How to get rid of bats in your house
How do you get rid of a bats? We get that question all the time, and more often than not the question is coming from people filled with all sorts of misconceptions. Many of those myths are coming from family members and friends recounting their epic– and futile — battles against bats. So let us share our unique perspective on safe, humane bat removal techniques, reasons to get rid of bats in your home, and all the rest of the questions you wanted to ask.
The Bat Exclusion Process:
We do not recommend a bat removal project as a do-it-yourself project. Explaining the process in detail will shed some light on the exclusion effort and the benefits of seeking professional assistance for your own safety. Contact us for professional help to get rid of bats.
1. Identify all the areas where bats are entering the house. A bat needs only a 3/8 inch x 1 inch gap to gain entry. Locating these areas often requires ladders, ladder hooks, ladder brackets, fall protection, plenty of sealant and experience.
2. Install a valve or bat-door on the active entry points. Timing of the installation is important, considering maternity season. If you install one-way doors when non-flying juveniles are present, several things can occur. If the young can escape through the one-way door, then they will end up on the ground and expose children and pets to bites and possible rabies. If the young can not escape, then they will be separated from the adults and would die. Also, there are times when the young flood into the living space of your home.
3. Seal all non-active areas on the home. Extensive caulking may be required, because the bats are persistent. Bats will actively search for a new entrance to “their” home. Spot treatments are not recommended, because you may find yourself dealing with the bats for a number of years. Bats are very reluctant to be evicted. Experience in identifying potential entry areas pays long-term dividends in getting bats out as quickly as possible.
4. Install a bat house. Bat houses are a great added component for every bat exclusion project, giving the best of both worlds. You can still benefit from the bat’s voracious appetite for insect pests, while living comfortably with the knowledge the bats are living again in their natural habitat. There are 14 bat species that have been observed in Ohio, and all of them dine exclusively on insects. (Bats are one of the only predators of nocturnal insects.) Adding a bat house or two to your backyard habitat helps reduce human dependence on pesticides and improves crop yields on our farmlands, not to mention providing a chance to observe some of natures most proficient twilight hunters in action.
5. Wait a period of time, to allow the bats to leave. Timing varies depending on the time of year. Bats hibernate in the winter; and they are very active in the summer. Once you are certain that you have rid your home of bats, the bat-doors can be removed. Seal the previously active points.
Get Rid of Bats — Do it Yourself
Getting rid of bats by excluding them from your home is complex – and dangerous. Many homeowners find that exclusions are beyond the scope of a do-it-yourself weekend project. And they are right. Watch our do-it-yourself get rid of bats video and learn more.
Reasons to Get Rid of Bats
Bats play a big role in controlling nuisance insects that harass you during every backyard barbecue, not to mention the swarms of bugs that harm agricultural efforts every year. These benefits do not outweigh the problems you have when bats are living inside your home.
Rabies – You don’t want a rabies vector living in your home.
Bat Bugs – These are related to bed bugs.
Damage – You don’t want your home damaged from guano and urine.
Bat Safety – It is safer for bats to live in their natural habitat.
Learn more about our live bat removal