Austin's Best Bat Removal

How to Keep Bats Out of Barns

Bats like to roost in places that are dark, away from the sun. They like out-of-the-way places that are uninterrupted by other creatures, human or predator alike. Generally, a colony is made up of multiple bats, and during springtime, several have birthed babies. These mammals are associated with some superstition and have faced general dislike. One of the many places they like to call home is barns.

Inappropriate Homes – Close to Humans

Certain places should be off-limits for bats. Places like your attic or the eves of your houses come to mind. They can cause a lot of damage and mess from eating and droppings. Guano can have a variety of diseases and when it dries, the powder is dangerous to inhale. That means letting them settle around children's playhouses is a bad idea.

Close, but Not Too Close

One major reason to let a colony of bats stay on larger properties includes insect control. A single bat can eat anywhere from 600 to 1,000 insects in an hour. Every night, bats can eat anywhere from 6,000 to 8,000 insects. The trick is finding a proper place for them that is not too close to you and your family.

Protection for the Ecosystem

It is illegal to kill a bat because of how much they contribute to the ecosystem. That means that if you decide that they are not welcome, you should consult a professional on ways to move them. There are certainly better places, including old barns and sheds, inside the hollows and branches of trees, specially designed bat houses, and other more obscure places around the property.

Giving the bats a place to go that you want them to be is easier than simply evicting them. Despite their appearance and the rumors surrounding them, bats are quite vulnerable. They are relatively defenseless compared to most predators.

Change the Attractions

A good way to encourage a bat colony to move is to eliminate their attraction to the place. Start with food and focus on decreasing the number of insects or nests in the area. Change the birdbath water multiple times a week and move these structures away from your house. Check your gutters and clear the debris that could hold water or prevent it from draining. Look around the property for any place water can collect, such as buckets or trash cans. Once there are fewer food and water sources to attract them, the bats will move to find new sources.

Decoys for Bats

Because of the way that bats move around, flying using echolocation, things that are good decoys for other flying pests do not always work. Tinfoil, mylar balls, and mirrors are partially effective tools that reflect light in a very distracting manner. In general, light and sound work well with bats, especially during the day. Certain animal repellants can be effective too, but be certain of what is inside them as the chemicals might be harmful to have around children or other animals.

There are some issues with decoys, though. With stationary objects, they can simply fly around them with their expert maneuverability. Lights, while annoying in darker spaces, will attract insects which is their main food supply. Animal repellants are something that most bats can adjust to, getting used to the texture, taste, or scent of the product rendering it useless against them. Most of these methods are only effective if the colony has not gotten too large. The more bats, the less likely these will be effective.

When to Move the Colony

One of the biggest problems of moving any bat colony is knowing when it is appropriate to move them. Early spring, before the first birthing, is a decent time to encourage movement and does not require professional services either. Mid-spring to early summer is birthing season and nursing mothers rely on having a haven for their little ones who cannot fly. Keeping the adult bats away from the babies is inhumane and will usually lead to their death.

Late summer is the next option as the baby bats are large enough to fly on their own. This is also a good time to encourage relocation before they choose their winter home for hibernation. Wintertime, when they are in full torpor, is one of the worst times to move a colony on your own. This can lead to fear, health issues, and death for the bats.