Bat-proofing your house
Bats are pretty incredible creatures, but that doesn’t mean we should have to coexist with them.
No matter your personal feelings about bats, it’s probably safe to say that most would find it unpleasant to share a space with them. Sure, they do a lot for our gardens and other outdoor spaces, but those with attics or old construction may be susceptible to bats nesting inside their homes.
In addition to being unsettling, bats living in your home can also present health hazards to you and your family. Fortunately, there are several ways to help get bats out of your home and keep them away in the future without doing any harm to them.
Shop this article: Evergreen Natural Wooden Bat House, Outer Trails Two-Chamber Wooden Outdoor Bat House and Woodlink Audubon Light Brown Wooden Bat Shelter Model
What to know about bats
Regional
It’s important to note that many species of bats exist, even in the U.S. They can range significantly in size and behavior, so it’s important to note where you live and what kinds of bats are nearby. Then, you’ll be able to choose the right solution for the types of bats in the area, such as what size of bat house to get or what kinds of repellents might work best.
Endangered pollinators
Many bat species are endangered, so evacuating them from your home may not be as cut-and-dry as other types of pests. Also, bats are pollinators and eat thousands of insects every night, so they’re worth keeping around, just not in your house. There are many solutions that pest control experts use to vacate bats from homes that don’t harm the mammals while still getting them to nest somewhere other than your attic.
Main strategies for avoiding bats
Sealing entry points
The only surefire way to keep bats out of your home is to seal any entry points in ceilings, roofs, walls or other locations. Most pest-repellant professionals dealing with bats use copper mesh material or steel wool to seal up hard-to-fill holes. When sealing entry points, it’s also vital to ensure you’ve already helped any bats in your space escape, or else you could trap them inside your home.
Bat houses or boxes
It’s important to give bats a place to go while also sealing any entry points is key to keeping bats out. The most effective solution is to use bat houses, which encourage bats to relocate while providing them a new place to live outside your home. Bat houses, sometimes called bat boxes, usually offer enough space for several bats to nest in. It’s important to mount bat houses high off the ground and facing a direction that gets at least a few hours of sunlight per day.
Bat repellents
Those with bats actively in their homes will need to evict bats, which you can do in a few different ways. Some use natural bat repellents to create an environment that bats don’t want to stay in, using mint oils and other essential oils. You can also use moth balls to repel both bats and the insects they like to eat. Other tools such as bat exclusion cones can help bats exit without returning inside. Additionally, you can use ultrasonic auditory systems that make spaces unbearable for bats and their sensitive hearing.
Bat attractants
You can also use bat attractants to encourage bats to nest elsewhere. If there’s a nearby area outside of your home where bats can nest, you can spray bat attractants on them to help bats find and utilize the space. Additionally, bat attractants work great when used in tandem with bat houses, as they can bring bats to their new nests of your making.
Sound and light-based bat repellents
Other bat repellent options use things such as sound light to help make your home annoying or unbearable for bats. Ultrasonic bat repellents use frequencies of sounds that bats can’t stand to drive them away, and they do so at frequencies that humans and most other animals can’t hear at all. Some also use floodlights to drive insects and bats away, as bats are hunters that catch their prey in darkness.
What you need to keep the bats out of your home
Evergreen Natural Wooden Bat House
This simple bat house is a great affordable option that works well for most bat types. It’s made from pine and features grooved walls to invite bats in, especially when mounted up high.
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Outer Trails Two-Chamber Wooden Outdoor Bat House
This two-chamber bat house can fit up to 20 bats of smaller sizes, and it offers better airflow and moisture-repellent features than most others. You can buy this bat house in brown, black or a natural wood color with a bark finish that can help bats feel more comfortable around it.
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Woodlink Audubon Light Brown Wooden Bat Shelter Model
This is a high-quality bat shelter made from cedar, and it comes with everything you need to mount it right out of the box. You can buy this bat house in packs of one, two, three or four, and each one offers space for up to 20 bats of certain breeds.
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Uncle Dunkels Batnip Bat House Attractant
This attractant is ammonia-free and biodegradable. It encourages bats to go to a bat house rather than your own. It comes with four ounces of attractant at a great price point, and the seller offers a 60-day money-back guarantee for effectiveness.
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Donaldson Farms Bat House Attractant
This attractant is made in the U.S. and comes with two ounces of spray. Spraying this attractant on a bat house or a nearby area where bats can nest can prevent them from returning to your house.
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Wildlife Control Supplies Batcone II Reusable Bat Exclusion Cone
This bat cone is another one-way exit for bats that you can use to encourage them to leave your property, using a small enough hole on the exit side that they won’t want to re-enter. This is another tool often used by pest specialists.
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AWF Pro Copper Mesh Material For Blocking Entry Points
This copper mesh material is what many pest-removal specialists suggest for sealing entry points. This pack comes with three rolls of 20-foot, 4-inch wide copper mesh material, meant for use in sealing off gardens or household ceilings and walls.
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Oiyeefo Steel Wool For Filling Holes In Walls, Attics, Roofs
In addition to copper mesh, some professionals use steel wool for filling holes in the ceiling, walls or roof. You can purchase this pack with either two or four rolls of steel wool, each of which is 10 feet long.
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Bonide Bat Magic Four-Pack Of Bat Repellent Scent Packs
These scented bat repellent packs use only natural ingredients such as peppermint and spearmint oil. Each pack is rated for use in an area of up to 150 square feet, and can easily be set near entrances, in attics or even tacked to walls.
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Enoz 20-Ounce Bag Of Moth Balls With No Clinging Odor
Moth balls are made with naphthalene, which repels bats and the insects and bugs they eat. This is a great solution for helping bats exit your house before you seal off entrances to avoid letting them come back.
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Bird B Gone Clear Swallow And Bat Shield
While these swallow shields are designed for birds, they can also be useful for preventing bats from nesting. These work especially well in attics, awnings and other open overhangs, and they’re so thin and visually low-key they’re almost invisible.
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Briidea Ultrasonic Pet- And Human-Safe Bat Removal System
This ultrasonic bat repellent projects sounds inaudible to humans and house pets while driving bats away from the area. This unit features three separate modes and only requires a power outlet to run, covering spaces up to 7,000 square feet.
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CleanRTH Advanced Ultrasonic Bat Repelling System
This unit has dual speakers producing varying ultrasonic sounds to target bats and their strong sense of hearing. It comes with multiple modes and is also unable to be heard by humans or house pets.
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Amico Three-Head LED Security Lights With Motion Sensors
Motion-sensor lights around potential entry points are another way some keep bats out of your home. This particular unit comes in white, black and brown.
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Sengled A19 Motion Sensor Light Bulbs
If you already have a light fixture, you can upgrade outdoor lights to become motion-sensor lights with these bulbs. This is a pack of two motion-activated bulbs that can help deter bats as they prefer to hunt in darkness.
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