What is a bat repellent?
Bat Repellents have been used by numerous people who suffer the existence of bats.
These substances help in keeping the bats away. Some of them work to keep them out temporarily while some of them work to exclude them permanently.
Whichever bat deterrent you use, ensure that you make a humane approach rather than causing harm to the bats.
In some areas, it is illegal to harm the bats. Not all repellents are permitted legally.
Therefore, before you use a repellent, make sure that you do not take law in your hands.
Take the help of a professional if you cannot handle the issue. This article guides you with various repellents that can deter bats.
Contents
Natural Bat Repellent
Bat repellants are mainly used for excluding the bats. They are present in many varieties.
Some of them contain chemicals, while some of them make use of electronic devices. Even natural repellants are present that can exterminate bats without causing any harm to them.
Here is the list of some of the natural repellants that can help you in keeping the bats away:
- Green Tea
- Cinnamon
- Peppermint
- Coyote Urine
- Human Hair
The fragrance that comes out of all the above mentioned items will irritate the bats and discourage them to stay in their roosting places. Therefore, when you find bats settling in your house, place any one of the natural repellent that can exhibit strong fragrance which gives the bats, a feel of unpleasant.
The fragrance should be strong and non-toxic like eucalyptus, menthol or mint. These fragrances are harmless while annoying the bats, thus forcing them to exclude.
Now, you know what items can be termed as natural repellants, you can use them according to the availability in your house. Ensure that the fragrance lasts for long, while not causing any harm to the bats.
Bat repellent spray
When trying to exclude bats that stay in attic since longer periods, repellents that are placed in a single place will have no effect. Therefore, you need to spray the repellent in the area to be more effective. For this, you need to use a device that makes use of special sprays.
Some believe that spraying water can act as a repellant to exclude the bats. This is only a myth and the fact is that, once the water dries, the bats tend to come back. Water can only irritate and annoy bats but will not help you to exclude them.
Instead of using such ineffective sprays of water, it is suggested to spray liquid repellents like pest rid, 4 – the bird’s gel etc.Both of them are not poisonous and do not harm the mammals.
The repellents are available in crystal, gel and liquid forms and is made of natural ingredients. All the forms release fragrances and tastes that annoy bats to such an extent that they prefer to leave the place. They only play a role to create an environment that cannot be enjoyed by bats.
1. Method to use Pest Rid
Before you plan to spray pest rid, you should know the time. Usually, it is preferred to spray during late evenings or nights when most of the bats are out. You can also get Pest Rid, in the form of gel.
Method to spray the pest rid is as discussed below:
- Wait until late evening or night, when the bats go out for their food.
- Take the pest rid liquid and fill it in any standard sprayer.
- Spray one quarter of each component in every 125 square feet area.
- Wherever you have direct access to the entry points, you can use gels.
- Repeat the process every 30 days to ensure that the mammals do not return back.
2. Method to apply 4 – The Birds Gel
This repellent is available in calking tube and therefore, you need a calking gun to apply the same. Usually, you apply this substance on tree limbs, ledges and areas where these annoying mammals roost. This gel is very thick and sticky.
The mammals when get in contact with the gel, get adhered to the surface, thus getting annoyed every now and then. Thus, the bats get discouraged to continue staying in the place. Mostly, this repellent is preferred to be applied near the entry points and vents.
3. Method to apply 4 – The Birds Liquid
Unlike the gels, the liquid form of this repellant can be sprayed over areas that cannot be accessed. Certain entry points are positioned at places where you cannot access them. Therefore, in order to access such areas, fill in the liquid in a pump sprayer and apply over the areas where you cannot reach.
Electronic bat repellent
Electronic bat deterrents have special features to adjust the sound wave frequencies. The volume intensifies to such an extent that the bats just try to leave the place. The effect can be around 5000 square feet of area around the device.
The sound waves that emit out of the device vary constantly in several patterns before the bats get adjusted to a specific pattern. This annoys them and change their behavior.
Before you buy one, you need to consider how big the mammal crowd is and how distant are they from your living space. Based on these two factors, you need to start the devices and regularly monitor how effective the results are, for every 2 to 3 weeks.
If you find that the crowd is not diminishing, then adjust the frequency and volume to a different pattern. Keep a check regularly and make adjustments accordingly, till you find all of them away from the roosting area.
These sound waves emitted through these devices interfere with echolocation. This might sometimes result in leading an environment that is inhospitable to these animals.
Some of the most commonly used electronic bat repellents are:
1. Transonic Pro
You can get this device from a store that sells pest products. This is a device specially designed to deter bats and pests. The device is as light as 3 lbs. and has a compact design. You can operate the machine with battery power that ranges from 1000 to 50,000 HZ.
2. ET Pest Control
The device works to offer effective results by exhibiting sound waves at varied frequencies. Yu can plug the device into any household outlet, from where the sound waves reach the bats effectively.
Ultrasonic Bat Repellent
Ultrasonic bat deterrents are improved versions of electronic models. The basic theme of these devices is to exhibit sound waves that irritates bats, flies, pests and various other bugs.
But they different from electronic versions in the way that the sounds cannot be heard by humans or pets. Therefore, humans can be free from sounds while the insects, bugs and bats cannot.
The sounds made by these devices reachup to 30 feet height. Specialists say that the bats have a supersensitive hearing power.
However, there are no exact instances that can prove that these machines can help efficiently in excluding them without causing any harm to them.
Many success stories have been reported in using these devices. Nevertheless, you should make a complete investigation before you buy a specific product as some of them not only repel bats and insects, but also pets like cats and dogs.
1. Transonic PRO
Transonic PRO is one of the best examples of ultrasonic bat repellent that works to constantly change the array of sonic and ultrasonic signals to disrupt the bat habitat.
The device effectively works to disturb both their communication methods and sleep, thus annoying and discouraging them to continue staying in the place. The machine is affordable and approaching through this machine to exclude the bats in a humane way.
Other bat repellents as home remedy
1. Bat repellent moth balls
Naphthalene is one of the chemicals that is legally permitted to use on bats. This chemical is present in mothballs, which can be placed in, around and between the roosting areas. This way, you can make the environment to be unfavorable for the bats. However, there are negatives in using this substance.
Some of the cons of using moth balls is discussed below:
- When bats in contact with these balls, they can be triggered sensitivities of the substance.
- Once the balls dissolve, the odor also diminishes, thus inviting the bats back to their habitat.
- Even if you use 500 lbs. of moth balls, the results do not exclude the bats permanently.
- When placed in enclosed areas, even humans can get exposed to the odor and get annoyed.
- Pets or kids can get hold of the balls and play with them or intake them ignorantly, thus threatening a hazard for sickness. Sometimes, intake results in death.
Learn more about how to get rid of bats by various scenarios
2. Bright Lights
One of the best methods is to expose bright lights over the walls of roosting areas such that the lights reflect over the crowd. This makes the climate to be unfavorable for the bats to settle there.
The approach should be perfect in the way that you should first find the entry points. Fix the lights that emit bright lights that enter the entry points. You can also fix these lights in attics, shutters, chimneys and any areas where you find the bats nesting.
The fixing positions depend on the type of place. For instance, on attic, you need to fix the lights in all the corners. Therefore, you might need more than one.
3. Timing
You should know when the right time to send the bats off their roosting areas is. Usually, the months of June and July are their maternity period, during which you will find most of them to be too young to fly.
If you try to evacuate them during this period, they may die. Therefore, the right time to send them off is during the mid of August to mid of May. Since all the young ones will be big enough to fly during this period, it will be easy to send them off during this period.
4. Ammonia
Ammonia has been used as a bat repellent since many years, but it is not a suggestible repellent as it not only harms bats, but also humans who enter the room. Generally, ammonia is filled in jars and is placed near the corners of the attic or other bat roosting areas.
The vapors released from the chemical irritate the bats. However, it does not show effective results as the bats turn back once the vapors are over. Thus the solution is temporary and the approach is inhumane.
5. Fiber Glass
Fiber glass is another temporary solution in repelling the bats. The attics, ceilings are other bat prone areas are insulated with this material in order to avoid bats. Bats, when come in contact with this insulation, feel an irritation in their skin. Also the approach is difficult and time consuming while the solution is temporary.
Conclusion
Bat repellents should be used after you acquire a good knowledge about them. Ensure that you do not start methods to exclude them without knowing the pros and cons in handling the bats and using the repellents.
Depending on the scenario, use the method that can be much beneficial to you. Also learn the legal rules in your area before you initiate to exclude these mammals.