Don’t Let Bats Drive You Bonkers!
Cohabitating With Nature’s Insect Control Team
Could bats be living upstairs?
Have you noticed some screeching noises coming from the attic? A small collection of something resembling mouse droppings under the eaves of your house? You might be hosting a family of bats. Sounds terrible right? But before you take any drastic measures to evict your guests, it might be best to learn a little bit about them.
Most people think bats are scary, vicious, rabies carrying vermin. They get a bad rap with their association with Halloween and spooky places. In reality, cases of rabies in bats are EXTREMELY rare and bats will only bite if they feel threatened. No one is asking you to cuddle these creatures. In fact, like any wild animal, the best thing to do is leave them be.
Bats are actually real workhorses and an important part of the ecosystem. Along with helping to pollinate plants that feed our hungry bellies and distribute seeds for new plants to grow, bats have a bigger job of keeping all those mosquitoes in check. In one night, one brown bat can consume 60 medium-sized moths and thousands of mosquitos. Multiply that by 100 and you can see why we need to be kind to these little mammals. Besides, they are pretty cute, family-oriented, and their babies are called pups! How sweet is that!
Help them find a better living situation
Ok, enough of that. Let’s get back to getting the bats out of the attic and into a more appropriate living situation. First things first. The reason the bats are living in the attic is because...you guessed it--it’s warm, safe from predators, and perhaps other nesting locations are unavailable.
Bat Conservation International, an organization solely dedicated to the protection of bats worldwide assures us that, “Removing a single bat or a colony of bats can be done safely and humanely. How you handle the removal is meaningful in protecting bat species, important in meeting legal protections...and greatly appreciated.”
Legal protections?...Yes. Bat numbers are in decline and many species are federally protected. Mishandling or killing federally protected animals is not cool and you can end up facing some stiff fines. Before you consider moving bats in Montana it is best to check with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. They may even be able to assist you in the relocation effort.
Bats are important in our natural world for many reasons. They’re vital pollinators,t controllers To If you want to coax the bats from where they are currently living but still want to keep them nearby you can replicate the attic environment by providing bat houses. You can build your own or purchase one. In Montana, it is best to paint the bat house black with water-based paint for better heat absorption. Next, find a sunny location, near water, and at least 15 feet off the ground. You can mount the bat house on a pole but bats might be more likely to move to their new home if you can locate it on the side of an outbuilding like a barn, garage or shed. Trees are not suitable due to a higher risk of predators catching the bats when they leave the house.
Make sure to bat-proof once they have left the premises.
With the bat house properly located the next step is to get the bats out of the attic in such a way that does not allow them to come back in. Timing is extremely important here because you don’t want to keep a mother bat from returning to her young. Pup rearing season in North America is between April and September. Fall and winter months are an ideal time to bat-proof your home while the bats have either migrated to warmer regions or gone into hibernation.
Bat proofing your home is all about attention to detail. Determine where you think the bats are entering and exiting. A good clue is somewhere near where you saw the guano (bat droppings). There might be several points of entry so take a good look around.
Using tubes with a two-inch diameter that are about 10 inches long you can create an exit for the bats that do not allow re-entry. The tubes can be made of PVC, flexible plastic tubing, or even empty caulking tubes (make sure they are clean). Instructions for placing the tubes can be found here.
After seven nights, the bats should be out of your attic and now you can take measures to seal up any places where future inhabitants can get in. Removing the tubes and permanently sealing the location. When sealing be sure not to close off ventilation to the attic. Screening material works well in these locations.
Respect the wilderness around you.
Bats play a vital role in the balance of the ecosystem. It is understandable that we don’t want them living under the same roof as us, but we don’t need to harm them to remove them. Again, some bats are protected by the federal government and you sure aren’t looking for legal trouble.
If you would like to learn more about bats or have more questions about relocation techniques help is available locally through MPG Ranch or MT FWP. Bat Conservation International and Batweek.org provide education for everyone with activities for kids and ways for adults to join the movement to protect the worlds bats. The National Wildlife Federation even has a program to create a Certified Wildlife Habitat.