Frequently Asked Questions

Bats are active throughout the summer, but they’re most active during August and September. This is when the insect population is at its largest, and not coincidentally, when juvenile bats have just become mature enough to fly.

Nocturnal bats prefer roosting in sheltered areas during the daytime. If you have discovered bats under your porch or some other area where they’re not welcome, try putting aluminum foil or reflective metal flashing there. Bats hate the light those materials reflect – but it’s not a definitive solution.

Like mice, bats excel at squeezing through tight spaces. That’s why you want to seal off any crack or other opening in your home’s exterior that is over 1/4” in width. But you don’t want to overlook the larger openings! Chimney caps, window screens, and draft guards are all effective at preventing bat infestations. Bird netting is also effective.

You may also try spraying insecticide around your property to destroy the bats’ food source, as well as removing dead trees and covering your firewood pile – two other places bats prefer roosting in.

The bat is just as frightened during this situation as you are! Help the little creature understand where he ought to be going by opening your home’s doors and windows. Within about 15 minutes, the bat should sense the flow of fresh air and go outside on its own accord. But do be sure – if you find one bat inside your home, that may very well indicate that others are roosting there, too!

Bats typically don’t enter the basement directly. Instead, they find a higher-up roosting place, such as the attic, and then explore the network of wall cavities just like they would navigate a cave. The nocturnal animals are drawn to dark places like basements, but also roost in between walls, underneath eaves, and even inside of chimneys. Even though bats rarely enter basements directly, it’s still important to block cracks and other potential access points that bats may use once they have been excluded from the attic!

Most people seek bat removal when they hear clawing between their walls or have actually witnessed a bat inside their home. These very obvious signs of bat infestation disappear once the live bat exclusion process has concluded. Our experts can also discern when bats have permanently vacated the premises, so we can confirm when your home or business is officially bat-free!

Contrary to popular belief, a newly installed bat house will not persuade bats to leave a nearby attic which they have colonized. (They greatly prefer roosting in a heated space. Who wouldn’t?) That said, a bat house can prove highly beneficial once the live bat exclusion process has been completed. This will give local bats a more appealing alternative over trying to gain access to an attic that has been professionally sealed off to them.

As much as you don’t want them living in your house, you do want bats around. They are prolific hunters – a single little brown bat can eat up to 8,000 insects in a single night, many of which are mosquitoes! If that sounds like help you could use around your home, install a bat house about 12 to 20 feet off the ground and about 20 to 30 feet away from any obstacles including tree branches. Make sure the location of your new bat house gets six to eight hours of direct sunlight every day. (Painting it black will increase solar energy absorption.) Your bat house will ideally face southeast.

Interestingly enough, bat droppings are a very effective fertilizer and were once highly sought after! Unfortunately, your attic is unlikely to hold enough bats that you can start a lucrative side-business supplying fertilizer to farmers.

This is just as well. Bat droppings may breed a certain fungus called Histoplasma, the spores of which can become airborne, causing respiratory disease. Histoplasmosis is typically asymptomatic, although in serious cases it may cause blindness and even death. If your home has accumulated any amount of bat droppings then we strongly advise removing them and then thoroughly sanitizing and deodorizing the affected area.