How To Get Rid of Bats

Although bats are not protected on a Federal level, they are considered to be beneficial to our ecosystem and should be treated humanely. Each state has its own regulations and special permits are required for professionals carrying out bat control.

Bats are known to carry a few diseases that may affect humans, like rabies and Histoplasmosis. Although cases of rabies are rare, it is important to know how to get rid of bats safely.

Bats in the House

Homeowners may find bats living on the external side of their home, under the eaves. In some cases, bats may gain access to the interior of your property via small openings in the soffit and inhabit a loft space.

Homes with a wood shake, terracotta or slate roof are often at greater risk as these types of roofs can offer numerous openings, which present the possibility of gaining entry.

Bats found inside or around your home could become very inconvenient to homeowners for a number of reasons:

• Bat droppings (guano) – a bat’s feces can carry a fungus known to cause Histoplasmosis and Cryptocacaous. You should avoid contact with the guano and do not inhale the air around it.
• Bad odor – bat urine emits a very strong and offensive odor, which could linger inside your home.
• Stains – bats can leave visible grease marks around the area they are inhabiting.
• Bat bugs – a bat roost can harbor other parasites such as the bat bug. Bat bugs can move into other living quarters of a home, and they can easily be confused with bed bugs. Although parasites may bite, they are unlikely to transmit any diseases.
• Ill or injured bats – avoid handling an injured bat as they are likely to try to bite you.

Unlike birds, bats rarely do any physical damage to a property as they do not make nests or chew/gnaw materials.

How To Get Rid of Bats Professionally

We advise homeowners to get rid of bats humanely and efficiently with the help of a licensed professional.

Ehrlich’s programs are designed to relocate bats and not harm them. Our service primarily involves funnelling to get bats out of a property and / or exclusion to keep them out.

Although homeowners can try to close openings where bats are gaining access, this is often difficult to do, as it can be hard to identify and reach the exact point of access. Homeowners may also not be aware of the importance of timing for bat control.

Bat Exclusion/ Funnelling Programs

Bat exclusion measures should not be started until late July/early August, by which time the young bats have begun to leave their roost with the adults to forage outside for insects.

If exclusion is begun too early in the season and traps bats inside a home, this can lead to more problems, including:

• Bats dying and creating an odor problem
• Female bats, which have flightless young trapped inside, will fly around the outside to find another way to gain access to their young.

Exclusion and funnelling is recommended to eliminate the presence of bats inside your home and to prohibit further access in the future.

• Funnelling includes the installation of a mesh webbed netting hung over primary openings, which will allow bats to exit a property but not to re-enter.
• This netting is usually left in place for up to 14days to ensure all the bats have left your home.
• After this time a permanent screening method will be used to block off the opening.
• Caulk and copper gauze are just some of the approved building materials used to provide permanent exclusion.

Bat Trapping

We only offer trapping if bats are visible and can be caught without harming them and be released again into the wild.

Call Ehrlich at for further advice on how to get rid of bats or to arrange a FREE pest inspection.