Bat Prevention – Humane Wildlife Removal

Tips to Prevent Bats

Although scary-looking, bats are benign and reclusive creatures. However, they are nuisance pests because of the potential damage they can cause to your home. Bats are attracted to darkened and well-shaded locations as it provides the perfect roost. Indoor roosting sites could be your attic space, barn roof, voids, storm drains, and even porch eaves.

When they decide to reside in your home, it’s only a matter of time before they create a mess with their droppings. Aside from the pungent odor it releases, it also contains bacteria that can result in respiratory problems in humans. Their urine can degrade the flooring, making wooden floor brittle. The screeching sound they produce for echolocation can be annoying. Furthermore, some bat species are fruit-eaters and can consume your garden’s fruits before you get a chance to.

Though bats are important to the ecosystem, it’s crystal-clear that they shouldn’t reside in your home. In this post, we’re going to examine some tips to keep them out.

Preventing Bats

When it comes to getting rid of bats, prevention is key. This is because repellents rarely work. Noise repellents, high-frequency noise equipment, mothballs, chemical sprays, Mylar balls, aerosol, and many other commercially-marketed products are not effective! You just end up spending money without achieving the intended result.

This problem is exacerbated by the fact that bats are a protected species. Therefore, there are contrived procedures involved in their removal, if you want to stay out of legal troubles. For instance, during the warm months of spring, bats give birth to their pups.

If they’re raising their pups in your home space, it’s illegal to remove them. That’s why it’s best to keep them out in the first place. Here are some tips to help with that.

Locate All Entry Holes

If an opening is larger than a quarter-inch by a half-inch, bats can gain access. Therefore, you have to carefully inspect your entire house to found out entry holes. This can be done in two stages. During the day, natural light moves through holes in your home. You should take note of holes large enough to serve as an entrance. At night, with the aid of torchlight, take note of the exit holes the bats are using. You should also take note of broken tiles on the roof, vents, and holes in the chimney.

In the public eye, bats are considered to be one of the most dangerous mammals in the animal kingdom. Thanks to the media and several Disney bat characters, bats are strongly associated with blood-sucking vampires, spookiness, and haunted houses. Nothing can be further than the truth. While three bat species feed solely on blood, not a single of the 50 bat species found in North America feeds on blood. This makes bats one of the most misunderstood creatures. In this post, we’re going to explore the behavioral attributes of bats and examine if they pose a real threat to people and pets.

Seal The Holes

Seal up all but one of the identified holes. Make use of materials like heavy-duty wire netting or heavy-duty polyurethane sealant or metal sheeting to seal the holes. Also install window screens, chimney caps, and draft guards beneath the attic door. Use stainless steel wool or caulking to fill plumbing and electrical holes.

In the last main hole that you left unsealed, install a one-way exclusion device. This will enable the bats to leave but prevent them from returning. Observe the bat behavior for about 3 days. Only when you are 100 percent certain they’ve all left should you remove the exclusion netting and shut the final hole. A trapped bat will eventually die and you do not want to deal with a dead bat problem.

As a note of caution, only remove bats when they’re not nursing their pups. If you exclude the mothers, the pups are too young to fend for themselves as they cannot even fly yet. Eventually, they will die and you’ll have a new problem to deal with.

When to Bring in Professionals

Bat prevention can be a daunting task, as it requires a careful and thorough examination of your entire house. This makes it very easy to miss a spot. That’s why bat control experts are better suited to bat-proof your home. Their experience provides them with a methodological approach to identifying and sealing all entry or exit holes.

Conclusion

Bat prevention is a continuous effort. Whether or not you’ve dealt with a bat infestation, you should regularly monitor your home so you can notice when there’s a torn net or a broken roof tile or any other potential entry hole. Thereafter, make sure you practice good exclusion practices. Do not indiscriminately leave your doors or windows open.

Finally, you can adopt alternative nesting opportunities like installing a bat box. While it might sound crazy to want to keep bats around, it can be beneficial.