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How Can You Keep Bats Out of Your Attic? 

While bats often get a bad reputation, the fact is that they are an important part of our ecosystem, and they play a key role in pest control as they can eat up to 600 mosquitoes an hour. However, while bats are an important part of the local ecosystem, you do not want to find them living in your attic. Not only are bats a nuisance, but their droppings can pose a health hazard and can even compromise your home’s structural integrity. If you suspect that bats may be living in your attic, it is then understandable that you will want to find a way to evict them and keep them out for good. To help get you started, here is a look at how you can keep bats out of your attic. 

Inspect Your Home and Attic 

If you believe that there are bats in your attic, or you have seen bats in the area and you are worried that they could infiltrate your home, the first thing that you will need to do is inspect the exterior of your home and the interior of your attic for potential entry points bats could be using to access your home. Inspect the full exterior of your home including the roof, soffits, fascia, and air vents looking for holes, cracks, or spaces a bat could get through. Make sure to look for loose boards, torn screens, and broken vents as well. Make sure to fix any broken boards, vents, or screens, and fill any holes and cracks you find with caulk or expanding foam. Do not underestimate even small cracks and holes, as bats can squeeze through openings as small as 1/4 of an inch. You will need to inspect your home regularly for potential access points and seal them off if you want to keep bats out of your home for good.    

Install a One-Way System 

Of course, if bats are already living in your attic, just blocking off entrances into your home won’t be enough, as you will need to find a way to get the bats out as well. Killing the bats isn’t an option, as bats are a protected species in many jurisdictions. A simple way to remove bats from your attic is to allow them to leave naturally by installing a one-way system. These are devices you can place at the entrance point bats are using to enter your home that act as a one-way door that allows bats to leave your home and not return. Eventually, the bats in your attic will need to venture out for food, and while a one-way system will allow them to escape, it won’t allow them to return. Once all of the bats have left your attic, you can remove the system and seal off this final entry point.   

Clean Up After The Bats 

guano bat droppings close up

Once the bats are gone, and you have sealed off the entry points into your home, it is important that you take some time to clean up after the bats. You do not want to leave any bat droppings behind in your attic that could create an odor, spread disease, or cause structural damage. However, cleaning up after bats is no simple matter. Since bat droppings pose a health hazard, it is important that you protect yourself during the cleaning process by wearing a mask, gloves, and grungy clothes that you don’t mind throwing away. You can then clean any affected areas with a mixture of water and bleach followed by a good scrubbing with soap and water.    

Call a Professional    

If you suspect that there are bats in your attic, you may want to consider consulting a professional bat removal service. The fact is that removing bats from a home can be tricky, particularly since they may be hiding in places other than your attic. However, an experienced pest control service will know how to effectively and humanely remove these critters from your home. They also know all of the places bats like to hide, and places they most commonly enter homes, which can be helpful in ensuring you properly identify and seal all entry points into your home. Working with a professional is then the best way to ensure bats stay away from your home for good. 

If you have discovered bats in your attic, contact WNY Wildlife & Exclusion for assistance.  We will assess the situation and determine the best course of action. Call  today at (716) 203-1166. 

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