How to get rid of bats

How to get rid of bats

Bats are the only known flying mammals in the world. They are nocturnal, active at night, and sleep during the day. There are several species of bats, which also influence their sizes. During winter, bats migrate in search of food. They love living in homes because of the safety it offers them away from predators. In this article, we will see how to get rids of bats, and measures that can be taken to avoid a bat infestation.

If you leave bats unattended for an extended period, they can reproduce, and you could suddenly be faced with an entire colony of bats in your home. Bats, like most animals, do bite when they feel threatened, and they can carry viruses that are not harmful to them but harmful to human beings.

Although bat bites are rare, they could be dangerous, so it would be best to get rid of bats as fast as possible once you see them in your home to prevent them from multiplying.

How to identify that you have bats in your house?

Below are signs that bats might be leaving your home.

You notice bat litter on your floor.

Bat droppings are easy to identify. They are black and pebbly; you will notice some if you live with bats under the same roof. When you get help from professionals to get rid of bats, they will test the dropping to ensure that the droppings are indeed from bats or something else.

It is essential to stay away from bat droppings. This applies to both human beings and pets. The droppings might pose health issues. If you frequently notice bat droppings around your home, call a Bat removal company near you as soon as possible.

You notice oily streaks on some parts of your home.

When bats reach your home, they leave oily streaks on the parts they use as entrances and exits. The oil comes from their skin which can accumulate in an area, making it look messy. The oily streaks are one of the leading indicators that you live with bats in your house.

Bats can access your house through small openings allowing them to get in and out comfortably. The most common areas are the windows, chimney cracks, and between bricks.

You hear some unusual sounds.

They are generally quiet when flying, but when they are in a home, you can hear some sounds. The sounds are produced when one of the bats is stuck and cannot fly out. It is more of a cry for help. On other occasions, you can hear the bats hitting the wall.

You see a bat in the house.

When your house is infested with bats, you might notice one or two bats flying in your living area. This might happen when they lose their way to their hiding spot. However, seeing bats appear in your living area is not a sure sign that your home is infested. The bats could be coming from the neighborhood or anywhere and mistakenly find their way inside your living area. Therefore, you must investigate to be sure that you have a bat infestation.

Bats are flying in and out of your home.

You might notice a swarm of bats fly in and out of your home. This indicates that bats are present in your home, typically meaning that you might have bats in your attic. You need to contact a bat exterminator to help you determine the exact location and number of bats in your home.

Your pet keeps bringing a bat into your home.

When your pet brings a dead bat to the house, this might be another indication that your home has a bat infestation. However, it is possible that your pet picked the bat up from another location far from your home. You may need to check for other signs to determine if the bat is from your home.

You notice stains on your ceiling.

If your home is infested with bats for an extended period, you will start noticing stains. The stains will come from urine, droppings, and moisture. If your ceiling has no water leak issues, and you notice stains along with a smell, this could be a sign of bats in the attic of your home. The colors start small and get bigger over time. If you are inclined to have bats in your home, checking for stains, especially in your ceiling, could help determine if you actually have an infestation.

You notice dead bats in and around the home.

Have you occasionally seen dead bats in your yard? This could be another indication that you have bats on your property. Bat epidemics such as White Nose syndrome have raised the number of dead bats in North America, so seeing dead bats on your property should indicate that it’s time to contact a bat control company.

Home remedies to get rid of bats.

Due to the diseases that bats do occasionally carry, it is vital to keep them away from your home for safety. Here are methods to get rid of bats in your home.

Seal all cracks and fill all holes.

Bats will typically live in caves, trees, rock crevices, etc.. in the daytime and carry out their activities at night. When bats cannot find their natural habitat, they find alternatives that will serve as shelter and protection from predators. Therefore, it is easy for bats to find their way into your chimneys, wall cracks, roof eaves, and attics.

The best way to avoid this is by observing their entrance and exit points and covering them. Before covering the entry points, though, remember that bats are federally protected species, and you cannot harm them, so you must ensure that all bats are out of the house before you block their entry points.

A bat exterminator will know to use suitable material when covering the entry points to prevent the bats from chewing and destroying the barrier. It is also essential to use equipment that will offer proper ventilation. When trying to do this yourself, which is not recommended, you must take time and learn how the bats enter your home. Afterward, have a net that will cover the entire entry space. Ensure the net hangs a few inches over the entry points to allow the bats to fly out. When the time to return comes, the net will prevent them from gaining entry. If the net sticks to a bat, do not handle it to avoid the risk of diseases. Call the wildlife and pest control experts to take the stuck bat.

Apply natural bat repellent.

A bat-repellent is one of the easier ways to get rid of bats. The repellents are made from natural ingredients bats hate coming into contact with. They will discourage bats from infesting your home. You must apply the repellent at the bat’s entry, exits, and resting places. Bonide bat magic is a popular bat-repellent; it contains peppermint and spearmint, producing an unpleasant smell to bats. The repellent does not cause any harm to bats or pets but might not be suitable for cases where the bats have established a colony already. It is best for homes that have an early infestation.

Using bat houses.

You should install a bat house to prevent bats from returning to your home. This will serve as a home that will ensure they are comfortable. Several companies produce bat houses. They are easy to install and come with easy-to-follow instructions. The good thing about bat houses is that the bats will help reduce the insect population in your yard, and if you live in an area with mosquitos, that’s even better because bats feed on mosquitos. Before installing a bat house, research the bat species, and make sure you know what bat species you have in your home to learn the correct size to buy.

Cover food source in your garden.

Comfortable homes and the availability of food entice most bats. If you have a garden, this might be the main reason bats are attracted to your home. Different bat species feed on different types of food. Some feed on insects, while others feed on fruits. Therefore, you must know the popular bat species in your area to determine what might attract them to your property.

In most houses with bats, mosquitoes, moths, and other insects might already be a problem because these attract bats, so if you use insecticides to get rid of insects that attract bats, ensure that it causes no harm to bats.

Bright light installation.

Too much light irritates bats. This is the reason why they love sleeping during the day and are active at night. They also love to hunt at night because there is less food competition from birds and other predators. After a long hunting night, bats typically sleep, which gets interrupted by too much bright light, which is likely to make them move and find a different place.

Use sound to scare the bats away.

At night, bats depend on their hearing to get prey. They produce ultrasound that is beyond a human’s hearing frequency. So installing sound-emitting devices that make the bats uncomfortable will force them to seek a new home.

Make sure you purchase an ultrasound device that is meant as a bat repellant, not just any sound device that can interrupt the peace of everyone living in your home. These devices have similar sound frequency to bats and will only affect the bats, and not humans

Temperature control

Most bat species love temperatures that are between 80-90 degrees. If you increase or decrease the temperature outside this range, the bats will be forced to move out in search of a more favorable location. Get a heater from a nearby store and get it to the space where the bats are located. Increase the temperature to around 100 degrees to ensure that the bats are not harmed, but also ensure that the heat source is placed correctly and constantly monitored to avoid causing a fire.

Mirror installation

Place a mirror in the areas that the bats love. It is a suitable method of attracting light to scare the bats away. At daytime, hang the mirrors directly opposite a light source. You can also use small mirrors on the bat’s entry points, which will reflect too much light and prevent the bats from entering your house.

U.S Laws Concerning Bat Removal

The first thing that comes to mind when bats infest your home is the methods to eliminate them. However, before taking any measures, you must know if the bats on your property are among the protected bat species. There are laws in the US that protect bats and prevent harming, capturing, or killing bats, and that’s why it’s essential to consult a bat removal company in your area.

Six endangered bat species are protected by the endangered species act 1973 and the World Coordination Act of 1965. Therefore, if caught possessing, injuring, or killing the endangered species, you could face a court of law and up to six months in jail.

Some states also require a permit before taking specific measures to remove the listed endangered bats from your property. The law also prohibits collecting the carcasses of dead bats from the listed endangered bat species.

How to Prevent Bats from Entering your Home

If you live in an area where bats are frequently seen, being proactive and taking measures that prevent bats from entering your home might be the best approach to avoid having to deal with removing them from your property. Below are some ways to ensure bats don’t invade your property

Use fake natural bat enemies in the wild

If you want to keep bats away from your home, introduce enemies like owls close to areas where bats are likely to enter your home. You can purchase a fake plastic owl and lace it close to the potential bat entry areas. Move the fake owl a least four times a year to keep the bats afraid.

Shut windows and doors at night

Since bats are active at night, close all the windows and other entrances before night approaches. Bats can fit in holes as tiny as 3/8 inches. Therefore, if you discover gaps around your house, ensure they are covered, particularly around your chimney. Install a stainless steel cap and protect the chimney holes with wire meshes made with small holes to prevent bats from penetrating.

Use mothballs in the places where bats are most likely to infest

Spray harmless bat repellents that produce an irritating smell to bats. Spray the entrances that a bat is likely to use. The scent will chase them away if they think of infesting your home.

If you have a garden, ensure that the fruits are covered. Most bats will visit a home with food. Once a bat finds food, it will look for shelter.

Use yellow bulbs for outdoor lighting

The yellow lights will attract fewer bugs. Bugs are the primary source of food for bats. Therefore, when the bugs are unavailable, bats will be forced to look elsewhere.

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