Watching the graceful flight of bats can be a remarkable evening experience, and these beneficial animals are great for reducing insect populations. They are often a welcome visitor in backyards and gardens, and readily roost in manmade bat houses. If these flying mammals opt to reside inside your home, however, a safe eviction may be necessary. A wildlife removal expert is a great option; but with a little work and basic knowledge, safely and humanely relocating a bat colony can be simple to do yourself.

Before anything else, you should check with a licensed, local wildlife removal professional or with your local government for any types of ordinances or rules in bat eviction. Bat evictions are sometimes restricted and often cannot be performed from April to August, as this is the peak breeding and fledging season for bats. Once you've established that bat relocation can begin, you will need to identify the likely point of entry to your home. We suggest having a few friends or family members assist you with this; each one watching a corner or section of the house at dusk and indicating where they see bats exiting. Keep in mind there can be more than one entry point in the home. Once these points are identified, you or your professional can begin.

Choose your wildlife removal professional carefully. Not all services are created equal. Make sure that the expert you choose is trained to safely and effectively exclude your bats for the most humane eviction. Check their experience with bats specifically and don't be afraid to ask questions or call references. Perhaps most importantly, be sure that your quote includes repairing any possible entry points to prevent the bats from recolonizing your home.

While using a wildlife removal expert is a great option, you may decide to undertake the task yourself. Since you have already established where the bats enter and leave your home, begin adding one-way access to each of these points. Staple some window screen or hardware cloth in place over the bats' entryways, while leaving the bottom open. This will allow the bats to leave your home, but make it nearly impossible to get back in. For smaller holes, a homemade one-way tube could be a great option. A short section of 2" PVC plumbing pipe and a flexible poly sleeve taped to the end creates a great one way tube. Attach the pipe using a flange or caulking. Keep these one-way valves in place for a minimum of a week and as long as two weeks to ensure all bats have left. This period is also a great time to mount a bat house nearby, to give the evicted bats an alternative roosting place. Once the exclusion has been completed successfully by you or your wildlife professional, any holes and cracks bats were using as entry points should be permanently sealed.

Bats offer fantastic, natural insect control and are great for pollinating your garden, helping the ecosystem in your area thrive. Always relocate or evict bats responsibly by providing them with a new shelter and by using proper exclusion techniques. You can enjoy the benefits of these animals without sharing your home with them. BestNest carries a wide range of both Bat Houses and Bat House Kits for you to find one just right for your area.