BATS IN THE HOUSE, HOW TO KEEP 'EM OUT

[coffeeman]

It's been years since I got bat. Few days ago one showed up. It was a bigger one. We open the door in family room and foyer. The bat flies in circle all the thin swinging at him. After many rounds, I think he feels outside breeze and goes out. None, back till last nite. A smaller one. My house was airtight. Must be an entry spot somewhere. Just inspected new DISH installation. The DISH guy did good job, no new entry holes for bats that I can see. So where do I look?

I remember bats enter especially when the temperature goes down in fall. My daughter had bats 20 years ago and had a baby in house. The did rabies shots for whole family. Just in case, because it's hard to determine if baby bit??

My question, Do any of those things that makes shrill noise to keep bats away work?? Any other ideas? Only thing I can think of is look for new entrance holes. But, only outside work last few years was change from Direct to DISH tv.

You all have good holiday and be safe.....Coffeeman

 

[Doofy]

We've had a bat, duck and a couple of small birds fall down the WoodStove chimney. They create quite the ruckus.

 

[coffeeman]

We've had a bat, duck and a couple of small birds fall down the WoodStove chimney. They create quite the ruckus.

gotta keep that chimney fired up.

Cheers

 

[Doofy]

gotta keep that chimney fired up.

Cheers

Soon! It was 32F this morning.

 

[caver]

Bats in Homes & Buildings - Bat Conservation International

 

[MossRoad]

If a mouse can get in your house, so can a bat. If they can get their head through a hole, their whole body will fit. We've had probably 8 bats in 20 years. We've caught all of them and had them tested for rabies, since we had kids sleeping in the house when it happened. However, once, we didn't get a bat tested, and had a kitten that wasn't vaccinated yet. So whole family had to get rabies shots and cat had to be quarantined for 6 months.

So, lesson 1:
Always maintain your pets' vaccinations.

Lesson 2:
If you have young people asleep in your house, catch the bat and have it tested for rabies.

Lesson 3:
Rabies in humans is statistically 100% fatal, so see lessons 1 and 2 above.

We put LED lights in our attic that are on 24/7 to deter bats. They like dark areas during the day. The bats have come less-often since.

I'd suggest putting up bat boxes outside of your house. A more attractive home for them might help.

Look around the sill-plates of your house. There may be areas around your sills where there are gaps in your siding. We live in a 100 year old house, and there are lots of places like this.

Get a thermal camera and view your house from the outside for hot spots and air leaks. Then look in those places for holes.

Eaves, corners, soffits, siding, chimneys, etc...

Do you have an attic and have you looked in there for signs of bats?

 

[oosik]

I've had bats in my house. Late in the evening - linger to long with an open door. Keep it moving with a "cob-web" duster. Pretty soon it finds the open door.

It's a nice time of the year Doofy. Couple weeks ago it got down to 38F at dawn.


Coffeeman - be sure they aren't slipping in when an outside door is open. They will fly to a high dark corner and roost. Then hours later they begin flying around the house - looking to get back outside.

Otherwise - a calk gun & ladder. Inspect the eves all the way around the house. Never heard anything good/bad about those ultrasonic repellers.

 

[MossRoad]

Soooo.... it's like this.

In the evening, bats look for twilight as a signal to go out and feed. The lights inside the house confuse them. So open the doors and windows, turn off the lights in the house, and they'll usually find their way out quickly.

Or, knock them down to the ground with a broom, blanket, towel, etc... once on the ground, they can't take off. They have to climb up on a wall or piece of furniture and drop a good distance before they can fly. That's why they usually try and grab onto a wall or curtains up higher off the ground. A lot of people don't know that, and assume a bat on the ground is injured or sick because it can't take off. It is probably fine, just needs to get up high to take off.

We've always kept a butterfly net in the umbrella stand outside the back door for the kids, however, we've found it great for catching bats on the fly. It usually takes me two swings. 1st one is a gauge, 2nd one hits the mark. :laughing: