Bat Netting
One of the best methods for bat extermination is to make a one-way device with netting.
In this method, you prepare nets or screen like meshes and fix them to cover the openings from where the bats exit.
The installation should be such that they should be able to leave their roosting areas naturally, but should be unable to get back inside.
Below is the discussion of bat netting method to eradicate them:
- Make a mesh with a lightweight flexible plastic netting that is 1/6th inch or smaller
- Cover the openings such that it is fixed only on the sides and the top.
- Ensure that the length of the mesh is as long as 18 to 24 inches from the point of lower edge of the opening.
- Repeat the similar kind of installation for all the openings you find.
- Wait until the area is free from all the bats. It might take around 5 to 7 days and sometimes more.
- Once you are sure that all of them have left, seal all the openings with wood or caulk or hardware cloth so that they will be away permanently from that area.
Contents
How to trap a bat
A bat unintentionally enters a house, generally after the dark. It generally happens when a window or door is open or they may fall through an opening of a chimney or any outlet on the exterior of the house.They appear big while flying, but even an opening of ½ cm diameter is enough for them to enter.
Here is the discussion of the procedure to get them out of the house:
- Close all the pets and kids in a room so that they do not wander and distract you while sending the bats out.
- Choose a room of your house that has big sized window or door to send the bat out.
- Guide all the bats to the chosen room so that you can send all of them at once.
- Apart from the chosen room, shut down the doors of all the other rooms.
- Now, turn of all the lights of the room in which the bats exist, except one light that is dim.
- Turn off fans and air conditioners so that the bats experience silence. This is because, bats use echolocation instead of sight to navigate.
- Block the entry to all parts of the house except the window or door through which you want to send the bats out. This can even be done by using any thin or flimsy sheet as the bat experiences the feel of a solid touch for even a flimsy sheet.
- Do all these in extreme silence. If needed, even two persons can handle the issue while trying to block the entrance.
- Now that the entry is blocked and there is no scope for the bat to fly much towards inward direction of the house, start narrowing its flight area and guide the way towards the opening that lets the bat out.
- If you need to hold the bat, ensure that you wear thick leather gloves instead of touching it directly. This is because, direct touch might threat you with disease as they might have rabies.
- If you enter up a scenario where you are holding the bat but have no chance to let it out, then cover it up with a container and insert a thin cardboard underneath the container while the bat is inside it.
- Now that the bat is resting on the cardboard, while being covered with a container, take it out of the house till you reach far outdoors, and let it out.
- Once the bat is out, close the window or door through which it went out. Turn on the lights and release all the pets and kids from the room.
Learn more about how to get rid of bats by various scenarios
Bat Nest
Bats neither build nests nor bring their food into nests. They go out for food and roost in their habitats.
Usually, their nesting areas include bridges, caves, dry trees, old buildings, cellars etc. All these places are generally where people do not have their habitat.
When attempting to settle in buildings, these mammals prefer to reside in crevices, wall cavities, and ridge tiles.
Sometimes, bats make nest in our living areas and we can know it by looking at their droppings.
These are different from those of mouse in the way that they are dark brown to black and are 4 to 8 mm long.
These are made of insect fragments and when pressed, it becomes a crumble or powder, while mouse droppings are hard and greasy to touch and does not crumble when pressed. Another significant identification mark for bats is the presence of little piles of beetle and moth wings.
1. When do bats roost in buildings?
Bats does not roost in a single place throughout the year. They have seasonal stay at different places. They arrive in April or May and leave in September in places like US. Generally, females give birth to babies during summers.
They have one baby per year, and during this period, they roost in buildings. All the females from different areas form a catchment area and deliver in these roosts. If any chemicals are used on these roosts to exclude the bats, the adverse impact on bat populated can be seen over few miles.
Once the pups learn to fly and feed themselves, the mother bats depart from the place during the end of September. During winters, they do roost in buildings but, can be seen in a very small count as they hibernate.
2. When do bats roost in wood?
Bats are wood creatures and roost mostly in dry wood. The settle in the small cracks, holes and gaps present in the wood. In places where there are bushes and dry wood, you can see lots of bugs and insects.
These insects cause the bats to find their nests in the wood. If these kind of roosts are just near your living surroundings then you can get rid of them by cutting the wood and cleaning the nearby garbage.
3. When do bats roost near standing waters?
Bats also roost near standing waters, that are not clean and are standing since long period. This causes lots of insects to settle there, thus leading the bats to find their habitat.
If your surroundings contain small ponds or wells, that contain standing waters then, you can cover the water body with a thin net so that the bats cannot access the water. This way you can get rid of bats in such scenarios.
Conclusion
Catching a bat is different in different scenarios. When you target a single one that enters you house accidentally, you need to follow steps targeting the only one that is inside your living place. But, when it comes to targeting on hundreds and thousands of bats that roost in a specific area then, you need to follow steps that can affect big numbers at a time.
Whatever the situation is, bats nest for a different purpose and disturbing their habitat without showing or guiding them a way is inhumane. Especially, you need to show mercy on pregnant bats during the summers.
Catch them when in very few number or send them off the habitat when in big numbers while being merciful to them in the way that you are sure that they can soon find a different and safe place to live.
