Oh no, there are bats in my house, now what?
Nothing disrupts a great family meal more than a bat in the house. As upset as you might be about it, the bat is probably more concerned than you. You don’t want it there and it certainly doesn’t want to be there either. Besides, lasagna is not a meal bats crave. Unless, of course, it is made completely out of insects. In that case, I wouldn’t want to be in the house either.
We’ll discuss HOW to get that bat out of the house later in this post, but first, let’s find out how do bats get in your house in the first place.
Shelter, safety, and food … the three basic needs of most wildlife on the planet and that includes bats. Unfortunately, your home not only provides these resources for you, but also the bat.
On very rare occasions bats may mistakenly fly through open windows when hunting insects. This is not a major concern, especially if you keep the lights away from your front door, but it does suggest that there is a colony within the local area and that means your home is susceptible to future infestation.
Facia boards, eaves, under siding, vents, and soffits … anything with ¾” of space … is an opening to your home for bats. Bats love dark places and fascia board entry points provide that.
It’s not just Santa Claus that gains entry to your home via the chimney, bats and other critters use the chimney like an interstate freeway. Many chimney’s come with chimney caps to prevent this sort of thing, but they often get damaged by storms, hail, and tree limbs.
Baby bats are born in the early summer. They are very small and have little fur. When their mothers go out to feed in the evening the unsupervised babies sometimes go exploring inside the walls and attic and become lost, ending up in living areas, having fallen through small gaps inside the home.
Baby bats become mobile through late summer and your attic provides the perfect take-off and landing space for them to drop and fly.
What attracts bats to my house?
Q: What attracts bats to my house?
A: Insects! Bats love to eat insects.
Q: What do insects like at night?
A: Warmth!
Q: What provides warmth for insects?
A: Light!
Q: What do you see when you turn on the porch light at night?
A: Insects!
Q: What comes next?
A: Bats! Thus, the formula for attracting bats is a favorable environment for insects.
You can lower the wattage of your lights, meaning less heat, and thus fewer bugs, but you still need light in and around your house for safety. Consider moving the lights further out in the yard so a bat isn’t flying directly in front of your door when you open it.
Also, consider purchasing Sigma’s Quarterly Pest Control Service. This service provides year-round protection against all kids of insects thus lessening the overall existence of bugs to begin with. Without a healthy insect community to feed off, bats are less likely seek you out.
How do you get a bat OUT of the house?
The first thing you should do is contact a local professional. Bats are a protected species in many states. If you aren’t confident in handling the situation yourself, contact a local pest control specialist for help.
Additional tips:
- Wear the proper protective gear. Bats can carry disease. It is extremely important that you protect yourself from scratches and bites that the bat might inflict. Never use your bare hands. Wear thick gloves, clothing and even a mask to protect yourself.
- Keep calm. Avoid making loud noises or chasing the animal. Remove pets from the room, children, and any adults that might find this scenario a bit too much.
- Trap and release. There are several ways to trap and release a bat. Some involve approaching the bat with a box or container and trapping it in place. You can also close off rooms and windows, providing the bat with only ONE way to get out. We recommend calling a pest control professional.
Do bats come back to the same place?
In a word, YES! Bats are social creatures; they are mammals after all. They live in family groups called colonies, some of which can have a population of hundreds or even thousands of bats. They build their nests within easy flying distance of water.
Bats do not like cold winters. Some bats leave the cold for warmer locations, but most hibernate in their nest. Those that leave for the winter have a migration pattern very similar to that of birds. When October comes around, the colony fly’s south and return again in April.
More often than not, migrating bats will return to their nesting places. If the bats have a nest in your home, they will return to that nest year after year.
When are bats most active?
- March – April: bats leave hibernation and return to their summer areas.
- May – June: baby bats, Pups, are born.
- July – August: bat pups begin to fly with mothers.
- Sept – October: bats leave summer areas in search of warmer environment.
- Nov – February: hibernation period.
Bats are found in almost every habitat on Earth. There are over 1,000 species of bats worldwide, 45 of which reside in the continental U.S. Six bat species are on the endangered species list in North America, and are protected by federal and state laws.
Got Bats?
Bats are a protected species (find out more from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources). They are an asset to the environment. They are one of nature’s many pest-control resources. They mostly feed on flying insects like mosquitoes and moths, along with several insects that cause damage to crops. Got Bats? Call Sigma Pest Control – 540-947-4462. We know the rules. We know how to trap them. And we know how to protect our community from these pests.
Images provided by:
David Mark,
Heide Strauch,
Todd Cravens,
Eric Pedersen Torales,
Clement Falize
I really appreciate your tip that bats are most active from July-August when the baby bats can fly with the others. My sister has been hearing weird noises in her ceiling for a while and, yesterday, she said she saw a bat flying around! I have heard that bats can carry diseases so I really want to make sure I help my sister look for good pest control agencies who can help her quickly!