Bat Control

DrRod · Apr 6, 2009

Greetings,

The bat population is increasing around my cabin. OK - I know they're supposed to be beneficial, but they are swooping us as we sit on the porch and are getting into the house. I'd rather deal with a snake in the house than a bat so I'm looking for suggestions. Do those electronic devises work? Also, we don't leave the power on when we're not there so is there anything non-electric that might work?

Thank you for your thoughts.

Rod

mboulais · Apr 6, 2009

My experience is that the electronic things do not work. I didn't buy the most expensive ones, but they weren't cheap either. Keeping them out of the house was a never ending battle. I never won it, I moved (for other reasons). You might be in luck this year, apparently there is a fungus spreading that is harmful to the bat population.

http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0305-hance_bats.html

Egon · Apr 6, 2009

Fixing the holes in the house may help!

Iowachild · Apr 6, 2009

Put up a Bat House!

jinjimbob · Apr 7, 2009

Put up a bat house away from the house, they can migrate from the house to the new house. If the bats are eating all the insects and not actually living in your house's attic, then I don't see the problem.

daBear · Apr 7, 2009

We had a neighbor whose attic gables were not sealed with screen and bats got into the attic. They nested in the airspace between the outside brick and the sheeting on the stud walls. They had several thousand by the time the smell tipped them off. The EPA declared the house a toxic hazard and they had to move out while the sheetrock was torn from the inside out down to the brick on the outside. Fortunately insurance covered it but I understand Home Owners policies in this state are being re written to exclude this type of damage like termites are now. Be careful with bat damage this cost thousands and thousands of dollars and took several months to get done.

Travelover · Apr 7, 2009

The bats aren't swooping at you, they are latching onto mosquitoes and other bugs that are after you. Think of them as your own personal air force.

I agree, though,that you don't want them roosting in your house. Seal it up carefully and give them another place to go like a bat house placed in the sun.

DieselPower · Apr 8, 2009

Travelover said:
The bats aren't swooping at you, they are latching onto mosquitoes and other bugs that are after you. Think of them as your own personal air force.

I agree, though,that you don't want them roosting in your house. Seal it up carefully and give them another place to go like a bat house placed in the sun.

I like that and will have to remember that for future use, "Think of them as your own personal air force."

If you really don't want them send them my way. I have a couple of dozen bat box's on my property and would be happy to hang up a couple more if I thought I could get some more tenants.

Next time you get to the grocery store get a box of raisins. I flick them in the air and they come diving in for them. I can't say I have seen them drop one yet. They seem to enjoy them. They are entertaining little critters once you get to know them.

MrWoodChips · Apr 8, 2009

Travelover said:
The bats aren't swooping at you, they are latching onto mosquitoes and other bugs that are after you. Think of them as your own personal air force.

I agree, though,that you don't want them roosting in your house. Seal it up carefully and give them another place to go like a bat house placed in the sun.

I'm interested by your comment about in the sun. Is the best place for a bat house in the sun or in the shade? I would have thought that since bats are traditionally thought of as nesting in caves, that a sunny spot for a bat house might get uncomfortably hot. Or, would a bat happily take a toasty warm spot to snooze in if offered? Surely there are design principles involved that would suggest a high or low amount of convective air flow through the bat house.

John