Do any readers have suggestions on removing bats from a roof? They are going in the soffits and fascia. I've talked to both a pest control agent (who scared me) and a bat expert (who told me I should be thrilled!).
Whatever you do, don't kill them! Put up a bat house somewhere outside of your home. Back of the garage? Tree far from the house? You'll have to ask the bat expert how to deter them from coming back into your attic, but if they have a bat house to go to, they should move. Nurseries may have bat houses; check with your local zoo about where to purchase one. Or go to Home Depot and get some lumber and a bat book from the book store and build a bat house. If you live anywhere near water and/or have mosquitos and other lovely little winged pests, you definitely want the bats around. Saves on pesticides, feeds the bats, keeps the natural balance going.
Christina
My brother once had a problem with bats in his home. They would set up housekeeping in his basement no matter what he did. He was informed by the exterminators that bats are a protected species and that it was illegal to kill them. I don't think he ever solved the problem, but thankfully he now lives elsewhere. Just wanted to warn!
Helpful Reader
Here is an interesting site about bat conservation that talks about bat exclusion methods.
I had bats in my classroom where I taught school. The people that came to 'move' them hung netting at the edge of the soffit. The bats could come out, but could not fly away. They just dropped toward the ground and then they could fly away, but not get back in.
Bats are VERY beneficial to your area. Each one will eat about 3000 mosquitos every night, and help pollinate the trees too. If they do contract rabies or other illness, they will die quickly. If you are sharing your living area with bats, be aware of them, if you see one on the ground do not pick it up, call a wildlife rescue group. In the evening, cover the area they are roosting with a tarp so they can't come back. Hopefully they will stay in your area to help keep it pest free! Get a book at the library about building a bat house to try and relocate them! Good luck!
Please visit us at www.squirrelevictor.com....We at Evictor Products have a product called the "Squirrel Evictor". It uses a high intensity strobe light that annoys their sensitive eyes and removes them from a residence safely and harmlessly.
Send them to me. I live in the desert and we have very few bats, if any. They were practically giving away bat houses at Home Depot and I got the last 2. Some lady said "oh my gosh, ick, bats?" I said, "you bet." I hung both on the east side of my house, near the roof, and for 10 years have waited to find some bat drippings. No such luck. Bats are great for eating any and all kinds of bugs in your yard, including cockroaches, red ants, spiders and anything that flys.
Try hanging cd suspended down, this stops the bats. Also, use hose to remove them from area during the day, this will stop them coming back if done for a couple of days.
