It will happen at night. For weeks, we heard scratching on the walls, followed by Lilith, the black cat, staring endlessly into an empty corner at the far end of the room. I investigated every night, but every night I came back empty.
One night, around 3am, I heard my husband screaming from the other room. “Bat! Get the bat!”
“Do you need a bat?” I yelled back, wondering what the hell was going on. We didn’t have a bat.
As fast as an eight-month-old pregnant woman can, I unsteadily rolled out of bed and waddled toward the hustle and bustle of the nursery.
What I found was the stuff of nightmares. Or, looking back on it now, it was more like a comedy.
Lilith was standing on her husband’s shoulder, about to pounce on him. And flying around the room chaotically were small bats.
“Oh, that bat.”
Now that we’ve had a professional exterminator tackle your bat problem, we can tell you how to get rid of them the right way and how to keep them out for good.
USA TODAY asked pest control experts how to get rid of bats. Their answers are:
How to get rid of bats quickly
Although it may be tempting to deal with the problem yourself, the quickest way to get rid of bats is to call a professional pest control company. I was lucky that the bat flew through the window, but I needed an expert to make sure it didn’t come back.
“The best and safest way to remove bats from your home is to have a trained wildlife removal professional inspect and treat the situation,” says Jason Burkhart, managing director of Critter Control, a national humane wildlife removal company. “This keeps the whole family and pets safe throughout the process and eliminates the risk of unnecessary exposure to bats.”
If you find a bat in your home, you should do the following:
- Keep bats in an enclosed area.
- Contact your local pest control company.
- Have a professional remove the bats safely.
Signs of bats
Bats may be sneaky at first, but once they’re established in your attic or walls, their presence becomes hard to miss. The most common signs that your home is infested with bats are:
- Bat droppings (guano): It can be seen in roosting sites. Guano is shiny but shatters when pressed.
- Sounds heard inside the walls: The bats that live there scratch the walls, chirp and flap their wings. You or your pet are most likely to hear these sounds at dusk and dawn.
- Strong odor: When bats have lived in your home for a while, their urine and guano give off a strong ammonia-like odor, similar to the smell of a dirty toilet.
- Dusk and dawn bat sightings: Bats are nocturnal, so they are more active at night. They wake up at dusk and return to roost at dawn.
- Dirt and oil stains: Bats have oily fur and can leave dark charcoal-gray stains around entry points to their roosts (generally along roof soffits, eaves, and vents).
Why do bats come into my house?
There are three main reasons why bats enter your home.
- They are looking for shelter.
- Bats are looking for (and have found) food sources: insects like mosquitoes.
- The break-in was accidental, with people flying in through an open door or window.
Is it dangerous to have bats in my house?
Bats can transmit rabies and other diseases to humans, making them dangerous in your home. “Bats prefer to avoid interaction with humans, but if they are cornered or feel threatened, they may bite or scratch in self-defense,” Burkhardt said.
Because rabid bats foam at the mouth, they “may be less likely to avoid humans and may be more willing to scratch or bite you,” he said. It may not be possible to tell if a bat has rabies, so if you think you have a bat in your home, your best bet is to contact an exterminator.
Guano accumulation can cause the growth of the histoplasmosis fungus, which can cause severe respiratory disease in humans.
“Even if you don’t have a bat problem, it’s important to address the situation early so you can clean up the bat guano and disinfect the area where the bats are found,” Burkhardt added.
The best way to get rid of bats
There are some DIY methods to remove it, but they don’t always work and may not be the safest option.
“Attempting to remove bats yourself may not seem too difficult at first, but the situation can quickly get out of hand,” Burkhardt says, adding, “If bats are a protected species, there may be local or state laws in place that prohibit handling bats.”
Use exclusion devices (most effective)
Exclusion devices are one-way doors that allow bats to get out, but not back in. “One-way exclusion devices are a very popular and effective method used by wildlife removal professionals to remove bats from homes,” says Burkhardt. “It is a humane option because it allows the bats to leave the house on their own without any contact with humans.”
These devices act as exit points through which bats can leave the house to forage elsewhere, but prevent them from returning to roost at the end of the night.
However, this removal strategy may not be optimal during certain times of the year, namely spring and summer.
“It should be noted that in many cases, when bats are raising newborns that cannot yet fly on their own, it is legally prohibited to install one-way exclusion devices until the newborn bats are grown and strong enough to fly on their own,” Burkhardt says. If bats are in your home during heat season, it may take two to three months for bat removal to be complete.
But that doesn’t mean you need to remain defenseless against bats. There are ways to get along while waiting for your puppy to be old enough to leave the roost. “If a professional finds a bat in your attic or elsewhere, they can usually help you cordon off areas of your home where the bats are nesting, so they can’t enter areas of your home where you and your family spend time until your newborn is old enough to exit through a one-way exclusion device on their own,” Burkhart says.
Seal the entry point
Once the bats are gone, it’s best to seal the entry point to prevent them from entering again. This can be done using caulk, mesh, flash or foam sealant.
Seal entry points only when you are sure the bats are gone. If bats are left indoors, they will either die or find another entrance into the house, such as through a vent (as was the case in my house).
DIY bat repellent
“Typically, the effectiveness of repellents is questionable,” Burkhardt says. “Bats often get used to DIY repellents quickly and ignore them.” Bats are adaptable, so don’t expect too much from DIY methods.
Some of the most common DIY bat deterrents include:
- Bright lights and loud noises: Bats don’t like bright lights or loud noises, but if bats are already in your home, this method won’t completely remove them from your home.
- Strong odor like peppermint oil: Bats don’t like strong odors, so peppermint oil is often recommended as a repellent, but it is not thought to be effective. “With DIY odor deterrents, the odor disappears quickly and must be reapplied regularly,” says Burkhardt. Moreover, bats just get used to it.
Professional bat removal strategies
“A professional will thoroughly inspect the home to ensure that all issues have been taken care of,” Burkhardt says. Once we have determined the extent of your bat problem, our wildlife removal experts will develop a strategy for successful removal. This often includes:
- Iinspection: The first step in bat removal is to conduct a complete investigation to determine where the bats are, how many there are, how they got in, and what was introduced.
- Excluded devices: One-way cones or entry devices are used at all entry and exit points so bats can leave but cannot return.
- Sealing: Once all bats have been safely removed, our experts will seal off the entrance to prevent the bats from returning.
- Disinfection and cleaning: Guano will be cleaned and spaces will be disinfected to prevent the spread of respiratory diseases such as histoplasmosis.
“A professional is best suited to determine the overall scale of the problem and implement a bespoke removal or exclusion plan for your home,” Burkhart adds.
How to keep bats from coming back
Physical removal is the most effective way to prevent bat reintroduction. This includes sealing all cracks, crevices, and entry points with materials that will not degrade over time. Caulk, expanded foam, colanders, and mesh screens are the most common excluded materials.
But before using any extermination methods, you need to safely remove the bats, which is where a professional pest control company comes in.
Common mistakes when removing bats
Bats are difficult to get rid of and can make the infestation worse if not done correctly by homeowners. The most common mistakes homeowners make when getting rid of bats are:
- Entrances and exits are sealed too early, trapping bats indoors.
- Get rid of bats in the spring and summer, as the baby bats can become trapped indoors and starve to death.
- Rely on DIY methods or commercial bat repellents.
- Use flimsy or degradable sealants that allow bat reintroduction.
- Using poison to kill bats is illegal in most areas.
- Handling bats with bare hands and exposing them to disease.
“The biggest mistake is trying to deal with the situation on your own,” Burkhardt says. “The wisest and safest course is to have the bats and any other bats that may be in your home treated by a professional who can remove or eliminate them, and then inspect your home to identify entry points that other bats can use to get in and seal them off.”
Removing or killing bats yourself can result in fines and legal action in some states, but this is not true everywhere. Even if it is legal to remove bats yourself, it is not a good idea as you may be exposing yourself and your family to harmful diseases.
When to contact a pest control professional
If you suspect your home is home to bats, you should consult a professional. “If you notice unusual sounds or odors coming from your attic or other areas of your home, your safest bet is to hire a professional to conduct a thorough inspection of your home,” says Burkhardt.
Local or state laws may also require professional removal, especially if bats are protected. In this case, handling the bat yourself may result in fines and other legal action.
FAQ
What is the quickest way to get rid of bats?
The quickest way to get rid of bats and prevent them from coming back is to call a professional pest control company.
Can bats live inside walls?
Yes, bats can live inside walls. In fact, our bats lived inside the walls.
How long do bats stay in your house?
If a bat accidentally enters your home, it can live for up to five days before dying from dehydration or starvation. If a bat intentionally enters your home, has a clear path in and out, and establishes a roost, it may become a permanent home.
Will the bats leave on their own?
it depends. If a bat enters your home, you can keep it contained and open a window, and it will usually leave on its own. If a bat colony is established in your attic or wall, it is unlikely that they will leave.
What do bats hate the most?
Bats don’t like strong scents (such as peppermint), bright lights, or loud noises. Although bats may be deterred, it is unlikely that these techniques will eliminate them long-term.
