4 Steps For Proper Bat Removal In Your Home

The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension lists bats as one of the animals that is known to be a host of the rabies virus. Even though bats eat adults mosquitoes and are great pollinators for the environment around you, you don't want to take the chance of contracting a disease when the creatures decide to take up residence in your home. Instead, follow the four steps below to successfully evict the mammals so that they can continue to enjoy their lives in the great outdoors. 

Step 1: Investigate the Laws in Your State

The first step in bat removal is to find out what the laws are in your state. This plays an important role in how you are to eliminate the bats from your place of residence. New Jersey, for example, protects bats and does not allow homeowners to harm the mammals in any way. They require all citizens of the state to follow specific nuisance wildlife control guidelines. 

Step 2: Locate the Bats' Entry Point

Take a walk around the perimeter of your home and keep an eye on the group. When you spot guano, bat droppings, on the ground, you'll want to take a look up. Somewhere above you is where the bats are getting in to the home. PennState Extension reports that bats tend to enter attic spaces where there is loose screening, warped siding, or anywhere that flashing has pulled away from the house. If you still aren't sure where the critters are entering, the university recommends a stake out. Hop into your vehicle after the sun goes down and keep an eye out for the bats. Before long you should see where they are coming and going from. 

Step 3: Apply a Bat Eviction Tube to the Entry Point

Once you have identified the bat's point of entry, you can install a bat eviction tube over it. There are also bat eviction nets if you'd rather use them. Both work by keeping outdoor bats from getting in, while still allowing any indoor bats to get out. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension suggests leaving the eviction device in place for a period of one week when temperatures are warm and two weeks when temperatures are on the cooler side. 

Step 4: Seal Up the Entry Point

The final step of bat removal is to take out the eviction tube and completely seal up the entry point. Make sure you keep in mind that Bat Conservation International states that bats are capable of entering a hole as small as 3/4-inch in diameter. Use caulk or an expanding foam to fill in any small spaces that may be near or surrounding the entry point so that there is no way for the family of bats to return. 

For professional help, get in touch with a company such as Triangle Wildlife Removal & Pest Control Inc.