Are you wondering how to safely remove bats from your home? Bats can be a nuisance if they decide to make your house their home. Bats can also be beneficial to the environment by eating mosquitoes and other insects. But if you want to remove them from your house in a humane way, here are some tips to help.
Table of Contents
- 1. Identifying & Understanding Bats in Your Home
- 2. Preparing Your Home for Removal
- 3. Getting Professional Assistance for Safe Removal
- 4. Examining for Bat Droppings, Damages, and Residues
- 5. Understanding Laws and Regulations for Bat Removal
- 6. Preventing Future Bats from Entering Your Home
- 7. Strategies for Long-Term Bat Prevention and Control
- Q&A
1. Identifying & Understanding Bats in Your Home
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Understand Bat Behavior
When dealing with any wildlife, it’s essential that you know their behaviors. To begin, it’s important to note that bats are nocturnal and create roosts in protected and secluded areas. That means if you find bats in your home, they may have been present for some time. Here are a few other behaviors that are important to note about bats:
- Bats have the smallest body of all mammals. Most bat species weigh only ½ ounce or less and have a wingspan of 3-11 inches.
- Bats are highly adaptable and can live in diverse habitats, ranging from caves to attics.
- Bats feed mainly on insects, such as mosquitoes, and may be beneficial to have around your home.
Signs of Bats in Your Home
Spotting a bat flying around your home is an obvious indication that you have an infestation. They typically swarm around the outside of the building at dusk and fly around the areas they live in. Other signs can be more subtle and may indicate the presence of bats without you even knowing it. Here are some other signs to be on the lookout for:
- Strong, musty odors coming from inside walls or crawl spaces
- A cluster of droppings in one area, typically close to where they live
- Evidence of bites around windows and doors
- Close up noises during the night or early morning when the bats are active
Once you’ve identified that bats are present in your home, it’s time to take action. Be sure to review the safety guidelines for removal that follows this section.
2. Preparing Your Home for Removal
It’s time to ready your home for removal: packing up your treasured possessions and making sure your home is in good repair so you can transition to a new location—all with as little stress as possible. Before you go, you must figure out how to safely remove bats from your home, a task that can be a little tricky if you don’t take the right precautions.
Here are guidelines that can help you remove bats:
- Wait until dusk when they go out to hunt for their food and close off all access points– windows, doors, chimneys, etc.
- Don special protective clothing and pretreat any clothing worn with insect repellent.
- Use a beekeeping container or a net to capture the pests.
- Do not use harmful chemicals as a repellent or poison; instead, opt for an exclusion net.
- Carefully dispose of any accumulated guano. Releasing them outside is strictly prohibited.
- Fix any access points and contact a professional company.
After capturing the bats, state laws in the US require you to euthanize them before disposing. You should contact your state wildlife agency for more detailed information on how to handle bat removal. Although the process can be tricky, with the right advice and precautions, you can keep your family safe while ridding your home of these pests.
For more detailed information about bats and how to safely remove them, check out this resource. It provides all the information you need to remove bats from your home, down to the most detailed instructions.
3. Getting Professional Assistance for Safe Removal
It’s important to remember that bats can be dangerous to handle, and people should not attempt to remove them without first consulting with a professional. There’s the possibility of getting exposed to rabies or other diseases that bats can carry.
What Can Professional Help Do? Professional wildlife removal companies are capable of using specialized equipment to safely handle areas that have bats. They’ll be knowledgeable in removal techniques that are effective and humane. Professional removal services can also check for any damage that the bats might have caused, such as:
- Gaps in Facades/Building Exteriors– Bats can create gaps in the facades or other parts of a building’s exterior in order to gain access to the inside.
- Clogged gutters or drains– Bats often build their nests in gutters or drains, clogging them, which can lead to additional water damage.
- Chewing– Bats may do some chewing on the materials of the structures they’ve infiltrated.
- Fecal Panel– Bats might have left fecal panel on the walls and other areas of the property.
Additionally, professional bat removal teams will provide homeowners with expert advice on how to prevent bats from entering their home in the future. Prevention methods include sealing entry points around the home (e.g. cracks or holes) to prevent bats from returning in the future.
4. Examining for Bat Droppings, Damages, and Residues
A thorough inspection of your home is essential for identifying areas with bat droppings and damages they have caused. Generally, droppings are found in attics, chimneys, walls, roofs, or around window frames and doors. If you spot bat droppings, there is a chance that bats are roosting in your home. Here’s a quick checklist for inspection:
- Check damaged insulation for bat droppings and torn insulation. Look for bits and pieces of torn insulation. Also, pay attention to discoloration and the presence of mold.
- Check the ceilings, walls, and attic rafters for bat guano. Discolored patches are a clear sign. It is also easy to observe traces even when there isn’t an accumulation of droppings.
- Check for bat wings, fur, claws, and other residues. Even when the bat is not present, it is necessary to look out for its traces.
Bat droppings cause several problems. In addition to serving as a sign of infestation, they are known for spreading several diseases. In some cases, these droppings turn into a dusty material, leading to problems such as asthma and allergies. In such cases, it is important to take remedial action in the form of a periodic cleaning.
In addition, bat guano can be toxic in nature and can corrode electrical wiring. This can damage your circuits, leading to potential hazards.
Therefore, it is important to identify and document the presence of bat droppings, damages, and residues. During the inspection, look for any other related safety and health issues, and address them accordingly. If needed, contact your local wildlife agency to remove potential safety hazards from the property and restore the affected area.
5. Understanding Laws and Regulations for Bat Removal
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Every county, city or state may have different laws and regulations related to bat removal that must be adhered to when carrying out this operation. Therefore, it is important to understand the legal implications behind bat removal.
Consequences of Ignoring Local Laws and Regulations
One of the more serious consequences of not taking proper care to follow and understand local regulations, laws and ordinances is the potential for fines or other legal action that may be taken against you. In addition, not following proper procedures for the safe removal can result in injury or death for your family, your pets and the bats themselves.
Available Resources
If you are looking for more information about the laws and regulations specific to your area, you could contact your state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, contact a local wildlife specialist, or contact an animal removal company that offers bat removal services. All of these resources can help you find and understand local laws related to bat removal and address any questions you have. Here is a list of downloadable resources (including regulations, tips, and safety information) that might help guide you for the best bat removal practices.
- Check local regulations to make sure you are following the law.
- Contact your state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife to obtain bat removal-related information.
- Hire local professionals or contact a company that specializes in animal removal.
- Download helpful resources for guidance when dealing with bat removal.
6. Preventing Future Bats from Entering Your Home
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Once you’ve successfully removed the bats from your home, it’s important to take precautionary steps in order to prevent them from coming back. Bats can squeeze through extremely small openings so it’s critical to be thorough. Here are some tips on doing just that:
- Close holes in walls. Bats can fit into surprisingly small cracks and crevices. Pay special attention to areas around vents, plumbing, windows, and eaves. Use a high-grade sealant to close off any openings.
- Keep your gutters clean. Clogged gutters can be extremely attractive to bats, making your home an ideal place for them to roost. Remove any debris on a regular basis and make sure any water can flow through your gutters freely.
- Fill in openings on your roof. Old shingles, broken tiles, and other broken roofing materials can be attractive to bats. A professional repair job should fix any issues.
Finally, don’t be afraid to call in the experts if you ever spot bats in your home again. Professional pest-removal services will humanely take care of any issues and provide you with the assurance that your home is safe from bats for good.
7. Strategies for Long-Term Bat Prevention and Control
Once bats have made their way into your home they can be quite difficult to get rid of. Exclusion techniques, such as sealing up potential entrance points, provide a safe and humane way to encourage bats to leave and stay out. If exclusion is not possible, there are other solutions such as the use of bat repellents. Here are some strategies to ensure long-term bat prevention and control:
- Seal up access points: Make sure windows, doors, vents and chimneys are tightly sealed to prevent bats from getting in.
- Install netting: Place netting or barriers at possible entry points. Make sure netting mesh is small enough that bats can’t pass through.
- Use bat repellents: Chemical and natural bat repellents can be effective if used correctly.
Monitor your home or building for signs of entry points such as droppings, odors or noises. If you find any, take steps to fix them right away. Be sure to wear protective gear when cleaning up bat droppings since they may contain materials that can be hazardous to your health.
It is also important to remember that while exclusion and repellents are useful in discouraging bats from occupying your premises, the best long-term bat prevention and control strategy is to make sure that bats don’t enter in the first place. Regularly inspect your home and its outside areas for potential access points and take steps to prevent bats from entering.
Q&A
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Q: How do I know if there are bats living in my home?
A: Bats can make themselves at home in attics, eaves, and chimneys in houses. You may hear faint rustling or scratching noises or see bat droppings around your house. You could also see bat wings fluttering near windows and doors.
Q: How do I safely remove bats from my home?
A: The best way to remove bats from your home is to contact a wildlife control expert that has experience with humanely and safely removal bats. They will be able to humanely and safely ease the bats out of your home and release them back into the wild.
Q: Are bats dangerous to have in my home?
A: Although bats rarely attack humans, their droppings, called guano, can contain fungus that can cause Histoplasmosis, a serious lung disease. It is important to take the necessary precautions to safely remove the bats from your home.
Q: Can I put out repellant to get the bats to leave?
A: Repellants are usually ineffective since they only mask the existing odor and the bats are just disturbed and fly away. Many repellants additionally contain dangerous chemicals. Therefore, we do not recommend using repellants. The best way to address a bat infestation is permanent exclusion, which is best done by an expert.
I hope I have provided some helpful tips on how to successfully and safely remove bats from your home. Be sure to always follow safety precautions and take the appropriate steps to prevent bats from coming back. Best of luck and happy batting!