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deterring bats

migraine | Posted in General Discussion on August 6, 2008 08:27am

We are dealing wth a slight problem with bats roosting in our entry outside the front porch.  This area is a brick concaved ceiling with a center hanging light.  The bats come in at night to rest (and poop) on the floor.    They are gone the next morning

This really doesn’t bother me, but the house is for sale and people keeping thinking we have a mouse/rat problem.  When I explain, one potential client was no longer interested in the home…

Anybody have any suggestions on how to keep them away???

Thanks, Brian

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Replies

  1. User avater
    Matt | Aug 06, 2008 09:10pm | #1

    Leave the light on?  Sharpened stakes?  Holy water?  Just guessing...

    1. Piffin | Aug 06, 2008 09:25pm | #4

      Might be more likely that he IS leaving the light on at night, and it is attracting flying insects/ food for the bats. 

       

      Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

      1. User avater
        Matt | Aug 06, 2008 09:34pm | #5

        Install a yellow insect bulb?

      2. migraine | Aug 06, 2008 09:44pm | #6

        No, I've not tried leaving the light on, I don't want to waste electricity.  I heard mothballs don't wok and netting isn't within the "decore" of the home.

        1. Piffin | Aug 06, 2008 10:02pm | #7

          cieling fan? 

           

          Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

          1. User avater
            McDesign | Aug 06, 2008 10:52pm | #8

            Great - chop the poor little guys up.

            Forrest

          2. Piffin | Aug 06, 2008 10:54pm | #9

            Low speed to keep them from resting long enough to poop.
            I like them - no killing, just negotiate with them to keep moving.We sit on the porch and watch them swoop. 

             

            Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

        2. Scott | Aug 06, 2008 11:34pm | #13

          For the minuscule amount of electricity that a single bulb with use, especially a CFL bulb, I'd say if it helps sell the house, it's worth it.Scott.Always remember those first immortal words that Adam said to Eve, “You’d better stand back, I don’t know how big this thing’s going to get.”

  2. mms | Aug 06, 2008 09:18pm | #2

    Something smelly.  Maybe spray some bleach on the surface that they land on?  Maybe some mothballs? 

    Or something sticky. 

     

  3. Hudson Valley Carpenter | Aug 06, 2008 09:22pm | #3

    I'd try leaving the porch light on all night first.  If that didn't work I'd staple up some plastic bird netting. 

    My guess is the light will do the job, as long as it falls directly on the bat's hang-out.

    Remember that they are very beneficial for humans and animals, eating tons of flying insects, so avoid using poison.

  4. BigBill | Aug 06, 2008 10:58pm | #10

    A strobe light works for me in attics.  I don't know if it is the light or the pitch of the whine noise that it makes.  You might try one of those ultrasonic insect/varmet repelers.

  5. MikeSmith | Aug 06, 2008 11:00pm | #11

    yeah... figure out how many mosquitos it takes to eat one bat  times  number of bats you need to remove

    you can breed the mosquitos for free

    Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
    1. Piffin | Aug 06, 2008 11:23pm | #12

      sounds like you are getting into fest mood/mode 

       

      Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

      1. MikeSmith | Aug 06, 2008 11:36pm | #14

        i'm ready.....   the last two weeks  were unpleasant... time for some yuk-yuksMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

  6. runnerguy | Aug 07, 2008 01:14am | #15

    I had that problem in my barn. I DID use mothballs in panty hose and it worked. Tacked up a bag or two right where they were roosting. Only problem was the mothballs had a fairly short shelf life so changing the mothballs was constant.

    And for the life of me I couldn't understand why bats, who are supposedly nocturnal, spend a large part of the night sleeping....and pooping.

    Runnerguy

     

     

  7. JimB | Aug 07, 2008 01:57am | #16

    Here's a piece of a flier from Clemson U:

    Ineffective methods of bat control include ultrasonic devices and mothballs. To be at all effective, naphthalene flakes -- moth balls -- must evaporate rapidly, requiring frequent replacement.

    Aerosol dog and cat repellents may discourage bat use of a particular roosting spot for periods of up to several months. They have also been used effectively to prevent bats from night roosting above porches. The spray is applied by day when bats are not present.

    In the case of day roosts, aerosol repellents are not an adequate substitute for exclusion. These repellents should never be applied when bats are in a roost.

    In many cases, suspending two-inch wide by seven-to-10 inch long strips of aluminum foil or helium-filled Mylar balloons at a roost will deter bats. In addition, using bright, artificial lighting in the attic during the evening will also discourage bats from roosting.

    1. ChicagoMike | Aug 07, 2008 02:40am | #17

      Isn't their poop valuable for fertilizer? You could sell it and give a discount off the house. LOL. 

      "It is what it is."

      1. Danno | Aug 07, 2008 02:59am | #19

        Yes, bat guano is good fertilizer. (Also a major in the movie "Dr. Strangelove" (played by Keenan Wynn).) Bat poop and Fruit Loops are the active ingredients in a bomb described in the book Still Life with Woodpecker, if I recall correctly.

  8. Hackinatit | Aug 07, 2008 02:49am | #18

    Kill the mosquitos...

     

    A La Carte Government funding... the real democracy.

  9. MSA1 | Aug 07, 2008 06:19am | #20

    No loitering sign?

     

     

     

    Family.....They're always there when they need you.

  10. bigbarn23 | Aug 07, 2008 06:27am | #21

    One thing you may try is to purchase and install a bat house away from the entry and allow them to live/roost in there. Just type bat houses into your search engine and you'll find many results.

  11. Southbay | Aug 07, 2008 09:23am | #22

    Bat hang-out. This really doesn't bother me, but the house is for sale and people keeping thinking we have a mouse/rat problem. When I explain, one potential client was no longer interested in the home...

    You just need to find the right buyers. Gomez, Morticia. Herman, Lily...

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