Bats in the House

EEK! BATS IN THE HOUSE! First of all, stay calm. They will not attack you. Second of all, you do need to get the bat out of your house. You have a few options. You can:
  • Open the doors and windows and hope it flies out.
  • Wait for it to land, then trap it under a cup, and slide paper under the cup, and bring it outside.
  • Wait for it to land, then gently trap and wrap it in a towel and bring it outside.
  • Catch it on the wing in a net.
  • Call a professional such as me to come get it.
However, it is important for you to find out HOW it got inside your home. Many people assume that the bat or bats somehow flew in through an open window or came in with the groceries or something, but more than 90% of the time, there are bats in the house because you have bats living permanently in your attic. The bats crawl all around, and sometimes they crawl down the walls, find an opening (they only need 3/8 inch) and then get into the house and can't find their way back out.

If you have bats in your home, I strongly suggest that you have a wildlife control professional come to your home to do an inspection of your house and attic. Bats in the attic is a serious matter, and if you get one in the house, you will eventually get more. We can take care of the problem permanently, without harming any of the bats. We are based in Orlando, FL. We operate 24/7, and strive for the highest level of customer service - we show up as scheduled, in clean truck and uniform, and we use the best equipment. We offer a full written guarantee on our work, and provide a full range of services for all of your bat control needs. We put a great deal of care and pride into our work, and make sure that the bat problem is gone for good.

For an explanation of bat removal from homes prices, click here: bat control prices.

DIY Tips for Bats
Bats are little flying mammals that are mainly seen at dusk and at night. Bats are usually small, a black/brown color and their wings are hairless. Bats use ultrasound waves to navigate in the dark of the night in forested areas. Their unique ultrasonic waves also keep them from running into one another and also help them to find small prey like flying insects. Many people have a fear of bats as they have been portrayed as carrying diseases and have long been associated with monsters that go bump in the night. While misconceptions about bats are prevalent and largely unfounded, they can create quite a disturbance to you, your family and your pets.

Bats usually keep to themselves, are relatively harmless and keep the local insect population down to a tolerable level. However, if bats have built their nests near or in your home, you know how annoying they can be and will undoubtedly want to get rid of them. Bats are loud, especially if there are a lot of them in a small space. Their ultra high squeaks that they make can be grating to your ears and keep you up at night. Bats also leave an inordinate amount of droppings under their nest which attracts bugs such as maggots, flies and beetles and can also contain diseases and parasites.

Bats can also create damage to the structure of your home, barn, etc. by chewing through walls and possibly electrical wires when making their nest. Most bats are not harmful, but for a curious pet or if by chance you get bitten, some bats do carry rabies. If you are having problems with bats in your house, try some of these do-it-yourself tips to get rid of them.

• Before you do anything to get rid of your bat population, you must call your local animal control and safety offices as bats are considered a vulnerable species. Sometimes these agencies will even remove the bats for you, but there is a chance that there is nothing you can do and you will just have to deal with the bats. For example, you absolutely cannot move them during fall winter or spring, and if you are unlucky enough to have a nursery nest move in, you probably won’t be able to move it at all.

• If you have done all the research and you are allowed to humanely remove the bats, you can try to exclude them out of the space that they are occupying. First, locate the nest by looking for droppings and the shells of dead insects; the nest will be right above it.

• After you find the hole that the bats are using as an entrance you will need to make a temporary plug (wire mesh) for the entrance. Once the bats have left to hunt for the night, put up the plug and secure it. The next evening, take down the wire mesh and let the stragglers out. Repeat this process for five to 10 days to make sure that all the bats are out. Once all the bats are out your can then patch up the hole permanently. Make sure to clean up the droppings and insects to let the bats know that they are not welcome.

• If you are having issues with bats living right outside your home, there are a variety of repellents that you can use. Some of these repellents include non-toxic chemical sprays from garden stores, but they rarely work and have to be reapplied constantly. However, you can try to hang sacks of mothballs in your trees and right outside the nest and this is supposed to work a little better.

To learn more about the bat removal process, read about removal of bats in the attic, or my comprehensive guide about how to get rid of bats. Or go back to the Orlando Florida bat removal home page.

All of the content and photos (even the background wallpaper) is by me, the owner of the Orlando Bat Control company. We are based in Orlando and service all of central Florida, and in fact the whole state of Florida, including Tampa and Miami. We operate in the towns of Winter Park, Lake Mary, Longwood, Deltona, Sanford, Conway, Doctor Phillips, Metro West, Kissimmee, and more. We do not perform bat extermination, nor are we a traditional bat pest control company.  If you have any questions about a bat problem in Florida, give us a call, and we can schedule an appointment to inspect the problem and get it taken care of.