Bats In My House!

[stovebolts]

Most small bats only need an opening as small as a dime or quarter and they can squeeze in.

It's good you got sealed what you could, but they are definitely coming in from somewhere. The chimney is a possibility. Generally gaps in siding and attics in houses is to blame. I had a friend many years ago that could hear about a hundred of them or so chattering in one wall on the side of her home. They would fly out a gap in the siding at dusk. I remember standing there watching them all with her. It's a bit difficult when it's inside your home they are flying out of.

It can be dangerous because bat droppings/guano is toxic and you don't want that in your walls, it can make you sick. Have those areas they have roosted cleaned if possible. Also, another concern is a bite and while the chance of being bitten by a bat is low, they are still able to get rabies.

I hope you can continue to find a solution to keep them out of your home. There are many places that bats can crawl and sneak into. When in doubt, observe different points of your home at dusk and see if you can spot where they fly out of. It may take persistence every evening, but keep at it.

I’m pretty sure I have them isolated in the soffit…. They’ve been living in this attic for well over a hundred years. I heard they can smell their home. I can win little battles, but I don’t think I can win the war. I was watching them come out of the soffit the past few nights….

 

[WIP]

I’m pretty sure I have them isolated in the soffit…. They’ve been living in this attic for well over a hundred years. I heard they can smell their home. I can win little battles, but I don’t think I can win the war. I was watching them come out of the soffit the past few nights….

After they have left for the evening, it is a good time to close the access point. They'll find another place to roost.

 

[WIP]

Also, another concern is a bite and while the chance of being bitten by a bat is low, they are still able to get rabies.

While most known cases of rabies can be traced back to contact with bats, the chance of infection is extremely rare. Rabies in humans on average each year is one or two cases from all sources. According to the CDC, during the 10-year period from 1997-2006 there were 19 total known cases of rabies infections in humans with 17 of them traced back to bats.

 

[Luminous_Rose]

While most known cases of rabies can be traced back to contact with bats, the chance of infection is extremely rare. Rabies in humans on average each year is one or two cases from all sources. According to the CDC, during the 10-year period from 1997-2006 there were 19 total known cases of rabies infections in humans with 17 of them traced back to bats.

Yes, it's rare - but can happen.

 

[Luminous_Rose]

I’m pretty sure I have them isolated in the soffit…. They’ve been living in this attic for well over a hundred years. I heard they can smell their home. I can win little battles, but I don’t think I can win the war. I was watching them come out of the soffit the past few nights….

Yeah, they are sure hard to get rid of once they settle once or twice.

We have a bunch of bats that seasonally live in a palm tree down the street. There will be like 100+ bats hiding in them. They fly out at dusk, but hey, no mosquito problem :D

 

[WIP]

Yes, it's rare - but can happen.

Same could be said with regard to dogs, mice, rats, etc. People have it in mind that bats are common carriers of rabies and so they fear them and try to kill them but the truth is, rabies is a very rare condition.

 

[WIP]

Yeah, they are sure hard to get rid of once they settle once or twice.

We have a bunch of bats that seasonally live in a palm tree down the street. There will be like 100+ bats hiding in them. They fly out at dusk, but hey, no mosquito problem :biggrin

I have not done it but from what I've read, bats really do not like to roost in homes. There is too much activity during the day and they are not very comfortable with that. One way they say to encourage them to vacate an attic is to provide a more suitable roosting place for them and they'll move. There are plans online for bat houses that show how to build them and where to place them.

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

Well there is always " Snake in the kitchen ! " seems to get my wife excited when that happens .

Would be enough to get me to run out of the neighborhood. :erm (And no just in case anybody's wondering I don't speak parsletongue lol besides I'm a Hufflepuff not a Slytherin. :wink)

Bats are a bit creepy.

Snakes are worse though.

 

[daninthelionsden]

Years ago a brown bat pup got into my apartment.
I walked to the sliding doors that opened onto the balcony and opened them. Held the sheer curtain back and little one flew away.

Bats have a sense of home once they've established their colony. Hard to say where your little guy gained access.
Maybe look near the foundation of your home.

It's always a good idea to have a shield or cover over the top of your chimney. Birds can nest in spring and this can cause issues later.
Plus it protects from anything else falling in.

The thing about a large colony is the bat guano that accumulates.

Unless of course one wants to collect it to sell to high end cosmetic companies for their eyeliner and mascara production, it can cause serious issues in the home.

There's a YouTube video that tells you how to find out how bats are getting into your home.

So when a woman bats her eyes at you take it literally?

 

[daninthelionsden]

Same could be said with regard to dogs, mice, rats, etc. People have it in mind that bats are common carriers of rabies and so they fear them and try to kill them but the truth is, rabies is a very rare condition.

For rats/mice the big danger is hentavirus.

 

[Luminous_Rose]

I have not done it but from what I've read, bats really do not like to roost in homes. There is too much activity during the day and they are not very comfortable with that. One way they say to encourage them to vacate an attic is to provide a more suitable roosting place for them and they'll move. There are plans online for bat houses that show how to build them and where to place them.

In our state we have had several bat problems with bats roosting in homes. They do it an awful lot here to not appreciate it :P

 

[WIP]

Had another visitor today. This morning when I woke up I was still lying in bed when I heard the sound of wings and then saw a bat flying around the bedroom. I lost sight of it and shortly afterward heard sounds that suggested it was crawling on the wall or something. Using my phone for a light I tried to find it but couldn't. A couple hours later, I went back upstairs with a better flashlight and finally found it roosting behind one of our dressers. It's still there. I called a pest control and one suggestion was that we could try to tip the dresser away from the wall enough that I could drape a towel over it and perhaps capture it and then let it go outside. I have to wait for my wife to get home to help me with that. Just in case it gets spooked I plan to close the bedroom door and open the window screen so it can fly out on its own....hopefully.

This is the fifth one we've had in the house this year so they figure we have a pretty good issue and it will likely get worse as the population grows. They gave me an estimate to bat proof our house. That involves them crawling all over the outside of our house and sealing any openings larger than 3/8" x 1/2" and locating the most likely entry points and putting on a one-way screen. That way what's in the house can still get out but they would not be able to get back in. They estimated $1,000.00 - $1,500.00 with a 2-year guarantee. It's a lot of money but maybe worth it if they are going to be a real problem.

 

[Hopeful]

Had another visitor today. This morning when I woke up I was still lying in bed when I heard the sound of wings and then saw a bat flying around the bedroom. I lost sight of it and shortly afterward heard sounds that suggested it was crawling on the wall or something. Using my phone for a light I tried to find it but couldn't. A couple hours later, I went back upstairs with a better flashlight and finally found it roosting behind one of our dressers. It's still there. I called a pest control and one suggestion was that we could try to tip the dresser away from the wall enough that I could drape a towel over it and perhaps capture it and then let it go outside. I have to wait for my wife to get home to help me with that. Just in case it gets spooked I plan to close the bedroom door and open the window screen so it can fly out on its own....hopefully.

This is the fifth one we've had in the house this year so they figure we have a pretty good issue and it will likely get worse as the population grows. They gave me an estimate to bat proof our house. That involves them crawling all over the outside of our house and sealing any openings larger than 3/8" x 1/2" and locating the most likely entry points and putting on a one-way screen. That way what's in the house can still get out but they would not be able to get back in. They estimated $1,000.00 - $1,500.00 with a 2-year guarantee. It's a lot of money but maybe worth it if they are going to be a real problem.

Any way you can do it yourself?
I like the idea of a one way outlet.
Sounds like a good price.

 

[WIP]

Any way you can do it yourself?
I like the idea of a one way outlet.
Sounds like a good price.

Knowing what to look for is where they have experience. I might find some but not likely all of them.

 

[WIP]

We got the bat out of our house without handling it. About 9:00 last evening, I checked and it was still roosting on the back of our dresser. With darkness approaching I figured it would be waking up soon so I opened a window and screen and then closed the bedroom door to trap it in the room and watched from outside to see when it left. I took longer than anticipated but I had left the light on so I could see into the room from outside as it circled the room for about 1/2 hour before it finally found the open window. In past experience, it usually only takes about three or four trips around a room for them to leave. I'm guessing it was a juvenile so less experienced.