How To Get Rid Of Bats Humanely

Bats aren’t often seen by humans thanks to their nocturnal habits, but they’re certainly around. While they can do a lot of good (including eating up to 600 mosquitoes in one hour), they can also become nuisance pests. Not only can they carry rabies, but they can also make their home in attics and other parts of your property and decay the structure of your home. It’s important to understand bat behaviour and their habits before we talk about bat exclusion methods, so let’s start there.

Bats are very unique animals as they are flying creatures that hunt at night and roost during the day. As nocturnal animals, you can find them most active in the spring and summer.

It is common for people to think that bats are blind, however, they actually have great eyesight. This misconception is common as they do not use their great eyesight for finding food. Bats will navigate and search for food using a system called echolocation.

Male bats are able to easily locate female bats for mating as they live in large colonies that mostly consist of females. They will mate both during the day and night after the male has initiated contact.

Bats will hibernate or migrate during the winter and remain in colonies that are often very large in size. They seek shelter during the day time by clinging to walls and ceilings of caves or even buildings.

Diseases in bats can be harmful to humans, but the risk of infection is quite low as they are not often in direct contact. Bats can carry histoplasmosis, rabies, leptospirosis, salmonella, Hendra virus and Australian bat lyssavirus.

Bats can cause major damage to structures. They will not chew holes to enter into a structure, but their waste can collect and cause materials to corrode, decay and stain. Attics are also a common place for bats to try and make home which can result in their waste dripping through ceilings and ruining insulation.

They can also bring other pests with them like bat bugs, fleas, mites, and ticks which are incredibly damaging to the quality of a home or the health of a human.

People often assume the only way to get rid of bats is by trapping or killing them. Not only is this not the most effective way to get rid of bats, it’s also dangerous and illegal in most states & provinces in US & Canada.

The best method of removing bats without coming in to contact with them is to use a bat excluder/one way door. There are several bat excluders in the market and typically once installed over the entry point, it allows the bats to exit the structure and stops them from getting back in. This method should not be used during baby season (May-Aug), as babies will not exit the den yet.

Be sure to inspect your roof and attic thoroughly for bats in order to determine where the bats are exiting. Once you have identified exit points you can use a bat excluder.

Attach the bat excluder(s) over the exit point(s) on a downward angle. For larger bat colonies, you will likely need to use multiple excluders for best results.

The one-way excluder will allow the bats to remove themselves from your unwanted areas. They will then be prevented from returning to the area after exiting.

After installing the excluder, be patient as it may take some time for the bats to leave the area. Also be sure to repair and protect the area after safe removal of the bats. Seal up any holes and cracks in the area and block it from having any further intrusions.

It is common for houses to appeal to bats, especially when they are older as they offer so many entry points. Never try to kill a colony of bats within the home as it is inhumane and most often illegal. Use the exclusion method to safely remove bats from your home and always follow the instructions and rules in your area for best results. Seal all gaps with silicone or similar material to block bats from getting in.