By
eHow Home & Garden Editor
Difficulty: Moderately challenging
Step1
Position several people around the perimeter of the house at dusk to note bats' exit sites as they emerge to search for food. It usually takes about an hour for all bats to leave a building.
Step2
Search the exit sites for holes 3/8 inch wide or larger.
Step3
Plug all but one of these holes with sheet metal, caulk, wood or fiberglass insulation.
Step4
Cut a panel of 1/2-inch bird netting to cover the last hole. The panel should extend a few inches above and 2 feet below and on either side of the hole.
Step5
Attach the sheet at the top only, with staples or duct tape, leaving the sides and bottom unattached. If any bats remain in your structure, they'll be able to fly out this hole but not back in.
Step6
Watch for several nights to see whether any more bats come out.
Step7
Once no more bats are observed exiting from the building, remove the bird netting and seal the last hole.
Step8
Contact your local animal control agency for extreme or persistent bat problems, and ask about bat removal services.
Comments
Anonymous said
on 8/22/2006 It's not a great idea to injure a bat or pick one up, even with gloves. Here's a method I use (I've had bats in my house 6 times in as many weeks) that works every time.
If you're in a room with a door (like a bedroom), close the door to trap the bat in the room.
Turn on all the lights.
Open one or more windows.
Hang out (I prefer cowering on the floor in a corner) and watch the bat. It will eventually fly out the open window.
In a closed room (bedroom) this has never taken more than two minutes. In a large space (living room/dining room/kitchen) it has taken longer for the bat to find its way out.
Important! - If you wake up from sleeping in a room with a bat flying around, you should get a rabies vaccine series. This is not a big deal (shots in the arm) and health insurance will cover it. It stays active for years. I just had a blood test (bats in the bedroom) two years after vaccination and my vaccine is still active.
Anonymous said
on 2/12/2007 You might not want to kill a bat if it enters your home. If you need to have it tested for rabies, they cant if certain parts of the bat are injured. You're better off to capture it in a jar and call animal patrol.
Anonymous said
on 11/30/2005 At my university, there was a major bat problem in the bell tower of the law school. Maintenance personnel tried everything, such as sealing, putting out traps, etc. but to no avail; the bats kept coming back. Then somebody suggested using mothballs, because bats, like mice and most insects, hate mothballs. So they had some bags fashioned using cheesecloth, and filled the bags with mothballs and rocks to add weight, and put them around the exterior of the belltower. The bats found a new home.
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 Please remember that in the UK, disturbance and/or destruction of a bat roost, obstruction of access to a bat roost, killing, injuring or taking of a bat and deliberate capture of a bat is illegal. The acts may carry a hefty fine and/or a prison sentence. The majority of species native to the UK do not carry rabies. However, should you come across an injured bat, handle it with gloves, put it somewhere warm and dark (a cardboard box lined with a towel is fine) and contact your local bat group.
Anonymous said
on 8/29/2007 Bats are the #1 cause of rabies transmission, not dogs! Most fatal cases occur when people wake up, find a bat in the house, and let it go. 6 months later they come down with the symptoms, but there's no bat to test! Rabies vaccinations cost over $2,000! Bat bites are almost indetectable. If you see one in the house, kill it and take it to a professional IMMEDIATELY.