# Bats



## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Maybe they just flew in & then out.


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## u2slow (Feb 9, 2012)

My bats were gone any time I blocked out prime roosting areas... not a big deal

Sooo.. fix, or screen off your soffits.


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

I prefer to install bat boxes away from the house. They actually use them. We see them flying up and down the property nightly in rotation. They are consuming all the flying bugs like mosquitoes and gnats as they fly. It is a plus to have them on your property, but not so much in the house, I know.


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## wrangler (Oct 9, 2008)

Not sure about Canada, but here in the states you have to be careful about how you handle bats. Many are protected under federal law. I had a customer that had a huge bat colony nesting behind the freeze boards at the top of their brick veneer where it meets there wooden gables. Sealed all the gaps between the boards and brick except for the main entry/exit points (evidenced by the bat urine and guano stains on the brick beneath) and used window screen rolled into a cone placed there. For the next few nights at sundown he observed the bats leaving to feed from the cones, but the bats don't like to renter. Eventually, they stopped trying to come back, assuming they'd made a new home elsewhere, and those holes were sealed.


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## gkreamer (May 8, 2020)

chandler48 said:


> I prefer to install bat boxes away from the house. They actually use them. We see them flying up and down the property nightly in rotation. They are consuming all the flying bugs like mosquitoes and gnats as they fly. It is a plus to have them on your property, but not so much in the house, I know.


Apologies for the thread hijack, but do you have dogs and how large is your property?
I'd love to have bays eating mosquitoes and other bugs around my yard (just under a half acre) but I was worried about guano on/at the base of trees where the bat houses would be installed.


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

No problem. We do have dogs, but not sure how they would affect the bats. Our property is about 6 1/2 acres total. Long yard with fruit trees, blueberry bushes, muscadines leading from the house to my barn area. I mount my bat boxes on the side of the barn. It's old, so the stains are not an issue.


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## gkreamer (May 8, 2020)

I was worried about my dog getting into the guano and maybe getting sick. We pretty much have trees all over the yard, so the bat houses would be anywhere she'd be sniffing and doing her business.


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## DoomsDave (Dec 6, 2018)

@CanadianSal Nice to meet you!

I heartily agree with @chandler48 about how good bats are in many ways. Their appetite for airborne bugs is voracious.

They also carry rabies, and I think you're right to want them outside your house.

At the very least, I'd check different alternative ways to keep them out.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Before I would spend 3500 - I would do an inspection of you house (attic) for guano. 
If you don’t see any then it probably was a fluke. 
We had a bat house, but never had any bats. Our son built a nice bat house but it only attracted one lonely bat…he named him ‘Bruce Wayne’ and then he left so, he donated the house to his Church for a White Elephant Sale. bats are good, they eat all the pesty insects.
Think about getting a bat house, they would prefer a bat house over your house.


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## A. Danger Powers (Aug 13, 2021)

gkreamer said:


> I was worried about my dog getting into the guano and maybe getting sick. We pretty much have trees all over the yard, so the bat houses would be anywhere she'd be sniffing and doing her business.


Bat houses don't do well in trees. They are blocked by leaves. Best to have them on the sides of buildings or on poles in open areas. They should be on the south or east sides of buildings quite a ways up.

Unless you do huge houses or a ton of houses, I don't think the guano going to be any worse than mouse droppings already on the property. We have several dogs and it's never been an issue.

This bat conservation organization provides free plans for building bat houses. They are pretty easy. One our scout troops sells them in the spring as fundraiser so something like that might be a good option.








Bat Houses: An Educational Opportunity - Bat Conservation International


Amanda Lollar and her bat houses are educating an entire community . . . Six years ago, Amanda Lollar found…




www.batcon.org


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## gkreamer (May 8, 2020)

I appreciate that information @A. Danger Powers, thanks! While we do have a lot of trees, some are oaks 50'+ tall with no branches for the first 15'-20', so I was thinking about putting up 3 or 4 and will do so on the east or south side. I don't have any building other than my house so that's a no go. We had too many mosquitoes this year, and not from our property that I see- I try to make sure no standing water!


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## CanadianSal (Sep 29, 2019)

my understanding is that the bat houses do not guarantee that they will evacuate the attic.


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## A. Danger Powers (Aug 13, 2021)

CanadianSal said:


> my understanding is that the bat houses do not guarantee that they will evacuate the attic.


The bat houses will not get them out of your attic. It gives them someplace to roost for those that what them around the property.

If your attic is open, they'll move in there. The bat box is economy room and your attic is the penthouse.

You'll have to seal up your attic wall including securing vents. If it was only two bats, not sure you'd find much bat sign. That quote seems high but no idea how much actually needs to be closed up. It could be a bargain. I'd probably get another quote just to compare.

There's a local bat rescue non-profit out here that will come to your house and identify exactly what needs to be bat-proofed and remove any existing bats. Their cost is typically much less than an exterminator and they are motivated to never come back out to your property. If you are near an urban area, might be worth checking if you have something similar.


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## CanadianSal (Sep 29, 2019)

I am actually thinking of renting a boom and doing this myself. Smart?


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## A. Danger Powers (Aug 13, 2021)

You will get better opinions & feedback if you can provide some pics of the area involved...


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## CanadianSal (Sep 29, 2019)

A. Danger Powers said:


> You will get better opinions & feedback if you can provide some pics of the area involved...


Here are a few pics. I was made to understand that steel wool can be used to stuff the openings. Is that a good idea?


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Hey, we’re all about DIY here…Sounds like a good plan to stuff all the openings.

I found these two video on how to DIY - Bat exclusion.











Also, I did a quick Amazon search for the copper netting that the pro’s recommend.


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## A. Danger Powers (Aug 13, 2021)

CanadianSal said:


> Here are a few pics. I was made to understand that steel wool can be used to stuff the openings. Is that a good idea?


Definitely check out some more resources. You need to fill those crevices but also seal them. I would be concerned that steel wool would become more attractive nesting for insects. Plus steel wool will get damp and rust; I would be worried about rust streaks down the brick. Some backer rod & caulk/sealant would probably the easiest.


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