Home Care and Cleaning

How to get rid of bats who have the audacity to invade your home.

If you’re trying desperately to get rid of bats from your home, I can feel your pain. Your fingers were probably shaking a bit as you clicked this link. It’s a scarier scenario than many people think — especially for a “girly girl” like me. Bats fly and they look absolutely gross up close. Some of them crawl on the floor using their wings to get around. It’s very unnerving.

A few years ago, I had the misfortune of having a series of close encounters with bats in my home-all in a few short period of time (about a few days). I have seen one or two bats in my home right after moving in, but never to the extent as this particular situation.

One bat flew in my room while I was sleeping (through a space above the air conditioner). Another greeted me at the door when I came home. This happened in the same day and I was freaking out. I’m still not 100% sure how they get in, but I did learn that they can crawl into a space that’s a fraction of an inch.

Nothing for Bats?

The night that I found a bat hanging out in my living room, I went to Home Depot and asked them, in a panic, “What do you have to get rid of bats?” They chuckled and said “Ma’am I don’t think we have anything for bats, sorry.”

So I went through the aisles anyway and tried to find something, anything that would allow me to expel or battle these flying rats. I finally came across an ultrasonic pest repeller device — the type that you plug into the wall so that it transmits a sound that only pests can hear.

I figured it was worth a try. After having a friend remove the bats currently in the house, I bought a few ultrasonic pest devices and plugged them up around my home.

Many Different Opinions on How to Get Rid of Bats

Now I want to give a fair and balanced discussion of using these ultrasonic pest repellers to get rid of bats. I went to over 10 different websites to do research. A lot of the websites published by professional bat removal experts (pest control services) say that these devices do not work on bats. The pest control experts obviously would know the most about how to get rid of bat colonies and nests and state that the only truly effective solution is to get them to leave then seal the exit. But you have to wonder if some are putting down these devices to get more clients. Bat removal can easily exceed $500.

Others say that the ultrasonic sound will only serve to confuse the bats, as they use sound to “see.” (Read more about that here.) These folks make the point that if the bats can’t follow sounds properly due to the loud screeching or beeping emitted by these ultrasonic tools, they will probably just bump into walls and get annoyed.

On the other hand, a few websites contained reviews from customers who said that these ultrasonic pest repeller devices absolutely DO work.

In my case I was willing to try just about anything. So I went ahead and ordered a few more ultrasonic devices online (the P3 Attack Wave models –they were only about $20 each). The reviews were decent. I plugged them in on the top and bottom floors of my home. Recently I learned that this model and this model are more specifically targeted to get rid of bats.

The Verdict

After putting the ultrasonic devices on the top floor of my home I no longer had an issue with bats coming into my house, but they were still apparently living in the attic. I eventually had a hire a local bat control expert to place netting in the area where the bats were coming in and out of the home.

So the ultimate answer to the question of whether ultrasonic pest repellers work is yes and no. They may keep them away from your living space, but the more persistent ones might still take up residence in an attic or crawlspace. I do not want to minimize the expert opinion of pest control companies, but at the very least this may be a much cheaper temporary alternative solution for someone who is disgusted by bats yet doesn’t have $500 laying around at the moment to hire a bat expert to put up netting. As an added bonus it may also keep other pests and rodents away. * Note, some users have said that these devices can bother pets, so if you do get one make sure you keep an eye on Fluffy and Fido.

Another Option for Getting Rid of Bats

As I mentioned earlier, I had to hire someone to exclude the bats from my attic. This is a job that takes under an hour to do (maybe two if you count the removal of the netting and filling of spaces with foam) and shouldn’t cost more than $300-$500 so don’t let anyone take advantage of you here. Some home carpenters know how to do this work.

Another cheaper option for getting rid of bats is to buy the netting and set up what is called a “one-way door” yourself. The only cost is netting, Gorilla duct tape, foam sealant and a ladder that’s long and secure enough to safely reach the entry point (get someone to spot you and be extra careful).

First you have to find out where they’re coming in and out, so go outside after dusk and take a look around possible exit points.

Once you figure that out, you have to get on a ladder (in the morning when they’re sleeping) to securely tape the netting so that the bats can crawl out but can’t get back in. You see, when they try to fly back into the hole after leaving, they’re going to keep trying to go in directly, but the netting won’t allow them to. They don’t know how to come back in indirectly but crawling around the netting. Read more about this here.

After a few nights, check to see if they’re still coming and in out. Once they’re gone, you can remove the netting and fill the holes with foam sealant or just leave the netting up.

I also strongly suggest that you make sure there aren’t any other places where the bats can find their way inside — if so, fill them with foam as well after putting up the netting. Some people choose to buy bat houses to give them a new place to live in the woods.

Have you had a problem with bats? Have you used ultrasonic devices or tried putting up bat netting yourself? Please tell me all about your own solution for getting rid of bats in the comments area.

Posted by Jade