Bats are generally harmless creatures but when they start forming colonies in your house or building it can be quite problematic. They can cause so much inconvenience because of their noise, smell and can cause health problems. So it’s best to keep them away from your house of building as early as possible to avoid any future problems. After all, prevention is better than cure. There are a few ways that you can prevent bats from breeding in your property and we have listed them down for your preference.
Keep Bats Away
Bats can form a colony in attics homes, under your tile roofs or inside your building property. Here are ways on how can keep them away:
Inspection
The best way to avoid bats from entering your property is to do an inspection of your house or building and see all the possible entry and exit points for bats. Eve when bats have already infested your property this is still the very first step that should be taken. You will never be able to solve the problem 100% unless you find all the entry points where these creatures can enter your home. Finding these entry and exit holes are a bit tricky but there are a few indicators that you can use to spot them. You can start in the exterior of your house or building with the inspections. Check the roof as this is usually where they initially stay before they find an entry point to your attic. Find any trace of chewing damage, animal tracks and brown fur grease. Other indicators are ridge cap vents, holes on the roof itself and open plumbing stacks. These can all be entry and exit points for them.
Moving to interior of the house or buildings proceed in checking the attic. Check every nook and corner of your attic and check if there are damages in the wires and ducts. Remember to always to both inspections with caution as they can be quite dangerous.
Shut Down Entry Holes
Once you find holes in your home you have to seal them immediately. More than getting the bats out of the house, sealing the entry holes is just as vital part of the process as the extraction. You actually have to seal up the entry and exit points first before the removal of the animals. This will make trapping them easier. However for buildings, it is best to drive them away first or extraction should be done first before sealing the entry and exit points.
In doing this process you need to have a few equipment ready such as a ladder, power screw driver with screws, metal flashing and steel screen. It’s not a bad idea to invest in materials suitable especially for this job such as metal vent covers or steel chimney cap.
Netting
Using a net to keep bats away from your home is also a good idea. There are a number of exclusion materials that you can choose from depending on your needs. The type would depend on the architectural type of your house or building. For fascia board gaps for example, using netting is the best means. The netting should be small enough so that bats cannot wiggle through it.
Home Remedies
Aside from the methods mentioned above there also a number of home remedies that can help keep bats away from your home or building. These are easy to find and easy which are mostly can be found in your home.
Naphthalene Balls
More commonly known as Moth Balls, Naphthalene Balls are the top-most solution for keeping bats away. They can be bought at your neighborhood pet store for a cheap price. Tie the moth balls in a soft cloth and hang it in the attic of your home or areas of your property where bats usually stay. However the downside to using Moth Balls is that they wouldn’t be very effective in open, well ventilated place. They also need to frequently replaced to stay effective.
Mylar Balloons
If you want to get creative in chasing those bats away you can use Mylar Balloon. Fill the balloons with helium gas and hang them in the area where bats usually stay. Make sure that the balloons remain in motion which is how the bats are scared away.
Eucalyptus, Peppermint and Cinnamon
Whether it’s oil, leaves or fragrance, using eucalyptus and peppermint are effective way to keep the bats away from your property. Bats naturally do not like their scents and steers clear away from both. If bat is already in your attic, some powdered cinnamon can do the trick to chase them away. Sprinkle them to the bats and they will be flying away from your attic because they also don’t like its scent. These three are great non-toxic ways to keep the bats away.
Mirrors
Take mirrors and hang it in the areas of your house or building where the bats usually hang around then turn the lights on. Bats don’t like the light reflected from the mirror and this will surely keep them away.
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How to Kill Bats page.
