(This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Please only make a purchase if you feel it will help you, and please feel free to make purchases from the vendor of your choice.)First, let me say that bats tend to be very misunderstood. They're often thought of as rabies carriers and people tend to have a lot of fear about them.
I know I did. But I've learned that, at least in New Hampshire where I live, there hasn't been a case of a rapid bat in more than a decade. Unfortunately, the media propagates this fear, instead of reminding us about the amazing things bats do. The best of which, in my opinion, is eating zillions of nasty mosquitoes.
The whole experience that follows has given me a deep respect for them, and prompted me to consider them "voiceless."
Last year, I had a pretty traumatic bat experience. I knew they were in the eaves, but I was basically ignoring it. I knew that wasn't a good long-term solution, but I had a lot of other things going on at the time, so I left it there.
Turns out, that was a BAD idea. One night, one got into the actual house and landed on my bed while I was asleep! I felt it and in my semi-conscious state assumed it was a cat. So, I reached to pat it. Only to hear a "cheep" sound. I swore, turned on the light, and put on my glasses. Heart racing. The bat flew the other way.
After hiding under my covers and formulating a plan for two hours, I worked up the courage to get it out of the house. First, thanks to the cats, I was able to see where it had gone back to sleep. That was a good step!
Next, I went downstairs and got my yard work gloves. But as I reached for the bat, I realized my arms were bare in my summer jammies. Nope! Not grabbing the bat that way. Back downstairs, put on my winter coat (never mind that it was about 80 degrees and I don't have AC), and zipped it up to my chin.
I also unlocked and opened the front door so all I'd have to do is push through the screen door and release the bat.
Back upstairs. Bat still asleep. Phew! Grabbed him. He squeaked a little, but that was it, and released him outside. I thought that that would be the end of it.
I was wrong...
He was back the next night. I was braver this time and got him out more quickly. But still, I was D.O.N.E. having bats in the house.I tried peppermint essential oil and got nowhere. Then, I got a quote from the bat abatement folks. Mine may have been higher than average because my house is concrete with a metal roof. Meaning lots of holes, and bats only need an opening the size of an almond to get in.
In any case, the bat abatement people wanted something like $9,000! That was NOT happening.
So I did some research and experimentation and hit upon Vick's VapoRub.
Slathered a bunch of cotton balls with the stuff, tossed them in the eaves, and they left! Yay!
Or not...as it turned out.
This year, they were back again! And the Vick's didn't work. Nor did they seem to want to live in the bat house I'd nicely hung for them.I've learned that bats are very resilient and adaptable. Mostly, I admire this. Just as I appreciate them gobbling up mosquitoes.
Also, it turns out that their waste is a scent marker for them. They want to try to go back to that same place year after year.
But MY living space cannot be THEIR living space. Besides the scary stuff about them possibly getting back in the house proper, their waste can cause illness. So they had to go.
Still, there was no way I was going to spend insane money on bat abatement.
Back to researching. And this time, I found the permanent solution!
How I FINALLY Got the Bats to Leave!
A specially designed sonic device!Traditional sonic devices like you'd use for mice don't work on bats because, just like they did with the Vick's, bats get used to the steady sound. This one is different and has about a million settings, each one varies the sound to prevent the bats from growing accustomed to it. It also comes with very specific instructions, which you need to follow in order for it work.
Even better, the company is AMAZING! The founder is truly passionate about creating world where bats and people live in harmony - each in their own space.
And the customer service is incredible!
In my situation, the device worked. Then the bats came back. I upped the ante by changing some settings, and it seemed to work again. But then the bats came back again.
All through this process, I was in touch with the company, and when the bats came back a second time, they sent me a "phase 2" device free of charge!
I admit that as of this writing they bats have moved from one side of the eaves to the other. But I also know that all that means is that I need to repeat the process.
Since I live in New England, the bats are migratory, most likely. So the plan each year from now on is to run how every many devices it winds up taking from April through September to keep them from moving back in.
I almost never endorse products, and I was not paid do so here. My only goal is to help other people keep their homes bat free and keep money in their wallet.
If this helps you (or not), let me know in the comments.
More places for info on bats/rabies:
https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/cdcs/rabies/
https://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/nongame/bats-nh.html
https://bangordailynews.com/2017/06/17/outdoors/heres-how-likely-it-is-that-youll-actually-contract-rabies/
https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/index.html
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