roofs with large voids

Roofs or walls constructed from “leaky” materials that have many access points at the junctions

Rural areas

If you want to avoid bats in the roof, you should look for the following characteristics:

Small and cold roofs

Lots of outdoor lighting

Modern houses

No gaps in the joints of walls and roofs

Areas near or in a city

Now you know all about selling a house with bats on the roof in the UK, including bat research and what types of places to avoid if you don’t want to share a house with bats! What do you think – would you buy a house with bats on the roof? Or are you selling a house with bats and want to share some insight? Whatever it is, don’t hesitate to contact us!

3 signs of bats on your property: what to look out for

Bats rarely cause problems and can easily coexist with homeowners, often unnoticed. But if you’re concerned about bats in your home, these are the signs you can look for to determine if bats live on your property.

Bats in Britain

There are 17 different species of bats living in the UK, all of which are very small, weighing less than 30g. With the destruction of bats’ natural habitats by humans, bats have adapted to using man-made structures for breeding and roosting. They can access a property through a gap as small as 20mm and seek shelter in many locations including attics, basements, roofing felt, drain pipes and gutters, under lead flashing and window sills, between roof tiles, over soffits, between eaves, in voids, walls, under gables and in eaves.

Unlike mouse and rat infestations, bats are harmless and will not damage your property. They only eat insects and do not gnaw through cables, wood, wires or insulation. They will not infest your property as they only have one baby per year and do not build nests. Bats are clean animals and pose no health risk to humans – rabies is only transmitted through the bite or scratch of an infected bat and you are not at risk by not touching the bat.

3 signs of bats in your property

Bats are very common, but identifying them in your home can be difficult. You may not see any sign of bats at all, and homeowners are often unaware of their presence. Bats hibernate in winter and awaken in summer when they are most active at night, and often return to the same roost seasonally – so watch for these signs at this time of year.

bat droppings

Bats are best identified by their droppings. Bat droppings are similar in size and color to mouse droppings, but unlike mouse droppings, bat droppings crumble into dust under pressure. They are often found clustered on windows, walls, window sills, around gable ends, around chimneys, and under the ridge of the attic void where they roost.

bat chatter

You can also recognize bats by their noise. While bats tend to be extremely quiet when communicating via sonar, you may hear a chattering noise they make that’s like a high-pitched squeak and scrape. Watch out for bats chattering at dusk before flying out to feed. They are particularly vocal at dawn in July and August, when the babies call their mothers when they return from nighttime hunting.

Watch out for bats

Another good way to identify bats on your property is to conduct an emergence survey. Watch your building at dusk during the summer months to see if bats emerge as they leave their roosts at night to feed. Bats may also be visible on the ridge beams within the roof void.

Book a survey

If you’ve spotted any of these signs and think bats live in your home, contact Natural England for further advice. Bats are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it a criminal offense to intentionally injure, capture, kill or disturb a bat, or to recklessly damage or destroy its roosting site.

In most cases, homeowners and bats can coexist without issue or property damage, but if you are concerned about bats on your property or want to undertake construction work that you are concerned may harm bats, contact Allcott Associates today, and we can conduct an investigation to identify signs and inspect your property for bats.

Signs that you may be experiencing a bat infestation in your home

While most of us would prefer not to experience bat infestations in our homes, they tend to be more common than we might have hoped. If you think you currently have a bat infestation, read on and learn all the telltale signs so you can fix the problem as soon as possible.

Bats fly around the house

Bats that are in and around your home tend to be most visible at certain times of the day. So, if you constantly see bats flying around your house at sunrise or sunset, it is a sign that you have a bat problem. They are nocturnal creatures that sleep during the day so you will never see them when the sun is out.

The smell of ammonia

Have you ever wondered why a house that hasn’t recently been cleaned with ammonia still carries its odor? Unfortunately, bat droppings smell like ammonia, and if your home smells like this cleaning agent, it’s usually a sign that they’ve taken up residence in your home. Those who do not seek professional help immediately risk contracting diseases caused by inhaling the spores.

Inexplicable smells

Piggybacking on the previous point, weird smells in your home aren’t always related to ammonia, as there are a number of other unexplained smells to look out for. If there are strange smells in your home that you can’t find the source of, it’s often a sign that a wildlife infestation has taken place right under your nose (pun intended).

sightings of dead bats

One of the most common mistakes homeowners who experience a bat infestation make is when the dead bats they find near their home are somehow related to another home in their area. A dead bat found on your property is likely a member of an entire family living in your home. Pay close attention to your home once you find dead bats on the premises.

Stained Holes

If bats can find an entry point in and out of your home, they don’t use the front door. You’ll find areas of the house that you don’t exercise the proper vigilance on to use as entry points, and once they do, they’ll keep entering and exiting. Once they locate an entry/exit point, the hole will be stained with black resin, giving you all the evidence you need of a bat infestation.

Bats inside the house

While this may seem like an obvious sign that you are experiencing a bat infestation in your home, there is a shocking number of homeowners who will take moments like this as a mere aberration and will not investigate the matter further. If bats feel brave enough to invade the main areas of your home where you can easily see them, there’s also a very good chance they’ve found a way to colonize areas of your home that you can’t see.

Strange noises from inside the house

Homeowners who constantly hear strange noises in their home shouldn’t make the mistake of labeling it as “snapping” or “creaks and groans.” Do you hear strange noises coming from the walls of the house and from the attic? Then you need to take a closer look to make sure bats aren’t already living in there. Sunrise and sunset are the times of the day when you are most likely to hear these sounds, as this is when bats enter and leave your home.

Squeaky noises

While there are certain noises that aren’t that easy to explain, the presence of high-pitched squeaks is incredibly problematic and a surefire sign that your home is filled with it. Some homeowners may try to fix the problem themselves, but in such cases, you need to call in a professional. Many of the tactics employed by the average homeowner only serve to enrage the bats even more and make them dig in their heels.

Frequent sightings of bat droppings

There’s no need to panic if you happen to find bat droppings in random areas of your property, but if you find droppings in close proximity to your home on a regular basis, it usually means the bats have already found an entry and exit site. Bats prefer to defecate in areas away from their nests, and your home could be the epicenter of an infestation.

Visible bats in outdoor structures

Anyone who has other outdoor facilities such as a shed or garage on their property is also very susceptible to a bat infestation. If you see signs of bats in these buildings, it is a sign that they have already settled or are about to settle in your house.

If you notice any of the above signs, it’s time to contact a professional so you can remove the bats in a timely and efficient manner. Don’t make the mistake of assuming you can handle this task on your own.

Alliance Pest Services has a dedicated division called Bats Away to solve all your pest, wildlife and bat removal problems.

when to vacate

If you’re trying to do it yourself, your goal is to allow the bats to leave on their own, but prevent them from returning. Only do this when there are no dependent young – not in the period from May to August. Many states specifically prohibit excluding bats when they are growing up young.

Before even considering eviction, check with your state wildlife agency to make sure you know what laws to follow and to get a good idea of ​​when it’s safe to exclude bats from your area.

For most migratory species in the Northeast, bats leave colonies for hibernation sites by the first week of September, but some species (large brown bats are a good example) will hibernate indoors during the winter.

So early fall is the best time to drive bats away. If you find hibernating bats during the winter, wait until spring when the bats are able to fend for themselves.

Here is a quick overview of how to drive bats away:

Find all of the exterior entrances, but don’t just seal all of the openings at night. Not all bats go at the same time, or even every night, and you’ll likely catch some bats inside.

Install one-way bat check valves (see below) at all entrances you find. Check valves allow bats to go but not return.

Leave the check valves in place for at least five to seven days.

Check carefully that there are no more bats. Watch the outside of the house in the evening to make sure the bats haven’t found another way inside.

When you’re sure the bats are gone, remove the check valves and seal the entrances.

Bat check valves

Stephen Frantz of the New York City Department of Health and others developed the concept of the bat check valve more than 30 years ago.

Elegantly simple, the check valve is just a piece of fiberglass window screen easily available at any hardware store that is cut to size and draped over the opening used to enter and exit the building.

Upon exiting, the bats fall down to the open end of the check valve at its bottom. When they return, they don’t go to that opening, but try to enter at the original entry point. The check valve prevents this re-entry.

Check with your state wildlife agency again to determine when it is safe to begin expulsion, leaving check valves open for at least a week to ensure all bats have been expelled.

Many homeowners, recognizing the value of bats for insect control, choose to construct a bat house at the time of eviction in hopes that the bats will find and use it or occupy it when they return next spring.

night quarters

Bats sometimes use carports or pavilions for night roosts, which are temporary stops they make after feeding to rest and digest trapped insects. This is often associated with elimination before fleeing again, which leads to conflicts with people. This can be prevented by repelling or excluding the bats.

Mylar or flash tape can deter bats from such structures, and plastic sheeting secured with staples so the bat cannot grab the preferred part of the structure will also work. Make sure the staples are no more than 1 inch apart so the bat can’t crawl under the foil and get stuck.

It’s dusk and you take Fluffy for a walk before checking in for the night. As you approach your front door, you hear a high-pitched squeak as something flaps past you. In the fading light, you try to make out what the creature was, and notice there are more squeaks and flaps as bird-like creatures arc around your house. However, if you observe the flight pattern, you realize that these are not birds, but bats. Now the question is, what are they doing in your house?

If you see bats near or inside your home, there are only a few reasons for their presence. As with any other wild animal or household pest, they choose to live with humans for three reasons: shelter, food, and water. If they’ve chosen your attic or outhouse as a place to sleep, it’s probably because they’ve discovered that your home or property is a fertile source of food. In other words, if you see bats near your home, it could indicate that you have a pest problem.

There are many misconceptions about bats. They are not rodents; they are mammals. They don’t attack people. In fact, they prefer to avoid people. However, sick or injured bats must not be afraid of humans. They are not aggressive and less than 1% of bats ever contract rabies. They will bite if they feel threatened, so never attempt to catch or pet a bat, especially with your bare hands.

Bats are nocturnal, meaning they sleep during the day and leave their roost at night to hunt for insects. They are nature’s little exterminators. And yes, they are small. There are only two types of bats that you would typically see around or in houses: the little brown bat and the big brown bat. The little brown bat is only about 3 inches tall when sleeping and weighs less than half an ounce. Their wingspan gives them a deceptively large appearance as they can be up to 10 inches across. Greater brown bats are about half an ounce and about 4.5 inches long when roosting, but their wingspan can be up to 13 inches.

The real problem with bats is that they are not house trained and this can lead to some big problems. Bat droppings, called guano, can cause health problems in humans, bats can get into the living area of ​​a home, uncontrolled bat infestations can cause damage to the home as the weight of the guano can affect the attic/ceiling of the living space. The guano can also attract insects into the home. In other words, you really don’t want bats living in your house.

You can keep bats out of your home by sealing their entry points. However, this must be done after dark, when the bats have left their roost to hunt. You also need to make sure all bats have left your home, or you might find that you’re sharing your quarters with a frantic, disoriented bat that’s desperate to get outside. However, expelling bats from your home does not necessarily mean that they are no longer in your home. If your yard is still a veritable buffet, they might continue their nightly visits.

As with any other pest problem, the best way to get rid of bats is to deprive them of their food source. This is where we come in. While preventive pest control doesn’t eliminate bats, we can treat your home and yard to get rid of the insects that attract bats to your home in the first place. We pride ourselves on being able to offer affordable, fast and reliable pest control services. Give us a call and one of our knowledgeable, friendly technicians will inspect your home and property, then advise you on the best course of action to get rid of roaches, spiders, mosquitoes and other household pests. Isn’t it time to send those bats packing?

Bats are never fun to deal with – I’m sorry to hear you have one in your house. How long a bat lives once trapped indoors depends on whether it has access to food or water. If there is neither food nor water, a bat trapped in a house will die within 24 hours. Even after it is dead, you should not touch or approach the bat.

Some animals seem scarier than they are, but bats are just as dangerous as they seem. Bats transmit numerous diseases that are deadly to humans. Many of the diseases they transmit are also not curable.

If you notice live or dead bats or bat droppings, follow these steps:

Do not approach the creature

Leave the area immediately

Try to keep the bat locked in, or go into a room it can’t reach

Immediately call animal control and have them come and remove the bat safely

Like most pests, bats get into your home through gaps and cracks in your exterior. The household contents insurance does not cover bat costs. However, it can help you keep your home in good condition after covered damage so you don’t get an infestation in the first place.

If you want cheap home and renters insurance quotes fast, go to Jerry. As a licensed broker offering end-to-end support, the Jerry app collects affordable quotes, helps you switch plans, and helps you cancel your old policy. Even better, Jerry can help you combine your home and auto policies for maximum savings.

MORE: The 16 perils of home insurance

Finding a bat in your home can be a scary experience, but in reality, the bat is probably more scared than you are in that particular situation. But while it’s highly unlikely that the bat will cause direct problems to the occupants of your home, the presence of a bat in your home can create a variety of other potentially serious problems – and that’s why it’s important to remove and prevent bats, before the problem occurs gets out of control.

Found a bat in your house? Here’s what you need to do to get your home bat-free and restore order to your domain.

Ask for a quote

Find and remove all bats

Not all bat encounters in your home may be created equal. For some homeowners, encountering a confused young bat in the wrong place at the wrong time can be a once-in-a-lifetime encounter. In other cases, the problem may be larger and require a more nuanced approach.

When a lone bat gets in

Bats occasionally enter houses, mostly on summer nights between July and August. These cases are most commonly the result of young bats (pups) that have left their roost and are just beginning to fly. These types of bat encounters can usually be handled fairly easily by homeowners. Young bats trapped inside have been known to circle a room several times, looking for ways to get back outside. The most effective solution to removing a bat in this situation is to simply let it find its own way out. Chasing a bat or using any household items as smacks will only cause bats to panic, which can significantly prolong the removal process.

A young bat, having accidentally flown in, is likely to fly in circles in search of an exit. Do not touch the racquet when it lands to rest.

Cordon off the area where the bats hang out as best you can by closing all interior doors and removing all pets from the area.

Open windows and outside doors to encourage the bat or bats to leave on their own – this will keep them calm and find a solution at their own pace.

You can try using household items to scoop the bat into a container and then release it outdoors. If you attempt this, it’s best to wear gloves to ensure you don’t come into direct contact with the animal.

If necessary, consult a pest expert to safely and completely remove the bat, as well as any other bats in your home.

When you find bats in your attic

If your bat problem extends beyond a single chance encounter, your solution may require a little more work.

Obviously, the first step in making your home bat-free is to physically remove any bats that may be hiding unseen. Bats often congregate in dark and undisturbed places with access to the outside – attics, roofs and crawl spaces are some of the most likely hiding places.

While it may seem that the best first step is to look for the bats themselves, they may not always be around when you go looking. Instead, look for guano or bat droppings under and around prime hanging points: brick walls, wooden beams, open gaps in wooden frames. Urine stains on the walls along these hanging locations can also help you roughly locate where the entry point might be. You can confirm this by watching these heavily polluted spots for the in and out of bats, typically in the evenings of late July and August.

Once you’ve located the bats, you can take steps to safely contain them before calling in an experienced pest controller to humanely handle and remove the bats outdoors.

Clean up feces and leftovers safely

While bats themselves can often transmit diseases like rabies, the most dangerous risks of having bats in your home come from their droppings, which can harbor a variety of dangerous (and even deadly) diseases and parasites. Bat guano can contain histoplasmosis, which can cause serious respiratory infections in humans, and bats themselves can carry blood-sucking bugs that can attack and infect people nearby. Additionally, prolonged periods of fecal accumulation often require sanitization, removal and replacement of attic insulation before an area can be safely re-entered.

Because contact with the droppings themselves can be so dangerous, it’s important to maintain proper hygiene standards when cleaning up and disposing of any bat droppings that may be present, as well as any carcasses that you may find in roosting sites. For most homeowners, the safest solution is to hire a pest expert who can safely and reliably disinfect your space.

Identify and seal entry points

Bats will usually find the easiest entry point for a quick hop in and out when it’s time to feed. Cut off that entry point and they may be forced to find another roost, leaving your resident bat free and protected from unwanted intruders.

The most common entry points include attic openings and windows, gaps between timber frames, and through holes caused by damage or age. These can often be hidden or obscured to the casual observer, so it may be a good idea to have a pest expert take a look and determine where the bats make their entrance. From there you can cordon off access and prevent bats from ever entering your home. Just make sure there are no more stragglers inside before you close the exit!

Consider offering alternatives

Bats that roam your home are not malicious and certainly will not harm you – due to their role as insectivores and mosquito eaters, bats are actually very beneficial to the local ecosystem. Therefore, it may make sense to provide bats with alternative roosting sites nearby – this way they are less tempted by the security of your attic.

Bat boxes and bat houses are as easy to set up as a bird house, but are designed to provide an ideal roosting spot for bats and their pups. Consider installing a bat house on a tree or flat surface facing south or southeast (with about 6 to 8 hours of sun) at least 10 feet off the ground. By giving bats a better nearby alternative, you make your home less enticing and allow bats to live in peace – a helpful neighbor for those restless summer nights.

Don’t let a bat problem hang over your head

A bat problem will not go away on its own, especially if you don’t take active steps to address it. By taking action, you can safely and completely remove bats from your home without harming the animals or yourself.

If you’re struggling with a bat problem – whether sudden or suspicious – contact our experienced bat removal experts at JP Pest Services. We understand that bats are an essential part of a healthy and well-functioning ecosystem and our licensed and professionally trained wildlife technicians use one-way exclusion doors that allow bats to exit the structure but do not allow re-entry. Since bats easily find new places to live, they can be successfully reintroduced to their natural environment. We make your attic bat-free so that you can enjoy the summer again.

Ask for a quote

The good news is that bats are not aggressive. The bad news: if bats are in your home, it’s only a matter of time before their litter becomes a serious problem.

Health concerns aside – and there are valid health concerns, in fact – bat droppings and urine can destroy wood and other building materials and gradually compromise the structural integrity of your home. So, while you may not be skeptical about the idea of ​​bats living under your roof, there are plenty of sensible reasons to act quickly. Follow the steps below to get rid of bats and prevent them from returning.

STEP 1: Find out about local laws.

Familiarize yourself with local laws. Most states classify bats as a protected species, meaning it is illegal to kill them. A more humane approach is to install a decoy bat house, like this cedar wood model available on Amazon, on your property before chasing your unwanted guests away. Chances are, once the bats have been denied entry to your home, they will settle into the new shelters you have prepared.

advertisement

From there, you can count on the bats to continue their useful service by eating the insects on your property. If you have a bat problem, take care of the problem immediately to avoid structural damage to the home. The steps below may help, or you can call a professional. If you spotted your winged dwellers while preparing your home for a future sale, act responsibly and make sure you communicate the issue to the prospective owners.

STEP 2: Identify the bat species that reside in your home.

When trying to get rid of bats, it is important to find out what type of bat you are dealing with. The first thing you need to do is learn the most common species of bats in your neck of the forest. Next, if you haven’t already, try to look closely at the bats so you can compare your observations to your research. Vampire lovers could easily guess that the best chances of seeing a bat are at dusk and dawn.

There are nearly 50 species of bats in the United States, but only colonizing species will take up residence in your attic or under the eaves of your home. The three most common colonizing bat species are the lesser brown bat, greater brown bat, and sallow bat. Greater brown bats have glossy brown fur and dark brown to black wings, ears, feet, and faces.

True to its name, the little brown bat looks very similar to the big brown bat, but is smaller and has a more pointed nose. Distinctive in appearance, the pale-colored bat has light-colored fur, large ears, a pink face, and eyes that are significantly larger than those of other bats.

Once you know what type of bats are in your home, you can determine if it is maternity season for that particular species. The maternity season for US bats varies by species and region, but typically falls between May 1 and August 31. If you prevent the mother bat from entering your home again while the babies are still inside, those babies will die. And no matter how you feel about it, you definitely won’t like the way it smells. So if it’s maternity time, wait it out.

advertisement

STEP 3: Determine the entry point of the bats.

Are you sure maternity season is over or hasn’t started yet? OK – time to get serious. Watch your home closely at dusk or dawn to determine exactly where bats are entering and exiting your home. Keep in mind that a colony of bats usually has more than one entry point, and these openings can be as small as half an inch.

Chimneys and vents are the most common openings bats use to enter the home, either as a nesting site or as a means of gaining access to other parts of the home. Other common entry points to check are the ridge cap of the roof, vents on the side of the house that vent the attic, and the fascia boards at the eaves of a house.

Damaged parts of the exterior of a house, such as B. warped boards, loose parts of side walls or broken windows are also places where bats enter. Look for the telltale sign of bat droppings around these openings to determine where bats breach your home’s barrier.

STEP 4: Seal the opening.

If bats are already established, it may not be a good idea to simply seal their entry point if doing so will trap them in the home. One way to get rid of bats is to use a device called a one-way exit valve or pipe that allows the bats to exit the building but does not provide the bats with a way to return. If your chosen device seems to be working, leave it in place for about 3 days to give all your bat dwellers time to exit.

Once you’ve successfully removed the bats from your home, it’s time to prevent them from returning. To fill holes and seal cracks, start by covering the most common entry point. Attach chimney caps, cover vents, and add screens to windows. Repair any holes in roofs or trim that bats could get in through.

advertisement

Remember, since bats can squeeze through holes as small as ½” to 1″, you must exercise care in your repairs. Use caulk like DAP Elastopatch (available on Amazon) or an expanding foam like Great Stuff (also available on Amazon) to fill cracks or holes. Unlike rats, bats don’t chew through material, so one of these products should do the trick.

STEP 5: Clean, clean, clean.

After you get rid of bats, you have some dirty work ahead of you. The bats will have left feces and urine. When cleaning, it is imperative that you wear the correct protective gear – long-sleeved clothing, rubber work gloves and an N95 respirator (a dust mask will not provide the protection required).

Before diving into the mess, first lightly spray the area with a solution of water and bleach to kill any pathogens that may be airborne. Remove and discard porous materials such as carpets or fabrics that may have been contaminated by bat droppings.

Use a non-ammonia soap or detergent to clean, making sure to scrub the area thoroughly. Rinse with clean water, then disinfect with a solution of ¼ cup bleach per gallon of water. The bleach kills any remaining pathogens while eliminating odors.

Like other domestic hazards, bats can cause serious health problems. The feces can contain a fungus that can cause a potentially life-threatening respiratory disease called histoplasmosis. So seriously think about hiring a professional cleaning team. Once the area is no longer toxic, proceed to seal any holes you have identified.

FAQs on removing bats

Q. Does a bat in the house mean more?

If you find one bat in your home, chances are there are more. Bats are very small, so it’s possible to have multiple bats living in your home without you even knowing it. After finding a bat, continue with the steps above to determine how they invade your home.

advertisement

Q. How do you get rid of bats in the attic?

If you live in a region where temperatures drop below freezing in winter, the bats will flee when the cold comes. Once they migrate, seal any tears or holes and cover the vents to keep them from returning. In warmer climates, use exclusion tubes or doors to get them out, then seal any openings.

Q. What are bats attracted to?

If bats are attracted to your home, it’s likely because it provides either a food source (indicating you may need pest control) or an ideal nesting site when the bat is looking for a place to breed can expand.

Q. How do you deter flying foxes?

There are a few solutions to get rid of bats feasting on your fruit trees. Scare them off by hanging visible objects that make noise, such as B. wind chimes or windsocks. You may also be able to scare bats with sound from ultrasonic devices.

Q. What will repel bats?

While physical barriers keep bats from entering your home, some objects repel them. Bats don’t like the smell of mothballs, white phenol, cinnamon, or eucalyptus. Install bright lights to deter them. Bats also don’t like objects that reflect light, so you can hang strips of aluminum foil, mirrors, Mylar balloons, or even old CDs.

Final Thoughts

Discovering that a family of bats have taken up residence in the attic is enough to give everyone the Heebie-Jeebies. Luckily, clearing these winged squatters is as easy as patching holes in the outside of your home and plugging air vents, chimneys, and other openings.

When getting rid of bats, remember that bats are protected in most states for their contribution to the environment, so it’s important that you treat them humanely. While it’s decent to send your bat dwellers to pack, poisoning bats or capturing them and letting them starve is a complete no-no. Plus, you want them to be close by to ensure you have a bug-free garden.

There are 18 bat species in the UK. Seventeen of these breed here and some other non-resident bat species such as; Kuhl’s Bat and Parti-Tone Bat will occasionally deviate from course and land here.

However, not all species hang upside down like you might have imagined. In fact, few of them do.

So what species of bats do we call Britain home? Spring. Find out below.

We have listed the most common types. Bats you are most likely to see around your home and forest.

1. Pipistrelle

Scientific name: Pipistrellus Pipistrellus | wingspan: 22cm | Body Length: 35mm

In fact, there are three species of pipistrelle in the UK. Common, Soprano and Nathusius’. The latter has only been a formal resident since 1997.

Pipistrelles are often found indoors. Either under a roof tile or in a cavity. But can be found in a number of habitats. They generally wake up and leave their roost 15-20 minutes after sunset.

Rapid and jerky when flying about 2-10 m above the ground. They feed in a wide variety of habitats including forests, hedgerows, grasslands, farmland and urban gardens. Pipistrelles hunt small insects, which they catch and eat in flight. A single bat can eat up to 3,000 insects in one night.

In summer, the species is usually found in cracks, such as behind hanging roof tiles, soffits or eaves boards. They also prefer to roost between roof tiles and roofing felt or in cavity walls. Tree cavities and crevices, but also in bat boxes are often used.

Female bats form mother colonies where they give birth to a single young in June. They live in colonies of up to 1,000 individuals, making them the most common bat in the UK. Pipistrelles are the bats you are most likely to see.

2. Brown long-eared bat

Scientific name: Plecotus auritus | wingspan: 25cm | Body Length: 45mm

With ears longer than “Spock” (about 28mm long), the brown long-eared bat can navigate food, including the smallest insects.

They fly low to the ground and sometimes land to capture prey. However, this can make long-eared bats a target for predators. like cats. They can often locate prey by the sounds made by a moth’s vibrating wings. The brown long-eared bat regularly uses perches to eat.

Their foraging quarters are often in attic voids, porches, or barns, and can be identified by discarded moth wings in a pile.

During the summer, quarters are usually in older buildings, barns, churches, and trees. Long-eared bats usually form small colonies of about 20 individuals. Winter roosts are usually in burrows, tunnels, and occasionally even in trees and houses.

A human can live more than 30 years!

3. Noctule bats

Scientific name: Nyctalus noctula | wingspan: 36cm | Body length: 75mm

One of the largest bats in the UK, the noctule bat is usually the first to emerge from its roost in the evening.

Mostly they are tree dwellers, living mainly in rot cracks and woodpecker holes, moving up to 10 km from the roost every evening to forage. They rarely appear in buildings.

With a flight speed of over 50 km/h, noctule bats typically fly at higher altitudes and take steep dives when hunting prey. A diet of moths, beetles and flying ants were caught on the wing. Occasionally, prey will be taken off the ground and in urban areas they have been known to use streetlights to feed on moths they have attracted.

Noctule bats form mixed-sex colonies in April and can be found in tree hollows, buildings and bat boxes. The groups break up in late spring. In summer, males are solitary or form small bachelor groups. The females congregate to create small maternity roosts, usually in a tree hollow.

4. Daubentons

Scientific Name: Myotis daubentonii | wingspan: 25cm | Body Length: 45mm

Also known as “water bats,” Daubentons use their tails and large feet to skim water and take prey from the surface. Have you seen a bat over water in daylight? Well, chances are it was a stave tone.

Normally, summer colonies are in moist locations near water. For example bridges over canals and rivers or in tunnels. As a friendly species of bat, Daubian bat is well tolerated and tolerated in roosts formed by common pipistrelle, noctule bats and brown long-eared bats.

With an average colony size of up to 200 in a nursery roost, young pups are nursed for 6 to 8 weeks, at which point they are able to forage completely on their own. Males or non-breeding females sometimes share communal roosts. However, they have been known to join maternity colonies.

Water bats can live up to 22 years.

5. Shelduck’s and whiskered bat

Scientific name: Myotis brandtii & Myotis mystacinus | wingspan: 24cm | Body length: 40mm

These Myotis bats were separated as individual species in the 1970s and are very similar. Both are small bats, with the Brandts being slightly larger.

Shelduck and whiskered bats, which emerge within 30 minutes of sunset, remain active for most of the night. In a fast and flapping flight of 20 meters, they often hunt along a regular hedgerow or forest route, gliding briefly between the treetops.

Whiskers’ bats and shelduck’s bats regularly use buildings as roosts. As crevice dwellers, they often use houses and buildings with stone walls and slate roofs.

Similar to Daubenton, both species can also sleep with pipistrelle bats or long-eared bats.

6. Smaller horseshoe

Scientific name: Rhinolophus hipposideros | wingspan: 25cm | Body Length: 45mm

The Lesser Horseshoe is one of the smallest bats in the UK. A classic upside-down “hanging” species, they wrap their wings around the body when sleeping. Easily distinguished from a complex noseleaf look.

Usually the species are cave dwellers. Nowadays, however, summer colonies are often found on the roofs of larger country houses and stables. Especially if a nearby basement, cave, or tunnel is available.

After a period of time for the bats to fly around inside the roost and test the conditions outside, the Lesser Horseshoe finally emerges about 30 minutes after sunset to forage for food.

Large prey flying only five meters above the ground are generally returned to a night roost. That said, uneaten food is often found in a heap under their favorite perches.

Mixed-sex lesser horseshoe bat maternity colonies are widespread, with up to 20% of the group being male.

Want to learn more about bat species?

The Bat Conservation Trust website has some detailed fact sheets on all bats in the UK. You can also listen to how the sound is echolocated on the site.

The good news is that bats are not aggressive. The bad news: if bats are in your home, it’s only a matter of time before their litter becomes a serious problem.

Health concerns aside – and there are valid health concerns, in fact – bat droppings and urine can destroy wood and other building materials and gradually compromise the structural integrity of your home. So, while you may not be skeptical about the idea of ​​bats living under your roof, there are plenty of sensible reasons to act quickly. Follow the steps below to get rid of bats and prevent them from returning.

STEP 1: Find out about local laws.

Familiarize yourself with local laws. Most states classify bats as a protected species, meaning it is illegal to kill them. A more humane approach is to install a decoy bat house, like this cedar wood model available on Amazon, on your property before chasing your unwanted guests away. Chances are, once the bats have been denied entry to your home, they will settle into the new shelters you have prepared.

advertisement

From there, you can count on the bats to continue their useful service by eating the insects on your property. If you have a bat problem, take care of the problem immediately to avoid structural damage to the home. The steps below may help, or you can call a professional. If you spotted your winged dwellers while preparing your home for a future sale, act responsibly and make sure you communicate the issue to the prospective owners.

STEP 2: Identify the bat species that reside in your home.

When trying to get rid of bats, it is important to find out what type of bat you are dealing with. The first thing you need to do is learn the most common species of bats in your neck of the forest. Next, if you haven’t already, try to look closely at the bats so you can compare your observations to your research. Vampire lovers could easily guess that the best chances of seeing a bat are at dusk and dawn.

There are nearly 50 species of bats in the United States, but only colonizing species will take up residence in your attic or under the eaves of your home. The three most common colonizing bat species are the lesser brown bat, greater brown bat, and sallow bat. Greater brown bats have glossy brown fur and dark brown to black wings, ears, feet, and faces.

True to its name, the little brown bat looks very similar to the big brown bat, but is smaller and has a more pointed nose. Distinctive in appearance, the pale-colored bat has light-colored fur, large ears, a pink face, and eyes that are significantly larger than those of other bats.

Once you know what type of bats are in your home, you can determine if it is maternity season for that particular species. The maternity season for US bats varies by species and region, but typically falls between May 1 and August 31. If you prevent the mother bat from entering your home again while the babies are still inside, those babies will die. And no matter how you feel about it, you definitely won’t like the way it smells. So if it’s maternity time, wait it out.

advertisement

STEP 3: Determine the entry point of the bats.

Are you sure maternity season is over or hasn’t started yet? OK – time to get serious. Watch your home closely at dusk or dawn to determine exactly where bats are entering and exiting your home. Keep in mind that a colony of bats usually has more than one entry point, and these openings can be as small as half an inch.

Chimneys and vents are the most common openings bats use to enter the home, either as a nesting site or as a means of gaining access to other parts of the home. Other common entry points to check are the ridge cap of the roof, vents on the side of the house that vent the attic, and the fascia boards at the eaves of a house.

Damaged parts of the exterior of a house, such as B. warped boards, loose parts of side walls or broken windows are also places where bats enter. Look for the telltale sign of bat droppings around these openings to determine where bats breach your home’s barrier.

STEP 4: Seal the opening.

If bats are already established, it may not be a good idea to simply seal their entry point if doing so will trap them in the home. One way to get rid of bats is to use a device called a one-way exit valve or pipe that allows the bats to exit the building but does not provide the bats with a way to return. If your chosen device seems to be working, leave it in place for about 3 days to give all your bat dwellers time to exit.

Once you’ve successfully removed the bats from your home, it’s time to prevent them from returning. To fill holes and seal cracks, start by covering the most common entry point. Attach chimney caps, cover vents, and add screens to windows. Repair any holes in roofs or trim that bats could get in through.

advertisement

Remember, since bats can squeeze through holes as small as ½” to 1″, you must exercise care in your repairs. Use caulk like DAP Elastopatch (available on Amazon) or an expanding foam like Great Stuff (also available on Amazon) to fill cracks or holes. Unlike rats, bats don’t chew through material, so one of these products should do the trick.

STEP 5: Clean, clean, clean.

After you get rid of bats, you have some dirty work ahead of you. The bats will have left feces and urine. When cleaning, it is imperative that you wear the correct protective gear – long-sleeved clothing, rubber work gloves and an N95 respirator (a dust mask will not provide the protection required).

Before diving into the mess, first lightly spray the area with a solution of water and bleach to kill any pathogens that may be airborne. Remove and discard porous materials such as carpets or fabrics that may have been contaminated by bat droppings.

Use a non-ammonia soap or detergent to clean, making sure to scrub the area thoroughly. Rinse with clean water, then disinfect with a solution of ¼ cup bleach per gallon of water. The bleach kills any remaining pathogens while eliminating odors.

Like other domestic hazards, bats can cause serious health problems. The feces can contain a fungus that can cause a potentially life-threatening respiratory disease called histoplasmosis. So seriously think about hiring a professional cleaning team. Once the area is no longer toxic, proceed to seal any holes you have identified.

FAQs on removing bats

Q. Does a bat in the house mean more?

If you find one bat in your home, chances are there are more. Bats are very small, so it’s possible to have multiple bats living in your home without you even knowing it. After finding a bat, continue with the steps above to determine how they invade your home.

advertisement

Q. How do you get rid of bats in the attic?

If you live in a region where temperatures drop below freezing in winter, the bats will flee when the cold comes. Once they migrate, seal any tears or holes and cover the vents to keep them from returning. In warmer climates, use exclusion tubes or doors to get them out, then seal any openings.

Q. What are bats attracted to?

If bats are attracted to your home, it’s likely because it provides either a food source (indicating you may need pest control) or an ideal nesting site when the bat is looking for a place to breed can expand.

Q. How do you deter flying foxes?

There are a few solutions to get rid of bats feasting on your fruit trees. Scare them off by hanging visible objects that make noise, such as B. wind chimes or windsocks. You may also be able to scare bats with sound from ultrasonic devices.

Q. What will repel bats?

While physical barriers keep bats from entering your home, some objects repel them. Bats don’t like the smell of mothballs, white phenol, cinnamon, or eucalyptus. Install bright lights to deter them. Bats also don’t like objects that reflect light, so you can hang strips of aluminum foil, mirrors, Mylar balloons, or even old CDs.

Final Thoughts

Discovering that a family of bats have taken up residence in the attic is enough to give everyone the Heebie-Jeebies. Luckily, clearing these winged squatters is as easy as patching holes in the outside of your home and plugging air vents, chimneys, and other openings.

When getting rid of bats, remember that bats are protected in most states for their contribution to the environment, so it’s important that you treat them humanely. While it’s decent to send your bat dwellers to pack, poisoning bats or capturing them and letting them starve is a complete no-no. Plus, you want them to be close by to ensure you have a bug-free garden.

Rafael Martos Martins/Shutterstock

There is no doubt that bats are special creatures. They are the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. But when they infest your home, they’re a big problem. And that’s why you need to know how to prevent a bat infestation.

If you have a bat infestation, you are exposing yourself to more than one unwanted guest and great fright. Bats can carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans through bites and droppings. This is why knowing how to prevent bats from attacking your home and health is so important.

If you are house hunting, make sure there are no bats in the attic!

There is a lot of advice on how to prevent a bat infestation. One of the most common ways to keep bats away from your home is to introduce their natural predators, such as owls, close to where the bats roost. Just buy a fake plastic owl and mount it as high as you can while making sure it is near where the bats roost on or near your house. Be sure to move the owl three times a year so the bats will be scared of it.

While it should go without saying to keep all doors and windows closed, especially when it’s dark outside, it’s also important to ensure screens are secure and not cracked. Bats can get in through holes as small as 3/8 inch in diameter, so it’s important to plug any holes you find on the outside of your home.

Another helpful tip on how to prevent a bat problem is to swap out your outdoor light bulbs for yellow ones, which are less likely to attract insects, which are bats’ main food source. Speaking of bugs, here are the 10 most dangerous ones to avoid.

Bats love to live in the chimneys of houses and other buildings, as chimneys meet all of these creatures’ sleeping needs. To keep bats out of your chimneys and stove flues, you can install stainless steel chimney caps with a wire mesh cover.

Have you cleaned your chimney lately? Here’s how to do it.

You can also try placing mothballs in the attic and spraying dog repellent sprays to keep bats away. However, this should only be done after you have taken all previous precautions.

Are you ready to deal with other annoying pests? Here is the ultimate guide

We all love Batman’s secret lair, the bat cave, but it becomes a problem when bats leave their caves and find their way into our homes. Bat colonies can number anywhere from 40 bats to 20,000 bats, which is why it’s important to take the necessary steps to remove bats from your home before a small infestation grows into a big problem. We’ve put together a guide for homeowners on how to combat a bat infestation in five simple steps:

Determine the number of bats. Determine the bat species. Locate entry points into the home. Apply removal methods. Inspect and clean

1) Determine the number of bats

The first step that you should always take before removing the bats from your home is to find out how many bats are in your home. If you have a lone bat or a few strays flying around your attic, it is possible to remove the bat without the help of a local pest controller. If you are faced with a medium or large sized bat colony that has infested your attic or walls, it is recommended that you contact your local pest controller immediately for assistance.

2) Determine the type of bat(s).

The next step in combating a bat infestation is to identify the type of bat you are dealing with. Different species of bats may require different approaches to their removal for different reasons. Once you have identified the bat species you are dealing with, you can contact your local pest controller for guidance on removing a specific bat species.

3) Locate entry points into the house

Make sure you scan the entire house, including the roof, chimney, and walls, for entry points. Bat colonies require safe and contained areas to roost and raise their young, which is why they often find their way into our homes. Entry holes can be identified by dirty stains, markings and bat droppings. Bats can enter through extremely small holes, so it is important to conduct a thorough survey for holes and bat entry points on your property.

4) Apply removal methods

There are several methods you can use to remove bats. It’s tempting to use a simple poison to get rid of the bats, but it’s ineffective and illegal to poison bats as they play a positive role in the ecosystem. While not illegal in Georgia, do NOT use poison as a means of bat removal, whatever you do. The removal of bats must be done by exclusion. Injuring or killing bats increases the risk of disease (PK) for you and your family. Bat houses, repellents, and one-way exclusion doors are the best methods for removing bats.

Important things to consider

Removing bats from your home without the help of a pest controller increases the risks to you and your family. About 1% of bats transmit rabies, which is still considered a risk if there is a chance you or your household could get a nasty bite. There is also a chance that the walls of your home are infested with bats. Wall infestations are the most serious type of bat infestation and it is recommended that you contact a pest controller immediately to treat the infestation and the clean up process to minimize risks to you and your family.

bat houses

Bat houses are a great option if you’re worried about potentially harming the bats. This is a popular bat removal product that costs $20-$100 depending on the size and material, but could potentially save you money depending on the severity of the problem.

repellent

Repellents usually work well on bat infestations. Generally, you apply the repellents to entry points and holes where bats have entered your home to prevent them from coming back. The most effective form of bat repellent are ultrasonic devices. These ultrasonic bat repellers disrupt bat echolocation and drive them away from your home.

One-way exclusion doors

One-way exclusion doors work well when used at entry points for the bats. It is important NOT to seal spawn points while bats are in them. When a bat dies in your home, the body decomposes and creates an unpleasant odor. One-way exclusion doors prevent this by providing bats with a route out of the house but preventing them from getting back in.

5) Inspect and clean

Once the bats have been removed from their hiding place, it is very important to conduct a thorough inspection. You should make sure there are no stragglers or babies left on the site before you start cleaning up. The cleanup process is crucial to keep your family’s health in good shape. Parasites and rabies are both possible consequences of a bat infestation, but the biggest concern has to do with bat guano disease, also known as histoplasmosis. Histoplasmosis is an infection of the lungs caused by mold spores on bat droppings. Bat droppings are very strong and the mold spores can be inhaled by the occupants of the home if not properly cleaned. If you have a large bat infestation or a difficult clean-up process, it is highly recommended that you contact a pest controller for assistance in ensuring the safety and health of you and your family.

Learn more about keeping wildlife out of your home in our free guide, The Ultimate Guide To Wildlife Infestation.

bat prevention

Bats are good for the environment and help control mosquito populations, but they sometimes get too close for comfort. When the pests establish themselves on or in homes, residents often look to commercial repellants for quick, easy methods. Unfortunately, repelling bats is hard work that requires an eye for long-term control, which most popular products don’t offer.

Common bat repellents

At one point, mothballs became associated with bat prevention. The smell of naphthalene, the active ingredient in mothballs, is not liked by the pests. However, using them to keep bats away is impractical. First, the smell dissipates quickly, meaning homeowners need to replace them regularly to repel bats. Next, the amount needed to create enough odor is so great that it enters human living quarters.

There are products that promise to keep bats away electronically or ultrasonically by emitting light or sound. These can be expensive and are generally ineffective over time. There are also aerosol sprays marketed for use against cats and dogs, and to repel bats. However, they are usually insufficient.

disqualification

There is no magic bullet to repel bats. The most reliable way to bat-proof your property is to turn to the professionals at Orkin. Our trained specialists carry out the right inspections and take the right steps for prevention and removal.