If you want to implement a practice to deter bats, putting up bright lights probably won't do the trick. It seems reasonable, as bats will avoid bright lights, but it often exacerbates the problem.
Bright Lights
It may confuse the bat or cause it to move to a different place in your home. A constant outdoor shining light will attract insects and provide a food source for bats, which could make them want to stay.
Because they have a sensitive nose, they are afraid of strong odors. Cinnamon, eucalyptus, cloves, mint, and peppermint are all repulsive to them. Loud noises might also frighten them away.
Will bats go into a room with lights on? Bats are primarily nocturnal creatures that prefer darkness. While some species may be less disturbed by light, it is generally uncommon for bats to willingly enter well-lit rooms.
Bats are nocturnal animals that have adapted to a life in darkness, partly to avoid predation during daylight hours from bird of prey species such as sparrowhawks. Therefore the artificial lighting of bat roosts, access points and foraging pathways can be extremely disturbing to bats and should be avoided.
Ultrasonic Repellers
These devices emit high-frequency sounds that are disturbing to bats but undetectable to humans. They are an effective bat repellent in areas like attics and basements.
Fact: Bats are afraid of people and avoid them. Bat echolocation is highly sophisticated and enables them to detect obstacles as fine as human hair, therefore easily avoiding your head. If a bat gets close to a human, it's usually because they are curious about insects that are naturally attracted to people.
The deterrent emitted continuous ultrasonic broadband noise at 20–100 kHz.
One of the best home remedies to get rid of bats from any part of the house is to use naphthalene balls or naphthalene spray. It can come to great use due to the strong smell which keeps the bats at bay. You just need to crush them and put them in water.
Hence, in order to limit the negative impact of light at night on bats, white and green light should be avoided in or close to natural habitat, but red lights may be used if illumination is needed.
Bats have few natural predators — disease is one of the biggest threats. Owls, hawks and snakes eat bats, but that's nothing compared to the millions of bats dying from white-nose syndrome.
One way to get rid of bats is to use a product called a one-way exit valve—a device that allows the bats to exit, but doesn't allow them to return. This type of device works by providing a small hole that bats can pass through, but won't come back out of.
Do bats come back to the same place? Some bats leave for the winter, but most hibernate in their nest. In April, these same bats return to their nesting places. If the bats have a nest in your home, they will return to the same spot, year after year.
Natural repellents like cinnamon, peppermint, and eucalyptus oils can deter bats due to their strong sense of smell. Apply these oils on potential entry points or use them as a spray around your property.
Adhesive sound insulation could be installed in the interior of the house, or lagging or cladding used to dampen the sound. Other solutions that have worked for roost owners in the past have included arranging furniture or installing cupboards to help dampen the sound on these walls.
It is unusual to see bats in the middle of the day, as they are more at risk of predation during daylight hours. However, if a bat is hungry (for example, a female bat with a baby to feed), thirsty (in a hot summer) or has been disturbed by human activity, it may take greater risks to feed.
The most basic method is to call for help. 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.
However, once bats have been physically excluded, permanently venting an area or adding a window may make a structure less attractive to bats in the future if new entry points develop. Ultrasonic devices are not effective in repelling bats.
They will not come out in the light unless they are really starving and they need to go out for food.
Will Bright lights keep bats away? Bats do avoid light, both artificial and natural, but that doesn't mean lights are going to help you eradicate a colony within your home. It takes great skill to remove a bat colony from an attic, for example, but it's a skill that we have mastered.
Bats hiss and make screeching sounds as a defense mechanism if they feel threatened.
You're right! Bats don't like light. Although they don't rely too much on their poor sight, they can see, and they prefer dark areas. This is why bats are notorious for roosting in caves.
Most small mammals have very short lives (often only 1 year), but bats are the exception and have relatively long lives. One study showed that bats live on average about 4 years, while another study showed bats may live about 16 years on average. The maximum lifespan reported for bats in the wild is more than 30 years.
But it turns out that these fuzzy fliers do have one weakness: super-smooth vertical surfaces. Bats find their way in the dark using echolocation—sending out sound waves and listening for their echo.