13 Evidence Based Home Remedies To Get Rid Of Bats

By Sam Rivera · Feb 26, 2018

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13 Evidence Based Home Remedies To Get Rid Of Bats

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Bats are good, or are they bad? This debate is as old as the nation, but let us break it to you, bats are no good. They are a nuisance. The only good thing is that they eat away the insects in your house, but that’s about it. You don’t want those winged creatures of the darkness lurking in your house and make screeching noises in the night, or those who can cause damages to your house’s structure. Moreover, they leave guano around the house which is unsanitary and inhaling them causes

Histoplasmosis

which has symptoms like flu (

). Tetanus is a must if you get bitten by a bat, and there have also been reports of people getting rabies from bat bites. Nobody wants droppings of any creature in their house no matter how helpful they can be. Now, calling a professional from one of the pest removal services may look like your only option, but do you want to spend that much when you can get rid of bats by using some simple home remedies? Maybe not. Besides, there is no surety that they will not return after getting the pest removal done professionally. With these home remedies, you can be sure that they go out of your house and stay out for a long time. These methods are completely safe, and you can assure your family’s safety by using them.

Know The Bats

Bats are protected under the different acts in different states, but all of them suggest that it is illegal to hunt, capture, or kill them (

It is rare for a Bat to have or transmit rabies. Less than one percent of the Bats are infected with rabies virus, and they cause only 1 death because of rabies in the US per year (

Most of the Bats found in the country are insect eaters so it is good to have them around your house as they can consume hundreds of insects in an hour (

Bats do not get tangled in people’s hair because they are not blind as suggested by some. They just depend more on their sonar to hunt for insects and to move around (

Bats can live for as long as 30 years, and their colonies can live for over a hundred years in the same location (

Where Do Bats Come From?

Bats do not need a very big opening to get in your house. They are smaller than you think. They can enter a space through a hole which is as small as ½ an inch in diameter. They will live in any dark and unused place in the house, so you know where to look for them. Various entry points and hiding places of Bats in your house are:

Holes in the walls:

As informed before, Bats can enter your house through a hole as small as ½ in diameter. They are very flexible and can transform into very small cylindrical shapes to enter small holes.

Chimney:

Bats can drop in through your chimney when it is not in use. They usually enter a house in the night looking for a quiet place and what can be quieter than a home where all the people are sleeping?

Piles of old furniture:

If you have any old furniture lying around in a room or the attic, there is a high chance that the Bats will want to go and live there because it is an easy place to hide.

Missing or loose tiles:

Bats can penetrate through loose tiles by continuously pecking till they fall. It much easier for them if a tile is missing.

Unclean and ignored corners/rooms in the house:

Damp, unclean and ignored corners and rooms in the house, like the attic, provide for perfect living and hiding environment for Bats.

Lack of screens and netting:

Your house must be protected with netting or screens on doors and windows so that you can make sure that no uninvited pests, rodents and especially Bats enter your house.

Now you wouldn’t normally see the bats flying around in your house, so how do you know that those nasty dark buggers have manifested your house? You can look for the following signs:

The presence of guano:

If you find droppings from the bats anywhere in your house, you should be alert.

White Streaks:

Bats cause white streaks on the walls with their urine. The chemicals in the urine react with the wood and discolors it to make it white.

Odor:

If you are experiencing strong odors in your house which you can not recognize, there is a possibility that it is coming from the guano or urine of the bats.

Rub marks:

If you see rub marks around holes and cracks in the house, there is a high chance that Bats have already manifested your house.

Bats nearby:

If you have noticed a sudden high activity of Bats near your house, it is probably because they have made your home their home.

How Do You Get Rid Of Bats Naturally?

So now that you have confirmed your house is also housing Bats, you can use these remedies to get rid of them. These do not require an expertise in any area or use any specialized products, just the things lying around in your house or ones you can easily procure from nearby stores. Here’s the list:

1)Moth Balls

Also, know as Naphthalene Balls, these are used in various parts of the house to keep away pests and rodents, but they were made to keep the moths away, hence the name Moth Balls. The active ingredient in Moth Balls is

Para-dichlorobenzene

Naphthalene

. They turn into gasses in a closed environment and kill the pests. If you can smell the Moth Balls, you are inhaling the pesticide which is harmful, so it is advised to stay away from the place where these balls are kept. These gasses will get rid of Bats in the attic without harming or killing them. (

You can place some Moth Balls in a mesh bag and hang it in the attic or other ignored dark areas. The Bats will be irritated when they smell naphthalene and will go away.

Aerosol Sprays

Sprays which are used to repel dogs and cats are also useful in driving away Bats, as they have similar chemicals like Moth Balls and are the perfect Bat repellent. In the case of Bats, the chemicals make them uneasy which will make them go away, probably out to find cleaner air to breathe in. You need to be careful while using aerosol sprays because they are poisonous, so you should have your mouth and eyes covered when using it.

Do not apply the aerosol sprays where the Bats are present because there is a high risk of them attacking the person who is spraying. Just spray it in the possible manifestation areas from time to time don’t give a chance to the Bats to enter the house (

). Make sure the sprayed liquid doesn’t land on water which will be used by you for any purpose, because the water will become poisonous when the spray liquid mixes into it.

Phenol

Commonly known as PCP and scientifically known as

Pentachlorophenol

, this substance has been used as a pesticide and disinfectant since 1930. It is also used to preserve wood. It has shown efficacy in repelling Bats, but you have to be careful with this method like all other methods which use poisonous substances (

Wear gloves, mask, and protective eyeglasses all the time when handling this chemical. Buy White Phenol from the market and pour it in a spray bottle carefully. Spray in the manifested area but make sure that windows of that room are open because once the Bats fail to bear the smell, they would want to fly to a place which doesn’t have phenol smell, and if they cannot find one, they will die of the poison. It is illegal to kill Bats in the US so make sure you don’t commit a felony while trying to save your family from unwanted nocturnal visitors and the diseases they bring with them.

Aluminum Foil

Using aluminum may not sound like a very effective method of getting rid of Bats, but it is. The aluminum foil makes a sound when it moves which is the reason it disturbs the Bats making them want to find a quieter place for roosting. It is one of the simplest, cheapest, and safest methods to drive them away. This method is worth a shot when the roosting place of the Bats is a large or open place where sprays will not work efficiently (

To pull off this technique, you will need aluminum foil that is used to wrap food before storing and some tape. The larger the area, the more aluminum foil will be required. The chances of working are higher in an open area because the wind will make the aluminum make noise and more space means more wind will circulate which will ensure the sound made by aluminum foil. If you are using this method inside a room, make sure that windows are open, and turn on the fan if possible to maintain maximum wind flow.

Lighting

We have all learned that Bats only come out in the night, so we can use this as a remedy against them by lighting up all the places which are likely to be used for roosting by bats. Bats do not come out in the day because the heat can disturb the balance of moisture in their body and cause possible heat prostration (

). To remove the Bats from outside the house, keep the surroundings of the house well lit. You can use a floodlight for the same and make sure that you don’t leave any entry points. Pointing the floodlights to any potential entry points will make sure the Bats do not enter the house (

If Bats have already entered the house, try to turn the lights on in the area manifested and make sure you keep the corners well lit because that is the area most liked. Keep the windows to the outside open so that the irritation from light makes them want to find a darker place and that’s how you get rid of Bats in your house. Shut the windows as soon as all of them have left and seal all the small and big entry points to avoid any such nuisance in the future.

Air cooler/ Fans

Bats need a stable to roost. If there is a way to disturb them, the roosting of Bats can be stopped, leaving them looking for a more suitable environment. The reason why Bats move to underground caves is that they want to live in a quiet but cold place with hardly any sound, light or any other disturbance. You can use fans or air coolers for this purpose in the places where Bats have been living. Switch on any fans in the room if present, or you can use movable fans or air coolers to make the room airy which will irritate them (

). It would be advisable to point the fans in the direction of their roost. Make sure that you don’t stay in the same room because when they are disturbed because of the wind, they might attack you. Keep all the windows open which lead outside the house and close them and any other entrance once all the Bats are out.

Bat House/Box

Building a house for Bats may not sound like an amusing idea to you when you want them out of your house, but it is one of the most clever ideas to give them their own home. This will make sure that Bats will stay out of your house and do not return. It works with on the principle of living with the wildlife rather than secluding them. Placement of this Bat house will be away from your house but not too far because we want them to know that you have built a house for them. Just make sure it doesn’t disturb any of your neighbors.

To make a Bat house/box, you will need some plywood, 4-5 wooden sticks, and a wooden pole (12ft height minimum) (

Make a rectangular box with plywood and leave one side open. Place the wooden sticks in a line inside the box and nail them from outside so that they don’t move. Now attach this box to one end of the pole with the open side facing downwards, this will prevent other birds from making a nest in the Bat house. Erect this pole at the edge of your garden away from any highway or busy roads. Make sure that nothing is reflecting light towards the bat house, because this will just be counterproductive as Bats do not like the light.

Mylar Balloon

Also known as foil balloons, these are the perfect and very playful way to get rid of Bats, and the best part, you can reuse them or give them to your kids to play with. These foil balloons work like aluminum foil, they make clinking noise when they move and touch each other because of the wind. You won’t even require a step ladder to reach the ceiling. You can get helium filled Mylar Balloons for this method and make the creatures of the night go away (

So you will need 5-6 of these balloons filled with Helium to make them stay at the ceiling. Leave these balloons in random places in the room where Bats are roosting and open the windows. If windows do not draw enough air to move the balloons, get a table fan and point it in the upwards direction to make the balloons move. As soon as the balloons star moving, they will make noise which will make the bats uncomfortable because of their nocturnal nature, and that’s how you repel Bats with just some balloons.

Cardboard Trap

When you spot a single Bat in your house, you can use this method to make it go away. Make sure that you do not use this method when another Bat is present in the same room. Trapping a Bat in a cardboard box can cause a direct contact, so it is advised to wear gloves all the time when performing this task. You can skip this step if you don’t want to take a chance but this is the most direct method to get rid of a sole Bat in your house.

You will need a cardboard box at least 2 inches bigger than the Bat on all sides and a cardboard sheet at least 2 inches bigger than the box on all sides. Wait for the Bat to settle on a wall or the floor, wear your gloves and slowly place the box from the open side on the Bat. Trap it inside the box by sliding the cardboard sheet to cover the open side. Make sure there is no space for the Bat to escape when you are sliding the cardboard. Keep the cardboard tightly placed on the box and take it outside to set it free, do it in the night as it can not go out in the daylight (

One Way Valve

One way valve to keep out Bats works like a Check Valve used in plumbing. In a plumbing check valve, the water can flow only in one direction. The same way if a Bat exits the house through a one-way valve, it can not get back in, at least from the same opening. Installing these valves on a couple of openings at the attic would be a great idea to trap the Bats outside the house. You can inspect the house to find out all the places from where they have entered and seal them permanently except 2-3 of them where we will install the one-way valves. Try to install the one-way valves in the openings near the room with Bats manifestation (

Image Source: https://extension.arizona.edu/sites/extension.arizona.edu/files/pubs/az1456.pdf

You can make a one-way valve with some steel mesh because we would not want to cover the opening completely for the bat, as we want it to figure out how he can get out. Cover the opening or the hole with a steel mesh that is bigger than the hole and attaches only 3 sides to the wall leaving the bottom side unattached. The Bat will somehow get out of that one side that we have left unattached and when it tries to come back in, he won’t be able to figure out how to get in trapping it outside. The valve looks something like this.

Also Read:

Natural Homemade Mosquito Repellents

How To Keep The Bats Out

Once you have successfully gotten rid of those nasty nocturnal mammals, you wouldn’t want them to return, would you? Clean the Bat guano as soon as Bats have left, wear a mask which is able to filter particles as small as 2 microns because it can cause breathing problems (

). Here are some ways to keep the Bats out of your homes where they belong, just make sure all they are out of your house before you proceed.

Close Holes And Cracks

After working wonderfully on making your house free from the Bats, you will need a little more time to work on Bat-proofing your house which will include sealing any entry points because all the efforts would go waste if they could just enter the house again. You need to inspect the house to identify all the places which can be used by them to enter in your house. Entry points like holes or cracks in the walls must be shut. To seal these openings, you will require sealants like Caulking or Stainless Steel Wool (

You can start with any plumbing and electrical holes. To fill these holes, cut the stainless steel mesh to make it fit in the respective holes and stuff them in tightly. You need to be sure that they are tight enough for Bats by pushing it inside with a stick. For any cracks in the walls, you can use Caulk which is available in the tube or a caulking gun. All you need to do is clean the surroundings of the crack and fill it with caulk. It will take some hours to dry, and you will be good to go after that. Wearing gloves is a must when dealing with Caulk or any other chemical substance.

Cover Big Openings

Bats may not necessarily enter your house from small holes and cracks. They can even enter from open windows and chimneys. It is advised to keep your house sealed at all the times. If there is a chance of Bat manifestation,you must have seen a sudden increase in activity in the vicinity of your house. Bats can easily fall through the chimney, they may even roost in your chimney in summers. You need to keep all the entry points to your house sealed or at least covered with a screen so that no uninvited guests can enter (

You can start with bird screens or steel mesh to cover your chimney opening. Cut the screen/mesh in the shape of chimney’s opening and nail it down hard enough to survive Bats and different birds. You can also use chimney caps for this purpose.

For your windows, you have an option to keep them shut, but that is not always possible. So, try to keep the windows of the less visited areas closed and use a window screen for windows of the rooms which are used more. You can get custom screens made for your windows or use standard sizes available in the market and nail them to your windows from the outside. You can also get custom screens made with hook and loop fasteners. These screens are installed from inside of the window and can be removed according to your needs and placed back on easily.

Prevent Insect Manifestation

Once the bats have left your house, it is time to eliminate one of the root causes which made attracted them in the first place. Bats usually feed on insects and are attracted to your houses because of the presence of insects. If you have insects in your house, it’s like a dinner invitation to the bats, and once they find it easy to get food in your house, they will consider staying there rather than coming just to eat. You can use various products to kill insects, Diatomaceous earth being one of them. It scratches the outer cuticle of the insect as they come in contact with the powder, eventually killing them of dehydration (

You can sprinkle the

Diatomaceous earth

in the corners and neglected areas of the house, especially in the attic because bats usually come in through the roof openings landing in your attic. Other areas where you can sprinkle this powder are damp corners, waste collection areas, under the kitchen sink as it helps in killing various insects such as

cockroaches

, moths, flys, etc.

Understanding The Lifecycle Of Bats For Better Batproofing

Winters:

This is the time when Bats migrate to warmer places. If you maintain a low temperature in your house and install one-way doors, Bats will leave and will not be able to return. You can seal all the inspected entrances like cracks, holes, attic opening, etc. (

)

Spring:

This is the time when female Bats rear the newborns. Bats do not move in this period which will make Bat-proofing counterproductive by trapping them inside (

Summer:

Bats have their young in summer, which makes their colonies weak because of the presence of young Bats. Adults go out in search of food for the young ones and feed them while young Bats stay inside, Bat-proofing now may leave young ones inside to die, causing foul odors (

Fall:

This is the time for Bats to mate, which makes for perfect time to install one-way valve/doors so that once they leave the house, they can’t return.

Bats are very misunderstood creatures, and there have been very few instances where they have harmed someone who hasn’t bothered them. If you are thinking Bats eat insects, so they must be good, but they carry diseases, which makes them bad. The opinions swing either way. Bottom line, any creature that is uninvited and carries diseases cannot be good, no matter how much they help you. All these remedies will equip you with all the methods to control Bats but if you have any doubts regarding them and anything related to the techniques, you can contact your local county health department, and they will help you out.

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