How to get bats out of the chimney

Removing bats from a chimney is a common situation. Chimneys are like caves that attract bats to seek shelter in such an environment. If you ever encounter bats in your chimney, here are some steps to take to get rid of them:

Step 1 – Determine if it is maternity season for bats or not. Maternity season is normally during the warm summer months. This is important because many baby bats are birthed during these months without the ability of flight. If this is the case, there should be no action taken. Bats can be safely removed during Spring and Fall seasons.

Step 2 – When it is safe to proceed with removing bats (Spring and Fall), locate all entry holes in your house and seal all holes and gaps that are 3/8’’ or smaller. Preferably use steel metal sheets, caulk, or other durable sealants to seal holes. After that, be sure to leave all primary exit holes open so the bats can leave.

Step 3 – Install a one-way escape door on the last and largest exist hole left unsealed. This door should be netted and freely allow the bats to leave through it but not re-enter.

Step 4 – After you have installed an escape door, it is important to observe the bat’s movement at dusk and at dawn to ensure that they are able to safely get out of the chimney, but not back in. If there is a problem with the bats exiting, reposition the escape door and wait at least 3 days to ensure all bats are out of the chimney.

Step 5 – Once certain that all bats are out, install a large metal chimney cap that will prevent the bats back inside.

If you have bats in your chimney, chances are things you see on the television won’t work for your situation. Silly ideas like using silver crosses or garlic cloves simply won’t get rid of these little critters. They are gentle little creatures, that are nothing like you see in movies or read about in fiction books. Most bats that end up in your chimney are simply just trying to find someplace habitable enough to seek shelter and raise their young. 

Remove Bats From Chimney

Bats tend to shelter in warm, dark, and hard to reach places like a chimney, an attic, or a basement. This can make it very hard to get rid of them considering they are incredibly difficult to spot sometimes. Always look out for bats in very high places too. They are notorious for nesting in support beams and high ceilings.

Removing them is not an easy task, however, if you are willing to put in the effort then you can successfully achieve this without employing the help of your local wildlife company. Just keep in mind the task won’t be easy and that this is merely a how-to guide.

In order to begin the bat removal process, it is important to understand that you are not able to harm, injure, or even physically relocate the creatures. This is illegal. You cannot simply turn on the fire in the chimney and let the smoke push out the bats. This will only result in killing a number of endangered animals with fumes, leaving behind a colony of dead bats to deal with. Dead bats in a chimney will leave behind a stench and more cleanup. Instead of this approach, we will be teaching you how to remove bats via “exclusion”.

Exclusion is when you seal all entry points from bats that leave an area and prevent them from re-entering. You repeat this process until all bats have vacated the premises and no longer have access to the area. In order to begin isolation, you ideally want to find all holes in the infected and surrounding areas that bats are using as entry and exit points in and out of your chimney. 

Remove Bats From Chimney

You will normally find that there are more than one or two such access points. Finding these access points is the most difficult part of the process because not all bats will use the same hole and these holes can be as small as 3/8 of an inch with bats flying in and out at very different times. This step takes a lot of observation and patience. You should start by trying to seal the smaller holes that you come across and leave the largest one as the escape door hole.

When it comes to sealing the holes, you should consider some kind of water-based caulking or sturdy metal. This will prevent the bats from being entrapped as opposed to using a raising foam material, which many people mistakenly do. Sealing alone won’t end your bat problem. You are going to need to make sure that you don’t have attractants that attract bats back near your area. It is important to keep all surroundings clean and trees nicely kept and long branches clipped as this can also attract other wildlife animals. A one-way door should be installed on the last exit hole in order for bats to find a way out but not back into the chimney.

When it comes to bat removal, hiring a professional is always the easiest and perhaps best option at your disposal. Always be sure to hire someone who is fully trained to deal with the removal of bats and understand the guiding laws behind the task. If you decide to not hire a professional, there are plenty of things you should consider before taking on the job yourself. You will need protective gear like gloves, long sleeves, and masks to protect yourself from disease and other chemicals used for cleaning and sanitizing when finished. You need to also account for possible injury. Bats can get nasty when being evicted. You should never come in close contact or attempt to handle bats on your own. They are the primary carrier of rabies in many places so try to avoid being bitten at all costs. The chances of you catching rabies from a bat in your chimney are minuscule, however, it is still possible so please protect yourself.

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