Bats are amazing animals. Without them, our ecosystem would be out of balance. Every bat eats thousands of insects nightly. During the day, bats roost, allowing food to digest. This allows them to lower their metabolisms and conserve energy while they sleep.
Although bats are incredible and have earned their spot as protected animals at the state and federal level, you don’t want to share a home with them. That’s why it’s vital to learn more about the bats that may be roosting in your home or building. The more you know, the easier it will be to remove them from your property.
What is a Bat Entry Point?
An entry point is where someone or something can enter a space. For bats, entry points can be smaller than an inch in diameter. What humans may see as a small crack, tear, rip, or break in a building, bats see as an entryway.
Bats are not able to create an entry point. They aren’t strong enough to do so. They have clever ways of getting indoors, however. As bats fly at night, scooping insects into their mouths and wings, they search for places to roost. As they pass by your home, barn, or shed, they use temperatures to determine where to stay.
Bats like warmth while they roost, and small cracks and holes around your home allow heat to escape. Bats feel even the slightest bit of heat and follow it inside, where they will locate a beam or other part of the structure for roosting.
It can be challenging to find bat entry points due to their small size. Some may be in locations you cannot access physically or see just by looking. Therefore, hiring an expert is recommended.
How Do I Know if Bats Are in My House?
Unless you have a colony of bats roosting in your attic making noise or flying in and out of your home, you may have to look for signs commonly left behind by bats. For example, bat guano, or droppings, is easy to spot.
Bat guano is usually black or brown, and because it contains uric acid, it stains any material it lands on. You may see guano streaks running down siding or wood on the sides of homes or buildings. Even while bats are roosting, their guano runs down their body and into a pile below. The piles can get quite large, making them very noticeable.
Seeing guano directly on the ground signifies that bats are roosting above. Look around windowsills, voids in ceilings and rafters, and structural beams.
Bats are small and they can pack themselves into tiny spaces when they roost. They can go unnoticed by someone with little experience. Calling a wildlife control operator for an inspection takes the guesswork out of locating bats. Experts can also show you exactly how and why bats choose your property.
How Do Bats Get Into Your House?
To understand how bats get into a house or how bats get into an attic, you must learn more about building structures. The outside of your home is a barrier to the inside. A break in that barrier allows a bat indoors. Below is a list of places to check for entry points on your property:
Attics
The most common way bats enter your home is through broken attic vents or screens.
Soffits
Soffits are the materials that connect your home’s exterior walls to the planks that hang underneath your eaves. Without soffits, the rafters and beams of your home would be open and exposed. Soffits may occasionally detach in small areas, or wildlife such as woodpeckers and squirrels may break or tear them. This gives a bat just enough space to enter your home.
Fascia Boards
Fascia boards are bands or strips of materials. They serve many purposes, including holding gutters in place and closing off the ends of rafters. They are usually wood strips strong enough for adhering gutters, soffits, and roofing materials. Improper installation or damage due to the elements can leave small openings that bats may enter.
Ridge Vents
Roofs with shingles will have ridge vents along the roof’s peak. The ridge vent allows heat and humidity to exit the house. This heat will attract bats looking for a warm place to roost. If the vent is damaged or cracked, bats will use it as an entry point.
Gable Vents
Gable vents are decorative, allowing air to flow into the attic to cool it down when the temperatures are warm. Homeowners can adjust gable vents based on how much air they want to enter the home. Open vents provide the perfect entry point for bats and other wildlife.
Roof Returns or Eaves
Decorative materials may be used during the building process to attach a roof to the side walls of the home. The construction of these materials as well as the condition of returns may determine how well they hold up to weather conditions. Poor construction can leave entry points for bats.
Chimneys
Chimneys are like hallways for animals. Bats can quickly fly in and out of chimneys and roost on bricks or rocks used to construct the chimney. When not in use, chimneys should be fitted with chimney caps to seal the area and prevent bats, birds, and rodents from entering your home. Caps can also prevent debris from drifting into your chimney. Debris that gets stuck can create a fire hazard.
Siding
Siding, whether wall panels or corners, can be damaged by weather over time or by a random rock thrown by a lawn mower. Nuisance wildlife may also cause damage. If it is not installed correctly, wall panels can buckle. Any of these scenarios give bats the perfect opportunity to use your home as a roost.
What to Know About Bat Removal
If you think you have bats roosting on your property, contact a wildlife expert for help with removal. They understand the laws and regulations you must follow, like the following:
- Bats cannot be disturbed during hibernation.
- Bats cannot be removed or harassed during the mating season.
- Pups must be able to fly out on their own.
- Local regulations may require testing for diseases.
Most importantly, experts know the exclusion methods that work to keep bats from roosting in your home in the future.
Get them out.
Keep them out.®
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Customer Reviews
It has been very effective at reducing the number of mice, lizard, and snake sightings. During one visit Edgar removed a rattlesnake he came across. We may see a snake maybe two to three times during the spring and summer months, but it has been far less than before.
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Wildlife & Rodent Control in San Diego
Full service. Excellent job of extracting raccoon, cleaning all animal waste, sanitizing, and spraying anti-parasitic substance. They closed all potential ports of entry, though the work did not match the vinyl, and it looks kind of tacky. They added blown insulation, which added a lot to the cost. They provide a one year warranty against animal intrusion, with an option to extend the warranty at the end of each one- year period. They were willing to work with me one the price. I will probably extend my warranty, and will definitely use them it the future.
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Chattanooga
I was really impressed by these guys. Got a call within a few hours of making an inquiry. Had a rep out to inspect the situation by the end of the week, and when they laid out the timeline they kept if not exceeded listed times.
Rob, Travis, and Jim were all professional, polite, and courteous and after months of hearing squirrels in my ceiling they are gone and the repair to my flashing looks excellent. Can't recommend these guys enough.
Jeff was incredibly professional and helpful. I'll use them again and would recommend them to anyone.
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Detroit, MI
Critter Control did a great job of evaluating our house for sites of entry after we found bats and a squirrel in our attic. They completed their work promptly and professionally.
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Seattle, WA
We heard some noise from the corner of our house. Concerned that it could be inside we called for an inspection. Jessy arrived as scheduled and conducted a complete inspection of our home. Based on a recording we made he determined we had a tree frog on our roof. I was pleased that we didn’t have any rodent in our house. And his inspection could a few spots I can tighten up around my house. I am very happy with the outcome.
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New Hampshire
We have a vacation home in
Western Mass and haven’t been there much during the pandemic as we live and work in Atlanta, GA. On our most recent visit we noticed that we had some rodent intrusion as well as some un-welcomed wildlife who decided to make our vacation home their home.
We contacted Critter Control and Mr. Cahoon was quick to set up an appointment as we wouldn’t be in town very long. He came out and assessed our issues. He informed us of our options to both eradicate and control future intrusions. Keeping in mind that wildlife is wildlife! He quickly got to work eradicating the rodents and wildlife from our home and addressing the intrusion issues. We feel much better leaving our vacation home for periods at a time knowing that Mr. Cahoon and Critter Control did their job and did it right! Thanks again!
We bought an old cabin last spring , it was used for years as a summer vacation cabin, therefore maintenance wasn’t a priority. After our project to remodel started, we found evidence of
mice droppings.
We immediately called Critter Control and they came and gave us a reasonable estimate to remove all remnants and insulation. They sanitized and replaced with new insulation and sealing up points of entry .
Seeing their professional work made us feel confident and secure that the problem was solved ! Everyone we worked with continued to show professional and respectful work. Highly recommend this company! We continue to use critter control monthly to be sure we are mice and bug free!
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