How To Get Rid of Bats | 12 Popular Humane Ways

As much as you don’t like getting haunted down by bats at night when you are sitting on your patio, bats indeed play a crucial role in our ecosystem. Predominantly, bats are amazing pest controllers and help the bees and butterflies with pollination. However, their sudden appearance and their all-black color can be terrifying to deal with.

Wondering how to get rid of bats? Well, there is an abundance of ways, all of which are humane and will safely push them to the other neighborhoods instead of loitering along in your home.

Also read: How to Get Rid of Pigeons?

This article will discuss some of the best ways to get rid of the bats without much effort.

List of Ways to Get Rid of Bats

1. Find & Seal the Holes and Cracks

Do you realize that one of the most common reasons bats tend to get entry into the house is the cracks and holes in your home? It could be an open chimney or even a big crack on the wall that you haven’t gotten around to getting fixed.

These kinds of leeways give the bat enough space to find a comfortable and warm place to stay and relax. You need to find those spots around the house, check and double-check them to ensure no bats are trapped, and then seal them permanently to prevent further infestation.

2. Try Alternative Nesting Options

If you are tired of getting rid of bats from inside your house, do the alternative. Instead of trying to rid them out of your property, build them a home in your backyard. This can seem a little crazy initially, but giving the bats a viable option outside the home keeps them out of the house for good.

There are hundreds of brands that construct bat houses. You can buy one and hang it from a tree in the backyard. Just ensure that you place it high up on the tree with proper shade and stability. The bats will eventually migrate inside them.

3. Use Bat Repellents

Mothballs are hands down the best bat repellents. They are non-toxic and not harmful to the bat’s health, but their presence is enough to drive the bats out of their local periphery and push them away. 

Besides mothballs, even strong essential oils like peppermint have been found to have a bat repelling effect. The strong smell and essence from these oils are enough to keep the bats out of your house and prevent them from creeping in at night.

4. Install a Bat Net

You might think that is what would a net possibly do? Well, bats can fly and can easily overcome a boundary. However, bat nets are effective in spots where you don’t want to fill in the cracks. They also work well to cover the chimney’s opening on the roof.

The best way to install a bat net is by being vigilant. You want to look out for the spots where the bats frequent the most and cover up those spots with the net.

5. Limit the Food Sources

Like any other living organism, even bats travel around searching for food and warmth. So, if your house provides them with the same, there are no two ways that the bats will try to maneuver their way inside the house. So, your best bet would be to remove any and every kind of food source available inside the house.

From mosquitoes to flies, bats will just about eat anything they find in their vicinity. Bats are also attracted to sweet and juicy fruits, so make sure you pick up the fruits and fallen fruits on the ground if you don’t want to lure them in.

6. Get Bright Lights

Bats aren’t fond of bright lights at all. They stay in the dark, which is why you won’t find them lingering around during the daytime. So, the best way to prevent them from entering your home is by installing bright lights around in the house. Typically, the bright lights pose too much light on the eyes of bats and will keep them out.

Flashlights are one of the best options to install. However, they can amp up your power bills pretty quickly. So, we’d recommend that you instead switch to the normal house lights and keep them switched on if you suspect an infestation.

7. Play Loud Sound

Like lights, bats also don’t enjoy the loud sounds and music. During the night, bats use their heightened hearing senses to navigate dark forests and areas. So, it isn’t a surprise they have a very accurate and high pitch hearing. So, when you are playing loud sounds, it acts as a deterrent and makes them feel uncomfortable.

You can install different sound-emitting devices around and use them to get rid of the bats from inside your home. Just ensure that when you are playing loud music, you have a part of the window or the door opened so they can fly out. If you were looking for how to get rid of bats, this is one of the most effective options.

8. Play with the Internal Home Temperature

Bats are creatures of habit. They don’t like or enjoy the change in their surroundings. This means that if you want to keep them out of your home, you need to make your home inhabitable for them. One of the best ways to do so is by changing the temperatures.

Typically, bats like to stay at home or in areas between 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything more or less than that will impose discomfort. So, the best way to overcome that issue is by playing around and frequently changing the temperature before the bat has time to adjust. Doing this will eventually make the place inhabitable and push the bats out of your house before you know it.

9. Try Installing Aluminum Foil     

This can seem unique and out of the blue, but it works like magic. Since bats don’t enjoy bright flashes of light, the light reflected on the foil will help keep the bats away. Always ensure that you have some light focused on the foil that will reflect off of it.

When the bat comes in close contact with the foil, the reflected light leaves them confused and disoriented. So, if you don’t want to suffer from these ungodly infestations in your house, you need to go an extra mile to do this. The good thing about this method is that it’s effective, easy to put up, and very inexpensive too.

10. Try Essential Oils

Like any other insects and living organisms, bats don’t enjoy the strong scents of essential oil. This is also ideal for those individuals who don’t want to stay stuck doing things that cost them a lot of money. With essential oils, you can whip up your DIY bat repellent that can keep the bats out of the house. 

Typically, it is the pungent smell of the essential oil that drives the bats out of your house. Just ensure that you find the common entry points and spray those with the spray to prevent them from entering inside your home.

11. Install Mirrors

Light-focused mirrors are a boon if you want to repel bats. As the aluminum foil hack, the reflected light from the mirrors helps keep the bats out of the house too. Just ensure that you install mirrors in the areas you wouldn’t pay much attention to. Areas like attics and bunks are often considered ideal spots.

Also, when placing or installing the mirrors, make sure you angle them in a way, so the light targets the hiding spots or the nesting area of the bats. This will prevent them from nesting around; deter them from your house in no time.

12. Hire Professionals

Sometimes, things are beyond our control. If that is the case with you, we’d recommend hiring professionals who can help you sort out that issue without any hassle. Typically, pest control departments or individual professionals with reliable services can help you out.

We’d always recommend leaving it to the hands of the experienced people with resources if the infestation has gone out of hand. Typically, handling things beyond control on your own can risk your well-being, especially since bats carry a lot of viruses and parasites in them. So, having a professional can help you scope out the entire area and find the ideal way to get rid of the infestation without any complaints.

If you are struggling to find the right ways to get rid of bats, we hope this article gives you a complete rundown of the best ways. Just ensure that you look into the best options that work out for you regarding resource availability and the overall budget that you have panned out. Also, there is nothing wrong with getting professional help if nothing else works out for you.

Also read: How to Get Rid of Cats?

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)