How To Get Rid of Bats in the Home
Did you know bats can consume as many as 600 mosquitoes in an hour? So despite the occasional bat that transforms into a vampire, most bats are a blessing to have outside your home. The animals only become a problem if they find a way inside.
Unfortunately for homeowners, it’s not uncommon to discover bat colonies living in your home rent-free. Most states prohibit killing bats, so homeowners must find alternative ways to get the pests out of their home for good.
Continue reading to learn why bats enter your home, how to get rid of bats, and how to spot the signs that you may have bats hiding in your house.
Why Are There Bats in My House?
Female bats are attracted to small sections of homes for nesting purposes. The most common areas to find bats include the walls, attic, and chimney. Covered porches also provide the shelter bats are looking for in nesting sites.
A warm attic with low light is the perfect area for a bat to nurse her young. Unfortunately for the humans, bat feces and bat urine can accumulate and lead to foul smells and health issues. Did you know that histomplasmosis is a dangerous disease associated with bat guano?
Bats enter homes through small gaps. A bat only needs a half-inch crack in a structure’s mortar to enter the area. The animals most often access homes through gaps between the soffit overhang and exterior siding.
On rare occasions, a bat could fly into your home through an open window. This is unlikely, and if it occurs, homeowners see the animal immediately. When bats sneak in through cracks, it can take years for people to notice. Oftentimes, the first sign of a long-standing bat infestation is the overpowering smell of bat guano and bat urine.
How to Get Rid of Bats in Your Home
If you find bats in your home, do not attempt to catch them. Bats are not dangerous, but they will bite and defend themselves if they feel threatened. There are safer and more effective methods for eliminating bats from your home.
Let’s explore simple ways to get rid of bats in your house. If these solutions don’t work, you can always rely on the help of a professional bat exterminator team.
Use Mothballs to Repel the Bats
Mothballs are not only great for keeping moths out of your laundry, but they also repel bats. Bats are sensitive to the chemicals within mothballs. If you place large amounts of mothballs around the infested area of your home, the bats will steer clear.
Tie the mothballs in a cloth and hang them where the bats like to hang out. You must replace the mothballs frequently for them to be effective at keeping the bats away.
Spray White Phenol
White phenol is a colorless chemical with a mild scent. It’s commonly used to sterilize medical equipment, but also can be used as a bat repellent.
Like most animals, bats have a strong sense of smell. The animals rely on smelling other bats’ body odors to determine their mate. Homeowners can use a bat’s strong sense of smell to their advantage in eliminating the pests from their homes.
Bats find phenol’s odor unbearable. Pour white phenol into a spray bottle and spritz it throughout the infested areas of your home. Continue spraying to keep the smell lingering and the bats away.
Hang Aluminum Foil
It may seem simple, but aluminum foil works wonders when it comes to keeping away bats. Bats are nighttime creatures who love the dark. Aluminum foil reflects light, which irritates the bats.
Hang aluminum foil from your ceiling and around areas where the bats are living. The more light reflected on the foil, the more likely the bats will be scared away.
Install a Mirror
Similar to aluminum foil, mirrors can scare bats out of your home.
Hang a mirror in the area where your bats are living. Shine a light on the mirror during the day while the bats are sleeping. The reflected light should irritate the bats and make them fly out of your home.
Sprinkle Some Cinnamon
If there is one thing a bat can’t stand, it’s the smell of cinnamon. Spread cinnamon powder around the bat’s nesting area. The smell will irritate the animals and cause them to seek shelter elsewhere.
Signs of Bats Living in Your Home
Bats are quiet creatures that are active during the night. This makes it easy for them to go unnoticed in a home for years at a time. As a homeowner, you need to know the signs of bats living in your home.
Check for Bat Droppings
The first sign of an infestation is finding bat guano. Homeowners will notice bat droppings near entry points or close to where the bats’ nests are located. The bats will roost near one another, which means their droppings will be found in one common area.
Bat guano resembles mouse feces, but just a bit larger. It has a musty odor and usually has black urine spots in it. Check for bat guano around your deck, porch, windows, chimney, attic, and walls.
Listen to Your Walls
To hear bats moving, turn off outside noises and listen for fluttering sounds within your walls. The best time to listen is during the night when bats are most active and flying in and out of your home.
At dawn, the bats will return to their nests. At this time, you may hear quiet squeaking noises as they communicate with each other and their young ones.
Keep in mind that bats are easily scared. If you make a loud noise, such as slamming a door, the bats will go silent. To listen for bats within your home, you must be exceptionally quiet and eliminate noises from your TV, radio, and other appliances.
Look for Stains
Bats’ bodies are covered in a natural coat of grease. As the bats fly in and out of your home, they may leave behind small grease spots.
Check for dark brown or black stains on your walls, roof, and small holes surrounding your home. If you notice these, it’s likely bats are living somewhere within your home.
Let the Professional Bat Exterminators Help
Bats are meant for the outdoors, not inside your home. If you suspect bats are hiding out in your house, let us help.
Our expert bat exterminators know how to get rid of bats safely. We have high-powered technology that allows us to locate and eliminate any bats hiding in your home. Click here to learn more about our residential pest control services and how we can make your home bat-free.
Please visit the following links for more on bat control and exclusion:
http://www.wildlife-removal.com/bat.htm
https://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Bats
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