# Bats in the attic



## Etrace0921 (Jan 15, 2012)

Well, we have bats in our attic. Not too sure how many. We have seen 2 adults, about 8 months apart. And we know there are bats (unknown amount) living there currently, as we have seen droppings accumulate. I have an old Victorian home with (I can only imagine) multiple ways of ingress/egress for them. 

They have not come into my living space...yet and we only use the attic for storage so we've developed the attitude "live and let live". I know we need to exclude them, though. Does any one have a suggestion as to how? What products and techniques are best? Do bat houses placed outside help by giving them an alternative habitat? If so, how do you build one and where is the optimal location to place it?

I will say, we have an affection for animals and the ecosystem. I'd love to not harm them and provide them with an alternative home. Plus, they help keep bug populations down. Any advice would help!

Thanks!


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

I would spend the time to find out how there getting in.
No screen or broken screen on a gable vent. loose or rotted siding or fasha board?


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

http://www.eparks.org/wildlife_protection/wildlife_facts/bats/bat_house.asp


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## Tom Struble (Dec 29, 2008)

they have probably been living in your home for some time now,probably multiple generations,getting them to leave on their own is not going to be easy

just for a start go up in your attic during the day,turn off any lights and look around,if you can see day light your looking at a potential entry point


professional pest control may be your best bet,make sure they don't kill them,just get them out and seal up the entry points

this may take awhile


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## Etrace0921 (Jan 15, 2012)

Thanks for the link! There are some obvious entry points, including a small opening in a roof vent screen where they could enter but the last thing I want to do, as I have been reading, is close that up and prevent them from getting out and thus making their way into my living chambers in search of food escape. Anyway, thanks for the advice and keep it coming!


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

All it takes is one loose piece of old siding for them to get in.
Just look at the sample plans I posted. Some have siding with spacers under the bottom to let them on.


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## Etrace0921 (Jan 15, 2012)

Tom, 

Have you had any experience with a pro? What is their usual method for getting the job done? Traps? Excluders?


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## Etrace0921 (Jan 15, 2012)

Also, what are your opinions on traps, or ultrasonic repellers?


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## Tom Struble (Dec 29, 2008)

the best time to start is at dusk,you can find out their main entrance by waiting and seeing where they come out,then is the time to close off the entry point,but the problem is there may be more than one

pro's will go in with nets,i don't recommend you do that,they also have anti roost chemicals that will discourage them


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## PAbugman (Jun 29, 2010)

The ultrasonic repellers don’t work at anything. The bat house will not relocate the bats. As long as your attic is appealing and accessible that’s where they will go. To not injure them you will need to wait for warmer weather before excluding them. What the bat pros do is to use a “man-lift”, or cherry picker to get them up high. Install flaps or somesuch to act as a one-way flap or valve so they can’t get back in. Then sealing, repairing takes place. This is expensive work. If you can’t get them out on your own you may need to hire a bat pro. The colony will just get larger to the point of danger. On the other hand, you might get on the show “Infested”! My apologies for the untimely humor. 

Tom’s advice about looking for daylight in the attic is good. I’ve done this many times to show the homeowner what they had up there. I don’t do bats, but I’ve been in plenty ofhouses that had bat issues. I’m not familiar with the anti-roost chemicals; would be good to learn of them. This will most likely be a multi-faceted approach. Keep us posted.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Call the Morton Arboretum in Lisle Illinois---ask for a naturalist---There is a 'bat rescue' group in this area that humainly removes bats --all volunteers--

The folks at the Morton Arboretum should have the name of that outfit---There might be another group like that in your area---The bat rescue people may have a name for you if there is one---


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## Etrace0921 (Jan 15, 2012)

Thanks so much!!! The weather is turning, and we are going to be painting our home this spring: a good opportunity to investigate modes of egress and ingress. I will probably consult this group from Lisle...I may even seek bids from bat excluders. If I can afford it, I will probably use them. If I can't...then wish me luck! Thanks again. I will keep you all updated!


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## md2lgyk (Jan 6, 2009)

I'm pretty much for "live and let live," but NOT for bats in my house - there's a huge rabies problem where I live. We had eight or ten of them in the attic of our log home while we were still building it. They got trapped when I put in the soffits, and came into the living space. A .410 shotgun and birdshot took care of the problem in a hurry.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

md2lgyk said:


> I'm pretty much for "live and let live," but NOT for bats in my house - there's a huge rabies problem where I live. We had eight or ten of them in the attic of our log home while we were still building it. They got trapped when I put in the soffits, and came into the living space. A .410 shotgun and birdshot took care of the problem in a hurry.



:laughing::laughing: You have style---and rabid bats are a serious problem in some areas.


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## md2lgyk (Jan 6, 2009)

oh'mike said:


> :laughing::laughing: You have style---and rabid bats are a serious problem in some areas.


Thanks. I first tried .22 shot shell in one of my pistols, but it mostly bounced off the logs. Wouldn't recommend my solution in a house with drywall.


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## matt harshman (Mar 8, 2012)

*got bats no problem i can help*

I formerly worked for a pest-control company for 8years who provided this line of work i will be more than glad to help you with anything on this issue.
1st the attitude live with them in your home is a bad one.
reasons

a) bats can and sometimes are found to be rabid although not at a high%

b)the more concerning issue. Bat Guano can be very dangerous to you and your family over time as bat guano dries out it becomes airborn and can seep into the living spaces of your homes threw the walls. The problem with this is that bat guano can cause hystoplasmosis (a fungus that can grow in bat guano).

the appropriate steps of action would be 

before anything you may want to check with the local department of agriculture bats are protected in some states thru certain times of the year for breeding purposes and you may not be allowed to mess with them with out a permit or waiting the time frame out.

placing a bat box will not fix a problem it may help prevent one but once the bats have set up shop they will not leave it. im not sure what state you live in but bats also migrate depending on the speceis and they will return the following season as birds do.

1st find the entrypoint. 
with bats this is usually around the area of the home yo see them hanging out around dusk, area of droppings or area of black greasy marks. It does not take a large hole for a bat to make entry into your attic.

please be advised that if you intend on entering your attic space to conduct such inspections to walk very carefully as most attics are not finished and have no floors so you can only walk on the joists. also wear a respirator or dust mask at a minimum and gloves like surgical gloves.

step 2 would be after you find the entry you need to ensure that the bats are not in the attic at the time you wish to seal the entry point. 

there are several ways to let bats out and not back in
1) you can purchase a bat cone or one way door
2 you can drape netting down over the entry point like 1/2" x 1/2" size netting draping aprroximatly 1ft over and 8 feet below the hole. this allows the bats out and they will navigate down behind the netting but can not find there way back in.

step 3 sealing the whole.
you need to seal the whole with plastic hardware cloth wood or something of the sort. do not use expandable foams the bats will chew right back thru it.

after these steps have been completed you need to clean the atticspace of the bat guano. remember gloves respirator or dustmask and be careful.

after this has been completed you may need to reinsulate some area's and use a cleaning soulution in the attic around area of guano such as wall boards and dry walls to break down the urinie. bat urine smells horrible btw.

after that you may place a bat box around the exterior some where they are not hard to construck and the instructions can be found online.

bats are a great benefit to have around as they consume tons of bugs
there the greenist solution to a mosquito problem.

if you have any other questions feel free to ask also i am in the process of working on a site for pest related help. i sell no products there just give advice on these and other pest issues. 

Thanks for your time and good luck to you.
matt


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Matt--That is a well done post--accurate and easy to understand---

However,you can't post a link to your site in your post---kind of breaks the rules---

Pros can add a link below the signature line --read the posting rules for pros--and welcome---Mike---


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## Thurman (Feb 9, 2009)

Some years ago my son bought a house built in 1921, this house had a huge attic. Not long after they had moved in there were noises coming from the attic and we discovered literally thousands of bats living up there. As previously stated, the bat guano caused quite a smell in the house also. There was an older gentleman who lived on this street and he told us that most of these older houses had bats at one time or the other. He had his way of getting rid of bats so we tried it and it worked. First: You do have to find every point of egress, each quarter sized hole will allow them to enter or leave. Then we decided which hole was the largest. We covered all but the largest hole with plastic hardware cloth, somewhat like 3/8" mesh, stapling it so the bats could not leave nor enter. This left the largest hole. We draped plastic hardware cloth over this hole as previously stated. This allowed the bats to leave the hole, drop down a bit, then take flight. But--returning was different--bats cannot fly back up under the mesh. They have to somewhat "ring" the entrance hole with a direct path. We would watch them leave this one hole at dusk, thousands (it seemed) would leave. When they returned they would just smash into the netting and be confused, then go find a new home they could gain entrance to. The bat problem was gone within a week or so and we sealed all the holes to prevent them from coming back.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Good info--this is the first I've heard of the 'bat flap' thank you Matt and Thurman---


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## Etrace0921 (Jan 15, 2012)

Very good information. My wife and I are getting ready to paint our home, and this will give us an opportunity to comb over the exterior and seal every mode of egress and ingress. A little confused on the description of the cloth over the hole. In my opinion, the bats are leaving and entering through a roof vent at the peak of our attic. Do I drape the cloth down from the vent on the inside of the attic? Do you have any pictures of this technique demonstrated? And what time of year is best to do this (pre-mating season, spring/fall)? We live in central IL. Thanks!


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