More "Questions on Bats"

[BelleL]

I recently posted a thread about the bats living in the roof of my house.
"Questions on Bats"
Many people said it was nothing to worry about and some said to build a bat house. I thought I should explain that there are about 200 bats living in the roof of my house. My house is over 100 years old and who knows how long bats have used the roof as there home.
I was worried when one got into our house and was just lying in the kitchen floor. As if it hadsomething wrong with it.
I won't kill them and would like for them to find a home on our property but not near our house.
Any advice?
Belle

[rambler]

I see the other thread, but didn't read any of it......

I understand your concern. Aside from everything else, they can be just yuky in a house. Along with the doodoo that piles up.....

Here in my state they harbor rabies. Their bites are very difficult to notice on small children. Just had a series of news reports on that happening to families around here. Not something you want in the house with you....

But - bats are protected. You can't just kill them out I guess.

And, like me, like you, don't want to really destroy them. Just want them out of the house. They can have the rest of the world around you or me - but stay out of the house! Right?

They crawl into any tiny little crack, so very hard to block out.

No one, none of the do-gooders, seem to come up with a solution.

Wish I had better news. All I can figure out - the do-gooders want you to move out of your house & let the bats live there.

(I'm not refering to anyone on this site - I didn't read the other thread at all. I'm refering to the news & government & tree-hugger people locally that I keep running into on this topic....)

--->Paul

[mrglock27]

You could build a bathouse and hang it on the side of your house, that way they wouldnt be filling your attic with feces. They are easy to make, and there are designs all over the web. Fill the cracks in your house with expanding foam at night after they all fly out to go bug hunting, when they come back hopefully they will use the bat house since they wont be able to get into your attic. Collect to bat poop under the bat house for your garden. You could hang the bathouse from a tree too away from the house and hope they find it.

[DixyDoodle]

GAHHHH! 200 bats!? A few bats are good to have around the property, although not necessarily in your house....but 200! EEEK! I would call an exterminator! Let a few escape if you will, but that is definitely a health hazard.

If it's easy to see where they're coming in, block access. You might have a ton of bats flying around for a couple of nights though, as they try to get back in. They will move along eventually. I would ask an exterminator for advice, also, though. You may need someone to haul away the poop and fumigate the attic; that's an awesome amount to allow to sit in your house to ferment and whatnot. I would be worried about not only rabies and other disease, but fleas.

[pixelphotograph]

you need to contact your local department of natural resources. These people are the game wardens. They should know how to help you if they don't they will know someone who can.
There are professional animal removers who remove animals from property's. They have to be licensed in your state and should have a dnr department of natural resources number.
They can at least remove the bats from the house. that is important bat poop contains a large amount of ammonia and you could be breathing that in without knowing it as it soaks into your walls or ceiling up above.
Once removed you need to find out how they are getting in and close it off. once your house is sealed good then you could put up the new bat houses so they still have a place to live but not INSIDE your house like they have become a custom to.
I like bats too and want them around because of all the bugs they eat but I would not tolerate them inside my house.

[chas]

I tried the moth balls and that does not work .Next I tried the stainless pans of amonia,that does not work.Then the comercial bat repelent,we couldn't take the smell and it looked like we might leave first!
We put a new roof on in place of the slate,didn't help!
Now I am filling holes and crevices with foam and silicone caulk as I see where they come out at night.Sofat and facia is starting to do the trick as I find time to put it up.Behind the outside chimney is the last place to seal as they hopefully get shut out of the eaves and attic.
Boy do they holler and squeal as they find old escape routes are shut off!!
I'm getting close,it has been a three year battle and by summers end I hope to win .
And I have six bat houses on poles, on the barn, and a shed and spread bat guano on,in, and under them and all but took out adds in the local paper advertizing for tenants. Not one has taken up residence in the five years they've been up .
Lotsa luck
Chas

[OkieDavid]

Well, I thought I pretty much laid out a plan for you in the other thread but I guess not...... Good luck in your search.

David

[BelleL]

Originally Posted by mrglock27

You could build a bathouse and hang it on the side of your house, that way they wouldnt be filling your attic with feces. They are easy to make, and there are designs all over the web. Fill the cracks in your house with expanding foam at night after they all fly out to go bug hunting, when they come back hopefully they will use the bat house since they wont be able to get into your attic. Collect to bat poop under the bat house for your garden. You could hang the bathouse from a tree too away from the house and hope they find it.

Thank you for the advice but, I am not really sure where the bats are getting into my house and if I do find the hole to close up I am worried about the babies up in the roof. I don't think that one bathouse would be enough for the amount of bats I have.
I think they are everywhere in the whole house roof.
Thank you for your advice,
Belle

[BelleL]

Originally Posted by pixelphotograph

you need to contact your local department of natural resources. These people are the game wardens. They should know how to help you if they don't they will know someone who can.
There are professional animal removers who remove animals from property's. They have to be licensed in your state and should have a dnr department of natural resources number.
They can at least remove the bats from the house. that is important bat poop contains a large amount of ammonia and you could be breathing that in without knowing it as it soaks into your walls or ceiling up above.
Once removed you need to find out how they are getting in and close it off. once your house is sealed good then you could put up the new bat houses so they still have a place to live but not INSIDE your house like they have become a custom to.
I like bats too and want them around because of all the bugs they eat but I would not tolerate them inside my house.

Thank you! I think I will give them a call to see if they can help with my problem.
There are so many places in my house where they could get in. My house is really old.
Belle

[pinfeather]

I read an article in Backwoods Home Magazine a long time ago about getting rid of bats.

It said to plug up all holes and accesses to where they live except one. Put a 2' long piece of 2" PVC pipe into the hole. On the end of the PVC that is outside, duct tape a knee-hi stocking with the toe cut out.

When the bats try to get out, they'll crawl out the PVC pipe, through the knee-hi stocking and won't be able to get back in.

When you're sure all the bats are gone, remove the PVC and plug the hole.

They may be interested in a bat house in a more acceptible spot once they've been evicted.

[sidepasser]

I have this problem except that it is in my barn..and I called the Dept. of Nat. resources who said - tough..they are protected, nothing we can do..

I got really aggressive with them and shooed them out every single day..with a broom, didn't kill them but made life so danged miserable that they left. I used several things..

lights - they do NOT like light..random noise irritates them and they squeek but if they get used to it, they ignore it and sleep.

sealed up as many entry ways as I could, but who can seal the stall windows??? horse needs air..put mesh over that opening..

basically I had to mount a war..and I will be honest, every single spring, I have to remount that same war..bats have a homing instinct second to none..

one bat only has one baby a year..unfortunately that is not how you get so many, they call on the relatives to take up residence and in a week one bat becomes 10 which becomes 50, etc.

hanging strips of aluminium foil screws up their radar too..
they appear to dislike chemical smells - like ammonia..bleach, etc. and will vacate if you spray repeatedly (daily)..you can't just do it once or twice,
this is war -remember? And make it strong..use full strength..you don't want to kill them - you want them to leave and so make things about as uninviting as you can..turn off your outdoor yard light if you have one, it attracts bugs which attracts the bats..

Prof animal removers (I called three) said it was pretty much useless to try to relocate them..because they will just come back no matter if they are placed out of state. Zoos have plenty. Basically no one wants them as they prefer houses to bat houses, barns to bat houses, and their guano will ruin your house..by staining, smelling it up..etc.

I have bat houses, haven't had a single bat stay in one yet..and they were put in places exactly where the batty association told me to put them.

They are not "cute" - they are nasty, messy little creatures that serve a great purpose in the WILD..unfortunately if they are in your house..they aren't exactly living in the wild..and you can get sick from the droppings.

It's a war..get help, get a professional..you have let your problem get way, way out of hand. BTW - when I called the pros to remove mine, minimum charge was 200. per half day..but none were interested as they said, I would be calling them back within the week to remove them again.

I upped the ante on the war and saved the money..I figure if I can make my barn very undesirable to them the first week they show up in the spring, soon after the old generations die off, maybe the young ones will go elsewhere. I leave old trees that are hollow for them out in the woods, I have done everything short of beating them to death to persuade them to stay away.

But I don't have mosquitoes..lol..

[watcher]

I don't know if it would work or not but why not try setting up some bright lights and a radio in the attic?

That would be the next thing I'd try

Or maybe one of those ultrasonic 'bug chasers', they don't work for bugs but maybe for bats. . .

[BelleL]

Originally Posted by watcher

I don't know if it would work or not but why not try setting up some bright lights and a radio in the attic?

That would be the next thing I'd try

Or maybe one of those ultrasonic 'bug chasers', they don't work for bugs but maybe for bats. . .

I don'y have an attic. What is an ultrasonic bug chaser? Are they expensive?
Belle

[BelleL]

Originally Posted by pinfeather

I read an article in Backwoods Home Magazine a long time ago about getting rid of bats.

It said to plug up all holes and accesses to where they live except one. Put a 2' long piece of 2" PVC pipe into the hole. On the end of the PVC that is outside, duct tape a knee-hi stocking with the toe cut out.

When the bats try to get out, they'll crawl out the PVC pipe, through the knee-hi stocking and won't be able to get back in.

When you're sure all the bats are gone, remove the PVC and plug the hole.

They may be interested in a bat house in a more acceptible spot once they've been evicted.

Thank you that is the best idea I have heard!!!!! The only problem is I don't know all the places where they are getting in. But all the holes that I do know of I will try that. Wonderful idea!!!!!!
Belle

[Wolf mom]

Sounds like you need to get a long ladder & crawl all over your roof, under the eves, etc. Anything that looks like any kind of a sliver opening needs to be foamed or caulked. Not sure if it's an opening, caulk anyway.

No attic? OK, but there's at least a 6-12 inch drop between the underside of the roof & the ceiling. Caulk/foam along the edges of the ceiling. Think like a bat. If they're between the 1st & 2nd story, do the same.

I like the idea of the pvc/stocking pipe idea - I'd even drill a hole to set the pipe up if I couldn't find any openings.

Lot's a good ideas here....& your former thread.

[gobug]

A couple hundred bats in your roof is a lot. They are a community. To reach 200, it would take years. They are creatures of habit. So if your structure is old they may have been living there a long time, decades. That equals a lot of droppings. The droppings are one problem. It could harbor several different organisms that you don't want living in your structure. Another problem with that many bats is there will be several related groupings withing the roof structure. Some may have a different entry than others. Your structure may allow entry, but not motion within the roof void. In other words, there could be several families. If you don't see their entry during the day, get one or more of your family to join you when dusk approaches. Position yourselves so every edge of the roof structure can be seen. Nearly all of them exit at the same time. It is usually right as the sun is setting and darkness at hand. If bats got into your living space you need to decide if it was through a window, fireplace structure, or other holes in the structure. Close the potential entry points from the roof and the nighttime outdoors into your living space as soon as possible. 200 dead bats would smell bad, plus one reason you have so many bats is that your climate and space provides them with food. This suggests that if you can make it through the summer and fall that the bats will all migrate and you can close their entry points. They can get through tiny cracks, like 1/4 inch, and they like the soffets, fireplaces and wooden roof shingles. When they return next spring and find their former habitat is no longer open, they may consider a bat house (slim chance through my years of experience). If you have several entry points, you may need several bat houses. Hang them where you close the entries. Good luck. Gary

[Lynnette]

Just an FYI, my parents had a bat in their house and it was recently reported by the health department that there was an increase in rabies in the area. Dad killed the bat, sent it in for testing and it was positive for rabies. Anyone exposed, even though not bitten was to go in for a heavy dose of antibiotics - based on weight, 7 shots for Dad, 5 for Mom, followed by a series of vaccines. All in all, health insurance covered most, except for my sister who has no health insurance, for her it would have cost a few thousand dollars. Mom and Dad still had to pay a few hundred that the insurance would not cover.

[BelleL]

Originally Posted by gobug

A couple hundred bats in your roof is a lot. They are a community. To reach 200, it would take years. They are creatures of habit. So if your structure is old they may have been living there a long time, decades. That equals a lot of droppings. The droppings are one problem. It could harbor several different organisms that you don't want living in your structure. Another problem with that many bats is there will be several related groupings withing the roof structure. Some may have a different entry than others. Your structure may allow entry, but not motion within the roof void. In other words, there could be several families. If you don't see their entry during the day, get one or more of your family to join you when dusk approaches. Position yourselves so every edge of the roof structure can be seen. Nearly all of them exit at the same time. It is usually right as the sun is setting and darkness at hand. If bats got into your living space you need to decide if it was through a window, fireplace structure, or other holes in the structure. Close the potential entry points from the roof and the nighttime outdoors into your living space as soon as possible. 200 dead bats would smell bad, plus one reason you have so many bats is that your climate and space provides them with food. This suggests that if you can make it through the summer and fall that the bats will all migrate and you can close their entry points. They can get through tiny cracks, like 1/4 inch, and they like the soffets, fireplaces and wooden roof shingles. When they return next spring and find their former habitat is no longer open, they may consider a bat house (slim chance through my years of experience). If you have several entry points, you may need several bat houses. Hang them where you close the entries. Good luck. Gary

My mom took your advice. This evening, near sunset, my mom sat on our front porch and counted 30 bats come out of there holes. She quit counting after the bats started swooping around. Thanks for the great advice. Sounds like you really know your bats.
Belle