Bats. Need to get rid of them in my house. Tried and tried to plug holes, crevices, possible entries without success. I believe they are originating in the attic possibly via the soffits; coming down inside the walls and exiting through the basement and then into the house. It was 34 degrees outside last night and I had another one inside. Not good when there is a baby in the house. How can they survive without food? Can I plug up all the holes and starve them out? Any lethal or non lethal tips are appreciated. DJ
Good idea. But consider this: bats are the one of the most unfairly maligned species in our lives. Do some serious research on this and you can get some real benefits from the little critters. The best way to deal with bats in your house is to build them their own house. Once established, they will munch on all manner of flying bugs that make your backyard barbecues a chore. Start with the usual Google search, then the library and so on. Local colleges are also good places to find out more. It may take some time but from what I've read it beats the **** out of a bug zapper, OFF deterrant, or smokey torches. HTH
I got curious and did a google search on "bat house design" and got over 300 hits. I read through a few and realized that the design of a bat house seems to be specific to your area. That makes sense if you think about it because different bats may like different types of houses.
Some of the material here will help you identify the locations where bats are entering, and there are also suggestions for how to close up the holes you do find. Basically, you caulk up all the cracks you can find. Also, you probably want to make a one-way bat door to make sure the bats get out and can't get back in. You don't want the bats getting in, and then dying inside the wall somewhere after you seal up openings because they can't get out.
- Nehmo - If your exterior walls are hollow, you should put some insulation in them anyway. But once you've done that, what's wrong with letting the bats live in your attic? Bats eat many harmful and annoying insects. Bats look spooky and popular fiction has maligned them, but they are our friends.
Maybe you could give them alternative accommodations: Bat Project
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house plan
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's Bat House Page -- Free Bat House Plans
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- DJ -
- Nehmo - What's the meaning of your temperature reference? Do you mean the bat was seeking refuge from the cold? I don't know what's typical for your area, but 34° F isn't very cold.
- DJ -
- Nehmo - Normally, a bat won't attack a mammal. The blood-sucking bats are in South America; the ones up here eat insects. There's a possibility a bat may have rabies, but all in all, your baby isn't in much danger.
- DJ -
- Nehmo - You just said you "tried and tired to plug holes", so if you are now asking if you are capable of doing this, you already have your answer.
But obviously, if sealing your attic is your strategy, catch or shoo out the bat *before* you plug up the holes. To catch the bat, maybe use a butterfly net, and then release the poor creature outside. You should always use the most benign method when dealing with nature.
- DJ -
- Nehmo - Yes, killing yourself and your family would solve the problem ;-)
As the others have said, bats are really kind of neat. My son had one at an apartment that spent the day between the storm window and the regular window of his bed room.
There are different kinds of bats and many are rather small and can get in or out of a very small space. Most like to enter at least 15 feet off the ground. That may help you find the entrance.
Personally I like them, but I would rather then not spend time in my home. I will also suggest that they are not dumb and once they find that the inside of your home, well at least inside the interior walls, is not good for them because of you, they will lean to say away.
I have had to help get a few of houses from time to time. The tennis racket trick worked. If you don't hit them too hard and work quick you can shake them off outside. If you are agile you may be able to get them to fly out a window or door. That has worked for me also.
There is a real "movement" about to protect them. In Florida parks, there have been some bat shelters built to try to keep them out of the picnic shelters, because their droppings landed on picnicers. Basicly, a roof with some cross members beneath so they have shelter and free access. Some folks attract them, like having a beehive. Check with your county extension service to see if someone can help. In the mean time, try to put hardware cloth between attic and basement so's they don't come downstairs.
Yes , Bats are good for your area around your house. The bat will eat his or her weight in bugs [ if supply is present ] everyday. That is a lot of bugs that get eaten.
They're in your house because they're hibernating in your attic or walls and pretty much have had all the food they need at this point.
First, visit
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to get a more authoritative answer to your dilemma. If you're still stymied -- especially since you really don't want to kill them or evict them when it's cold outside -- I corresponded a few times last summer with a very helpful gentleman by the name of John Chenger at Bat Conservation and Management, Inc. If you want the very best possible answers to your problem, drop him an e-mail at snipped-for-privacy@batmanagement.com.
For many years, we have had two sizeable colonies (more than 60 total) of Big Brown bats in both our attic vents, which have been screened off with thick hardware cloth (mesh) to keep them from actually getting inside the attic. Hopefully, a bat house in our back yard will ease the squeeze up there or attract a whole new colony.
The main thing to know is that a bat that gets lost inside the house won't harm anyone in the house. They'll surprise the living bejeezus out of you, but they won't bite or attack unprovoked -- unless you go doing something stupid, like try to wack them with a tennis racquet. They're decent-tempered critters, but you can still manage to piss one off. Contact the bat people at the addresses provided to find how to safely catch a bat in the house and how to handle it safely once you do (heavy leather gloves are a must; I keep a pair of welder's gloves for the odd time or two that one manages to zip into our house thru an open door when they leave the roost at night -- and what you should do with the darn thing since it's now the middle of winter.
In article , snipped-for-privacy@this.list says... :) Bats. Need to get rid of them in my house. Tried and tried to plug holes, :) crevices, possible entries without success. I believe they are originating :) in the attic possibly via the soffits; coming down inside the walls and :) exiting through the basement and then into the house. It was 34 degrees :) outside last night and I had another one inside. Not good when there is a :) baby in the house. How can they survive without food? Can I plug up all :) the holes and starve them out? Any lethal or non lethal tips are :) appreciated. DJ :) :) :) this site has bat traps...
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Also, not sure if I can explain this, but block off as many opening as you can except the main one. Use a 2-3 inch pvc pipe and extend it a couple of feet from the house, let the bats get used to using it. Then create with thin/flimsy screening material a sock open on both ends of about 2-3 feet in length and secure one end to the plastic entrance. The bats exit the attic through the pipe are able to drop out of the "sock" but because it is flimsy it closes and hangs down a couple of feet of where the entrance actually is.
I used to have these in my attic, and I grew to enjoy and value them. They are great bug eaters and quite amusing. I was sad when they packed up and left after I had new siding put on (even though we left an opening for them).
I agree that you don't want them inside your house but the trick is to live in harmony with them. Often there are local groups that will help. Perhaps your local SPCA can direct you.
Putting bat houses outside your home is what you want to do if you choose to keep them around, but I would disagree on having them in my home for any reason. Their waste is very toxic, can and does cause stains on ceilings if enough collects, and the animals themselves usually have parasites.
"DJ" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:
While I like having bats around--they eat an amazing number of insects every day--they do leave batcrap (remember Gen. Bat Guano from Dr. Strangelove?) and have parasites and occasionally rabies. I have heard (which means I haven't tried it myself) that since bats don't like light, if you hang a lightbulb in the attic, they'll leave.
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. I have 4 bat condos out in the back yard and I have very little problem with mosquitos. Considering that I live in SE Texas, that's a pretty amazing accomplishment. The little guys don't enter the house because they prefer theirs, and they're fun to watch in the early evening.
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