How to Avoid Bats in your Attic

Bats are an important part of the ecosystem as pest controllers and pollinators, but they can become a nuisance if they invade your attic. Since bats can transmit zoonotic diseases, it is essential to keep them away from your home. Below are some of the ways to avoid bats in your attic:

1. Fill Up Possible Holes and Cracks

To avoid bats getting into your attic, you should seal every potential hole and crack with high-quality materials. Replace or repair broken vents and screens. Cover holes with caulk and metal screens and ensure vents and chimneys are securely in place. Bats can’t gnaw their way like rodents, thus preventing potential entrances.

2. Use Bat Repellent

Using bat repellent helps to ensure that your unwelcome visitors don’t form a colony in your attic. You can use products like copper mesh, bird spikes, mothballs, a high-powered fan, or super bright lights to make your attic hostile to bats.

3. Regular Home and Attic Inspection

It’s best to do a regular home inspection to avoid bats in your atic. This means frequently checking out your home for new spots that could let bats in and ensuring these areas are still well protected. Do you need to cover up a new crack in your bricks? Do you need to replace a piece of mesh around a vent, a chimney, or a gap in the siding? Be sure to do so as soon as possible.

4. Install a Decoy Bat House

If you want bats to get somewhere to stay rather than your attic, then you can give them an even better place to live by setting up a bat house. This will entice them to leave your home alone.

If you’d like to buy a bat house, Bat Conservation International explains what you need to observe. The house should be wooden, with no mesh or fabric. It should also provide boards for staying comfortable as well as pads to land on. The bat house should be roomy enough and have the proper temperature. If you’d like to make a bat house, Bat Conservation International has designs for a four-chamber bat house and rocket boxes that you can download.

5. Remove Food Sources from Your Garden

Bats will settle in a cozy home with safety and food availability. First, you need to know what bat species are in your area. Some bats feed on insects, others eat fruits, while most eat a mix of both. If you see that their favorite food is flying around or growing in your garden, it’s time to make changes. You can cover your fruits with bird netting to prevent access. If you’re having an insect problem in your home, you can get rid of them through the use of insecticides that don’t harm bats or other animals.

When in Doubt, Call a Professional

Do you have a bat problem in Maryland? Shumaker’s Animal Control can help. Our professionals can help you create a plan to prevent bats from getting into your home. We also have a comprehensive solution to remove them humanely in addition to keeping them out of the attic and other interior spaces.

To get in touch with us, visit our website to check our services and fill out our contact form. You can also call us at 443-854-8072 for more information.