Bats are stubborn animals. The bats will not leave their roost unless they are kicked out. Getting rid of bats safely and humanely is possible. Bats are federally protected animals. Since bats are on the endangered species list, removing them carefully and humanely should be of utmost priority. There are a couple “Dos” and “Do Not’s” when trying to get rid of bats in your house safely and humanely.
To begin with, chemicals should NEVER be used to try and defer or remove bats from your home. Chemicals can kill bats, which is illegal. So, do not go throw a handful of mothballs up into the attic. Not only is it illegal, but it is also dangerous for your health. Mothballs do not get rid of bats, but the toxic vapors it will emit is hazardous for humans to breathe. Even though the bats are entering into the attic area does not mean they will be visibly hanging out. Bats will burrow behind the insulation to live in the walls of the home. The only way to get rid of the bats safely and humanely is to call professional bat removal experts.
Never try to seal your house up to keep the bats from getting back in—they’re in there all the time, day and night! You will end up sealing the bats inside, and they will either come into living quarter or die in the walls. Dead bats in walls is a nasty and expensive mess to clean. Finally, do not go and find your trusty tennis racket when you do have a bat loose in your home. Just go open windows and doors to help the bat find its way out or pick up the phone and call professionals.
Natural Bat Removal Methods. Do they work?
As already mentioned, chemicals cannot be used to get rid of bats. However, chemicals are not the only thing people use to try and get rid of bats themselves. Peppermint oil, dryer sheets, windchimes, leaving lights on, and noise machines are the most common. Peppermint oil does not work; it will not get rid of bats. Additionally, dryer sheets will do nothing to get rid of bats in your house. The noise from the windchimes will not drive the bats out, nor will it spook them enough to leave. Bats do not easily or willingly leave their roost. Leaving lights on because bats are nocturnal will also do nothing. Bats can wake up during the day; they choose not to.
The bats come into the house after a long night of feeding and sleep the day away! Bats are nocturnal because that is when insects are out flying, and there are not human interferences. Leaving the lights on will not get rid of the bats, but it will make your electricity bill go up! The ultrasonic noise machines are becoming more popular as a do it yourself bat removal method. The ultrasonic noise is supposed to disrupt the bats because they use sound waves for echolocation. However, time and time again all of these natural bat removal methods have proven not to work. The physical or do it yourself bat removal methods are ineffective. The only way to get rid of bats safely and humanely is to call bat removal professionals.
Safe and Humane Bat Removal Process
How to get rid of bats in your house safely and humanely is a process. The way the whole process works is simple, but it can be a little time-consuming. First, bats enter the house around the roof line and gain access into the attic. From there, the bats will burrow behind the insulation in the attic and enter the wall cavities. The bats primarily live in that dark, safe wall area. Bat removal experts’ job is to find every primary and secondary bat entry point, seal those, but also give the bats a safe way to exit the structure. All the sealing should be done on the exterior of the home. Interior (attic area) bat proofing is only done depending on the type of roofing material and the condition of the house. Custom-made exclusion devices are one-way valves that give the bats a way to exit the home to safely.
The bats can re-enter the environment when they are excluded using this method. Once the bats fly through that valve, they will not be able to get back through into the home. Thus, when the bats fly out to feed at night, they leave home and become locked out, unable to return to your home. Once the bats realize they can no longer enter back into the structure, they fly off to find a new roost. The “catch” to bat removal is the bats leave on their own with their feeding cycle. Bat removal experts cannot speed up the process. Which means depending on the colony size and weather conditions, it may take some time for the bats to leave altogether. Bat removal experts cannot make them move any faster than nature allows.
Product Quality
When looking for professional bat removal services, ask as many questions as you can. Make sure the service you are getting is the best, safest, and most effective method for the bats and your house. Most companies use spray foam or plastic devices they have ordered offline. Lower quality products like this can alter the exterior appearance of the home. The plastic devices ordered online are gaudy and do not fit on the houses that well. No bat infestation is the same, so why try to treat it the same? Instead of having unsightly yellow foam and obnoxious white cones sticking off your house, technicians should use galvanized steel mesh to form a relatively small valve device to install on your home. That mesh valve device allows the bats to leave the house, but the bats cannot re-enter once they fly out.
The custom-made devices are much less noticeable to the naked eye and keep your home looking aesthetically pleasing. These custom exclusion devices have proven to be 100% effective. Not only do they work, but they are also the safest for the bats.
Conclusion
So, can bats be removed safely and humanely? Yes, but only professional bat removal experts are capable of getting rid of the bats. Is it easy to get rid of bats? No. Bats are incredibly stubborn. Once the bats move in and make themselves at home, they will need to be kicked out. The bats will never willingly leave their safe roost. Is it worth trying natural bat removal methods? No. If the process is not dangerous or illegal to use on bats, it is ineffective. There is no cheap and easy solution to getting rid of bats. Do not waste time and money on products that have been proven not to work. Hiring a professional is the only way to ensure the bat removal is done safely and correctly.
Getting rid of bats in your house takes time, and you cannot rush. Since the bats are federally protected, we must get the bats out safely. The only people capable of getting rid of bats safely and humanely are professionals.