Bats are fascinating mammals with an incredible appetite and impressive flying skills. Bats are admirable, to say the least, but real estate and homeowners do not want these critters to live inside their properties. Bats will find access points to residential and commercial buildings where they feed, raise and nest their young. In general, they settle in dark and isolated areas, such as attics and sheds.
There are many signs that point towards an infestation of bats. If you hear squeaks and scratches in the night, coming from your house, this could mean that you have bats somewhere in your home. The most common way to discover bat colonies in homes is to spot them. Bats always move at night in order to eat, mostly on insects. They are hard to miss when they fly from their sleeping place.
If you find out that you have a bat colony in your home, it is important to act quickly. Bats nest and “use” where they dwell, causing large clutter, persistent odors, dirty dry stone walls, and torn insulation. The longer the bats live in the house, the worse the damage will be.
How to Keep Bats out of Your Home
- Inspecting Your Home for Holes
The first thing you should do is to inspect your home for any holes that could potentially serve as an entry point for bats. Most of the areas that need inspecting will be at least 8 feet off of the ground and pay particular attention to the roof edges. Fascia boards, loose tiles, vents, and chimneys are all likely locations for small, overlooked holes.
- Sealing The Roof
Any area that is off of the ground will naturally be an ideal haven for bats. For this reason, the roof is at a heightened risk for a bat infestation.
- Covering Chimneys and Vents
If you don’t have a 24/7 fire burning in your fireplace, the chimney is a great place for bats to find entry into your home. Chimney caps are an easy fix to prevent bats and other forms of wildlife from gaining entry into your home. While many people use wire mesh to seal holes, other wildlife like squirrels and mice can chew through the wire mesh. Galvanized steel is the best option for closing up openings around chimneys. It can also be used to prevent bat access to vents and gutters.
- Replacing Lights That Attract Bugs
Another preventative method for bats has to do less with reducing entry points but actually has to do with decreasing the number of bats. Lights are infamous for attracting a large number of bugs at night, which is the primary food source for bats. Swapping your outdoor light bulbs with yellow lights attracts fewer bugs, which will result in fewer bats.
- Contact a Professional
Bats carry a variety of diseases and also happen to be protected in many states, which is why they shouldn’t be allowed in the house. In order to prevent bats from getting into your home, your home will need an expert. Once you think there may be bats in your home, contact us and we will help you take the necessary steps to remove the bats and prevent them from ever returning.
- Act Fast!
If you want to prevent bats from ever getting into your home, we recommend that you give us a call before May 1st. After May 1st, and until the end of July, it is maternity season for bats. During maternity season, the female bats have babies, which cannot fly for a few months. If we remove a mother bat out of your home after she has given birth, then we will negatively impact the natural habits of the bats. If you want to act now and protect your home from bats, give us a call!
