I need a home-made way to get rid of bats...for good!!

[IvyandLace]

Yep...we have bats. Actually they are not in our house...they're only hanging in the vent to our storage room which is right over our carport. Thankfully there is a screen keeping them out of the storage room, but I'd really like them to go...permanently!!! A few months ago, DH used a combo leaf blower/broom to get them to fly away, and they stayed away for a couple of weeks. Now they're back. UGH!

What can we do to get rid of them for good?? I'd rather not pay an exterminator as they're really not hurting us at all, just more of a preference. Help!!!

Wishing for a bat-free environment,
IVY

P.S. We've put up a bat-house opposite the vent...but no go.

 

[luvthatduke]

Ah, yes... The Bats.

Many memories have I from childhood,
sleeping while they flew overhead...
Mom & Dad slept w/tennis racket & broom
under their bed...

Well, the only thing I ever heard of was
moth balls - lots of people used them in my town,
whose houses were mostly old Victorians.

Exterminators usually use something to chase
them out, then seal up whatever openings they find.

The plus side to having them in your carport
is you shouldn't be bitten by any bugs out there,
as the bats will get them!

Hope you're succesful - and do be careful.

 

[LisaZoe]

Is there any way to put a screen over the vent? If so, I'd have DH use the leaf blower again and then cover the vent.

 

[IvyandLace]

There already IS a screen that separates said bats from actually coming into that storage part of our house (sorta like an attic). The bats are hanging from the vent against the screen! I have NO CLUE what to use to seal the vent without actually just getting rid of the vent somehow and putting something solid in there...like a window or a fan or something??

Thank for the advice! I had to laugh at the picture of sleeping with the broom under the bed....ah, the memories!

IVY

 

[Amberle3]

You can send them up there!

Those little guys eat a huge number of insects each, and I'd love to have them around my house. Especially in the summer, with all those mosquitoes. Ick!

 

[ThAnswr]

How about setting up a bat house away from your house. It's not difficult to make, and the bats do serve a purpose and keep down the insects.

http://www.batcon.org/bhra/economyhouse.html

If you call an exterminator to get rid of the bats, you might find yourself calling the exterminator more often to get rid of the insects!

 

[monkeyboy]

turn it off

 

[Geoff_M]

I honestly don't think that you have a problem here as long as they can't get into your house. Bats are a benficial species to have around. As pointed out, they are voracious bug eaters. They don't fly into people's hair, etc. etc. I'm a caver and I've slept underneath hibernating bats only a few feet away from me and have never had a problem. Also keep in mind that many bat species are protected by law.