How do you get rid of bats?

DmansPadge · Apr 9, 2005

I have a 40x40 shop that bats have seemed to have taken over! Everytime I open the door you can hear them and see them swarming. I have found several dead ones around the shop. They are tearing up the insulation and I need to get rid of them. My neighbor and I put up some screen mesh that he had handy around the eves but that hasn't seemed to help. Where the roof and walls meet is the only place that they can get in. Any ideas??

Junkman · Apr 10, 2005

I was told by an old farmer that bats were good because they ate all the bugs at night. The only bad bats were the ones that inhabited the barn. His resolution to the problem was to build a bat house on a high pole and placed it a distance from the barn. Once the bats had a comfortable home of there own, they all left the barn and both he and the bats were happy. Here is a link to how to build a bat house. Bat Condominiums.....

notamustang · Apr 10, 2005

JunkMans right again /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Watching bats eat is a lot of fun too. If you do some searches you can find lots of info and maybe find someone near you who can help.

chucko · Apr 11, 2005

I give mine the credit card and send her to the mall. It is a costly and temp. fix but it will last for about a day

kensfarm · Apr 11, 2005

Or you can just work on your "super hero" identity! To the Bat Cave Robin! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif (You might have to paint your tractor a different color...)

Heard on the radio this morning about a kid bringing a bat to school.. it ended up having rabies.. now there trying to figure out which kids had contact w/ it.

Freds · Apr 11, 2005

I wouldn't want them inside of my building for just that reason. Many of them DO carry Rabies, let alone the damage they are doing. The thing is, will putting up bat houses apeal to them enough to get them to relocate?
In PA if you capture a bat inside of a building you are supposed to take it somewhere for testing, not sure where, but the county health dept probably knows.

chatcher · Apr 11, 2005

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( ...In PA if you capture a bat inside of a building you are supposed to take it somewhere for testing, not sure where...)</font>

Growing up in Kentucky, whenever the subject of animals that may or may not have rabies has come up, I've always heard people say, "you need to send the head to Frankfort" (capital of Kentucky). In the dozens of times I heard this, I never heard any more specific instructions. I always had this image of a receptionist at a state government office somewhere cringing every time she saw the UPS truck (bringing the day's shipment of animal heads).

As far as bats go, while I wouldn't want them in my buildings, I would like more of them around, and one of these days I'll get around to building a bathouse.

For keeping them out, I can't imagine any more is necessary than to fix all the holes big enough for them to enter (and get the current bats out). The bad news, after looking at the bathouse plans, is that they seem to be able to squeeze through some pretty small holes.

BillG_in_TX · Apr 11, 2005

How about some of these magic bat repellents?

slydog · Apr 11, 2005

I ran the first one off. The second one ran me off. I think I'm just gonna keep the third one! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif