How To Get Rid of Bats in Your Home (5 Tips)

As someone who’s spent years dealing with unwanted critters in homes, let me tell you — bats can be a real headache. Sure, they play their part in nature’s grand scheme, but when they’ve taken up residence in your attic or crawlspace, it’s a whole different ballgame.

Those furry little guys might seem harmless, but their droppings, or guano, as I call it, can wreak havoc on your home’s structure. It eats away at wood and building materials like nobody’s business.

And let’s not forget the potential health risks — inhaling the fungus from their droppings could lead to histoplasmosis, a nasty lung condition that could even cause pneumonia.

Trust me, you don’t want to mess around with that. As someone who’s dealt with countless bat infestations, I know the frustration all too well. But fear not, my friend. There are ways to get rid of those winged squatters without resorting to extreme measures.

If you’re feeling up for a DIY project, I can guide you through some safe and effective methods for evicting your unwanted tenants. But if the idea of dealing with bats makes you want to run for the hills, no judgment here. That’s why reputable pest control companies like Terminix and Orkin exist — to handle the tough jobs so you don’t have to.

How To Rid Your Home of Bats (5 Easy Tips)

Learning how to get rid of bats naturally is easier than it may seem. Since some types of bats are a legally protected species, it is important to address the situation as a natural wildlife removal and avoid harming them. Here are five easy tips to help remove bats in your home.

1. Close Entry Points

Bats can easily fit into tight spaces, like holes and cracks within your home. They often enter on the roof, squeezing in through loose or rotting shingles. These flying mammals love to find ways to turn your attic into a home — it’s the perfect shelter to keep them warm and dry. Bats can squeeze through openings as small as three-eighths of an inch, so make sure to look closely to determine these possible entryways.

Block Holes

The first step to keeping bats out of your attic, garage, or home is to block all holes with caulking or sealant and place a mesh or hardware cloth over your chimney and vents. Closing all entry points is a humane way to keep bats away when it comes to a small colony, but a large colony may require you to call a pest control company.

Install a Bat Cone

It’s best to install a bat cone in one of the holes, which allows bats to squeeze out of your attic but not into the space. Essentially, it’s a one-way door for bats to exit. Once you install these, wait a few days to make sure all the bats are gone before completely sealing up the holes or cracks.

Bat cones are relatively affordable. They typically cost between $20 and $40, depending on the type.

Today’s Homeowner Tips

If you’re dealing with a large colony of bats, use multiple bat cones to help get rid of them before hiring a pest control company. However, before using a bat cone, ensure the bats don’t have babies so they won’t be separated from their young.

2. Remove Food Sources

Removing the bats’ food source is essential, as this discourages them from trying to stay in your home. Most North American species of bats eat insects like mosquitos, beetles, and moths.

Certain plants naturally repel mosquitos, like rosemary plants or marigold flowers. You can also use a natural or chemical insecticide spray to reduce the insect population, but be sure it’s safe for small mammals. If you have a fruit garden or fruit tree in your yard, use a net to prevent the bats from eating the fruit.

You can also use peppermint oil or lavender to repel beetles, while bay leaves and rosemary work to repel moths. These essential oils usually cost between $15 and $30. If the bats no longer have a food source on your property, they’ll usually head elsewhere.

3. Install Bright Outdoor Lights

Not only does installing bright outdoor lights add curb appeal to your home, but it also acts as a natural bat repellent. Bats can’t handle light — especially bright lights — after all, they’re nocturnal. Installing bright lights on your property can deter the bats from coming near and into your home.

If you know where the bats are entering your home, put a bright light near this entry point. Bright LED light bulbs are affordable, and you can even install motion-sensitive lights that turn on when there’s motion.

Today’s Homeowner Tips

Bright lights can repel bats from entering your home. These tips can help when installing lights:

● Use a LED outdoor bulb of at least 40 watts or higher.
● Use motion sensor lights to avoid keeping the lights on all night and to save money on electricity.
● Hang reflective objects, such as CDs or aluminum foil, to deter bats from entering your home

4. Use a Natural Repellent

Since bats have such a strong sense of smell, it’s easy to keep them away by using natural repellents. Scents such as cinnamon, peppermint, or eucalyptus are excellent ways to remove bats from their roost.

Phenol, commonly found in many cleaning products, has a sweet smell that can also deter bats. You can purchase phenol in either crystals or cans, but use gloves when applying to avoid skin irritation.

These repellents are easy to apply, but you must use them often to make sure that bats don’t return. While cinnamon, peppermint, and eucalyptus are affordable, phenol spray bottles can cost about $60 for a 15.5-ounce spray. A more affordable option is using crystals, which cost around $30.

5. Use a Sound Machine

A colony of bats prefer to be at peace when resting (just like we do). This is why using a sound machine that gives off an ultrasonic sound will disrupt their peace.

We, as humans, can’t hear the ultrasonic sound, but bats can. Other small mammals and insects, such as raccoons, mice, cockroaches, ants, and flies, can also hear this frequency. A two-pack of an ultrasonic pest control repeller can cost as little as $20 and is safe for both humans and pets.

Natural Ways To Rid Your Home of Bats

I’ve already included several ways for homeowners to get rid of bats naturally, but there’s another natural way to eliminate them without forcing them out of your home.

Use a Bat House

Using a bat house in your yard can deter them from entering your home and provide them with a more favorable shelter. When you install a bat house on your property, you provide a safe environment for bats to reside in that also gives female bats a safe place to raise their babies.

You can either build your own bat house or purchase one. It looks like a regular box, but the bottom part of the bat box is open so bats can go in and out. If you decide to purchase a bat house, expect to spend between $20 and $40, depending on the size.

If you really don’t want bats on your property at all or don’t have time to do these DIY remedies, you may need professional help. Many pest control companies are affordable and can provide natural services to remove bats on your property. Fill out the form below to learn more.

How To Prevent Bats From Coming Back

After going through all the trouble of getting rid of the bats, you’ll want to prevent them from returning. Here’s how:

• Install a bright light at their former entry points. Bats hate bright lights and stay away from well-lit areas.
• Make sure all holes, crevices, and cracks are sealed. When all the holes and cracks have been filled in and sealed, bats can’t get back inside.
• Use scents that deter bats around your home, like peppermint, eucalyptus, cinnamon, or mothballs. Bats strongly dislike these smells and may not re-enter your home if you use these scents.
• Use your sound machine regularly. An ultrasonic sound machine interferes with bats’ abilities to perceive echos (known as echolocation), which they use for navigation. This keeps them away from your home.
• Clean the area the bats used to live in. If you clean the area the bats used to be in using chemicals or natural cleaning spray, the bats won’t like the scent and likely won’t return.
• Call a professional pest control company. Hiring a professional exterminator makes sure bats stay away for good by using natural methods.

How to Identify Bats

Identifying a bat, especially in the dark at night, can be challenging. You might notice a little brown bat, a big brown bat, or even a black bat. These are some physical features to look out for that can help you identify a bat:

• Webbed wings
• Often black or brown in color
• Face looks similar to a small dog, like a Chihuahua
• Wingspan can be anywhere between six inches to five feet long
• Sporadic flying (compared to birds)

Signs You Have a Bat Infestation

Look out for these signs that can indicate you have a bat problem in your home.

• You find bat droppings in your home, likely along the floorboards, walls, attic, eaves, or roof. The feces looks like seeds, are dark in color, and don’t have white at the end.
• You smell a strong odor, which is likely bat urine.
• You hear scratching noises in your home at dusk and dawn.
• You find black greasy marks around your home, which come from their fur. A bat’s fur contains oils that can rub off where they nest.

Health and Safety Risks

Bats can potentially carry several diseases that pose health risks to humans, including rabies, histoplasmosis, and other viruses. Their droppings can also create hazardous conditions in the home.

Rabies

While only a small percentage of bats have rabies, any bat that is active during the day, found in a place where bats are not usually seen, or is unable to fly, should be avoided. The rabies virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected animal and is nearly 100% fatal if untreated before symptoms appear.

Histoplasmosis

Histoplasmosis is a lung disease caused by breathing in spores from fungus that grows on bird and bat droppings. It can cause flu-like symptoms in people with healthy immune systems, but can become a serious systemic illness in those with weakened immunity.

Other Viruses

Bats are considered reservoirs for several other viruses that can be passed to humans, including SARS, Ebola, Nipah, and coronaviruses. Direct contact with bats should always be avoided.

Hazardous Droppings

Large accumulations of bat guano (droppings) can lead to an overgrowth of fungi that release spores into the air. This can cause lung diseases like histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, and others. The droppings may also contain bacteria and parasites that could be harmful if inhaled.

If you suspect bats are living in your home, it’s important to take precautions and hire a professional bat removal company to safely exclude and remove them, while also properly decontaminating the area.

DIY Vs. Professional Bat Pest Control

The aforementioned DIY methods are effective in getting rid of bats naturally. However, if you’re dealing with a large infestation, the DIY methods you’ve tried haven’t worked, or you simply don’t have the time or energy to handle these unwanted house guests, hiring a professional is the way to go.

Pest control companies have experience removing bats and permanently keeping them away, using professional-grade equipment and chemicals, as well as natural methods.

Fill out the form below to get a quote.

So, What’s the Best Way To Get Rid of Bats?

Start by trying some of the DIY methods for getting rid of bats naturally, especially if you’re on a budget. However, some of these methods may not be possible for everyone or may not work. This is when you may want to opt for the help of a professional.

A professional exterminator has the expertise and tools to remove bats from your home quickly, efficiently, and naturally, which may be the best option, especially if DIY methods have proved unsuccessful.

Final Thoughts

Look, I get it – bats play a vital role in nature, but when they decide to shack up in your home, it’s a whole different story. Their droppings can wreak havoc, causing serious property damage and even putting your health at risk with nasties like histoplasmosis.

But fear not, my friends! I’ve got a whole arsenal of natural tactics to evict these winged squatters for good. Whether it’s sealing up entry points, blasting them with bright lights and ultrasonic deterrents, or cutting off their insect buffet, there are plenty of DIY methods to reclaim your kingdom.

Now, if you’re dealing with a full-blown bat city or those persistent little guys keep coming back for more, that’s when it’s time to call in the big guns – professional bat removal experts like myself. We’ve got the gear, the know-how, and the chemicals to get the job done right, while ensuring those bats are relocated humanely.

At the end of the day, bats are important players in the ecosystem, so we’ve got to respect their role. But when they overstay their welcome in your humble abode, you’ve got to take action. With a little elbow grease and the right approach, you can kick those batty houseguests to the curb and enjoy a gloriously bat-free home once more.