Safely evicting bats requires an ethical, step-by-step approach utilizing exclusion. Since bats are federally protected in many areas, you must wait until after baby "pup" season (late summer or fall). Never attempt an eviction during winter hibernation or spring maternity seasons.
Repellents to ward off bats
The use of repellents is a good way to keep them away from specific areas. Use of natural repellents such as lemon, lavender or peppermint essential oils. They should be applied in the areas where they nest or where they have been seen.
Bats are repelled by most foreign smells. The most effective scents to keep bats away are peppermint, eucalyptus, and citrus. However, experts say scents should only be used in conjunction with other bat control methods and not as a sole solution.
Your state department of natural resources may have a biologist willing to remove the bat for you. Another method is to let the bat find its own way out. Open as many windows and doors leading to the outside as possible. If it is evening, turn off indoor lights to help the bat navigate its way out.
For bats, this can only be done when pups are volant (flying). Exclusion should never be done during hibernation which is generally mid-October through early April (there is also no animal waste being produced during this time).
Keep Attics Well-Lit and Well-Ventilated
Bats prefer dark, quiet places, so making your attic less inviting can be a simple yet effective deterrent. Install bright lights inside your attic to discourage bats from roosting. They're nocturnal and dislike illuminated spaces.
WNS is the number one threat to bats, killing more than a million bats each year and causing mortality rates that approach 100% at some sites.
“Bats hate strong scents, bright lights, and high-frequency sounds that disrupt their environment.”
Use Light to Make Spaces Uncomfortable– Bats prefer dark, quiet places and will avoid areas with bright light. Placing a bright lamp or floodlight in the attic or suspected roosting spot can encourage them to leave on their own.
It is important to note that a bat in the bedroom scenario without known contact is generally considered low risk. Based on a study performed in Canada1, the incidence of human rabies due to a bat in the bedroom without recognized contact was 1 case per 2.7 billion person-years.
Ultrasonic Sounds. Ultrasonic devices are often used as a form of pest control against bats.
Histoplasmosis is a fungal disease contracted through airborne spores in bat droppings. Histoplasmosis symptoms may be anything from a mild influenza to blood abnormalities and fever, or even death. An eye condition has been linked to the bat disease histoplasmosis and can lead to blindness in those who contract it.
Sulfur-containing odors are highly volatile, meaning they evaporate easily and so can be detected from the air. New World nectar feeding bats like the Pallas's long-tongued bat (Glossophaga soricina) are innately attracted to this smell.
Answer: Bats can be difficult to remove from attics or wall voids. Because many regions have protections in place for these animals, bat removal methods must be humane and focus on guiding them to relocate to a more suitable environment.
Bats are largely nocturnal, meaning they are most active after sundown. Specifically, little brown bats emerge from their dark roosts two-to-three hours after dusk to feed. After feeding, they return to their roosts to sleep out the rest of the night and day hanging upside down.
Vinegar, for example, has a sharp odor that bats dislike. Mixing vinegar with water and a few drops of essential oil creates an easy-to-use repellent spray that can be applied to common roosting spots. When using sprays, focus on areas where bats are likely to settle, such as eaves, vents, or rafters.
Close interior doors and give the bat a way to get outside. The bat will tend to fly in a U-shaped path, flying higher near the walls and lower in the center of the room, so keep near a wall. If the bat doesn't exit on their own, it is best to wait until they land to try to catch them.
Whatever the time of year, bats can sneak in through an entry point as small as 3/8 of an inch wide. This includes gaps in your siding, roof or soffit, as well as chimneys and attic vents. And if they make themselves at home, there's no limit to how long they'll stay.
Natural and Chemical Bat Repellents
Oils such as peppermint, eucalyptus, and cinnamon have strong scents that bats dislike. Spraying these around potential entry points can serve as a natural bat repellent. Use formulated sprays and granules designed to repel bats around entryways and roosting areas.
Human hearing ranges from about 20 Hz (slightly lower than the lowest note on a bass guitar) to almost 20,000 Hz (or 20 kHz). Depending on the species, bat hearing ranges from around 700 Hz to around 200 kHz. Imagine a sound wave again.
Bats use hibernation to reduce their energy consumption during difficult, colder periods, when insect prey is limited. Generally, British bats will enter hibernation around early October; emerging anytime from March to late April and into May.
Collisions with wind turbines and white-nose syndrome are now the leading causes of reported MMEs in bats. Collectively, over half of all reported MMEs were of anthropogenic origin.
Bats, like any wild animal, can carry a number of different viruses and bacteria, some of which can cause illness in people. One of these diseases is rabies, which can be passed on to humans through a bat bite, scratch or contact with the bat's saliva.
As of 2021, twelve North American bat species, including two endangered species and one threatened species have been affected by WNS or exposed to the causative fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, with impacts varying widely.
That's because when bats die they fall upwards into the sky. Preschool teacher here: we just did the mandatory "kill bats together to learn that they fall upwards when dead," classic circle time I know, and I was surprised how many parents kept their kids home from it.