You’re sitting on the couch, the TV is flickering, and then you see it. A dark, erratic shadow flits across the ceiling. It’s not a bird. It’s definitely not a large moth. Your heart sinks because you realize you have a winged roommate who isn't paying rent. Learning how to rid your house of bats is one of those things nobody thinks they’ll ever need to do until the scratching sounds in the attic become impossible to ignore. Honestly, it's a stressful situation. Bats are amazing for the ecosystem—they eat thousands of mosquitoes every night—but having them in your soffits or behind your shutters is a different story.
It’s messy. It’s loud. And frankly, it’s a bit scary if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Why you can’t just grab a broom and go to town
Most people think they can just wait for the bat to land and scoot it out the door. Don't do that. First off, bats are legally protected in almost every corner of North America under various state and federal laws, like the Endangered Species Act in the U.S. or the Species at Risk Act in Canada. If you kill a colony of Indiana bats or Northern Long-eared bats, you could be looking at massive fines. It’s not just about the law, though. Bats are incredibly loyal to their roosts. They have a "homing" instinct that would make a carrier pigeon jealous. If you just toss one out, it’ll be back at your window before you’ve finished washing your hands.
There's also the rabies factor. While less than 1% of wild bats actually carry rabies, any bat that is easy to catch or seen crawling on the floor during the day is more likely to be sick. You never, ever touch a bat with bare hands.
The "Bat Season" rule you need to know
Before you start sealing up holes, you have to check the calendar. This is the biggest mistake homeowners make. Most experts, including those at Bat Conservation International (BCI), will tell you that "exclusion"—the process of letting bats out but not back in—cannot happen during "maternity season."
This usually runs from May through August.
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Why? Because during these months, mother bats have flightless "pups." If you install a one-way door in June, the moms go out to hunt and can't get back in. The babies are left behind. They starve. They die in your walls. Then, you have a dead animal smell that permeates your drywall for weeks, and you’ve effectively wiped out a generation of a protected species. It's a lose-lose situation. You generally want to wait until the fall when the young are flying or early spring before they arrive.
Identifying the "Front Door"
You have to find where they are getting in. Bats don't need a massive hole; a Little Brown Bat can squeeze through a gap the size of a dime or a crack only half an inch wide. Look for guano. Bat droppings look like dark grains of rice and usually accumulate on the siding or the porch directly under their entry point. Unlike mouse droppings, bat guano is shiny (from the insect wings) and crumbles into dust if you poke it with a stick.
Go outside at dusk. Stand back and watch your roofline. You’ll see them drop out one by one. They usually prefer the highest points: chimney flashing, gable vents, or where the roof meets the fascia.
The gear you actually need
- A good headlamp. Not a phone flashlight. You need your hands free.
- Caulk and expandable foam. But not just any foam; bats can sometimes chew through the cheap stuff. Get the "pest block" versions.
- Heavy-duty hardware cloth. We're talking 1/4 inch mesh.
- One-way valves or tubes. You can buy these or make them out of PVC or heavy plastic sheeting.
The Exclusion: How to rid your house of bats for good
The only permanent way to solve this is a process called exclusion. You aren't trapping them. You are "inviting" them to leave.
First, seal up every single hole in your house except the main entry points you identified during your dusk watch. If you miss a spot, they will find it. They can feel the airflow coming from inside your attic. Use a high-quality silicone caulk or weatherstripping.
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Now, for the main holes, you install a one-way device. Imagine a sleeve of plastic mesh or a smooth PVC pipe angled downward. The bats can crawl down the pipe and fly out the bottom. However, when they fly back and try to land, they can't figure out how to crawl back up the slippery tube or push past the hanging mesh.
Leave these in place for at least five to seven consecutive nights of good weather. If it’s raining or cold, the bats might stay inside and snooze, so you need a week of clear, warm nights to ensure everyone is out. Once you’re certain the scratching has stopped, you remove the tubes and seal those final holes permanently.
Dealing with the aftermath (The Guano Problem)
Once the bats are gone, the work isn't over. You’re left with the mess. Bat guano can harbor a fungus called Histoplasma capsulatum, which causes Histoplasmosis, a nasty lung infection. This isn't a "vaccum it up and move on" situation.
If you have a significant amount of droppings in your attic, you need a HEPA-filter mask (N95 at the absolute minimum) and protective clothing. Dampen the guano with a spray bottle of water to keep the dust from flying around before you scoop it up. Honestly, if the colony was large, this is the part where you should probably call a professional remediation team. They have the industrial vacuums and biohazard gear to do it safely without contaminating the rest of your living space.
Why a bat house might be your best friend
I know it sounds crazy. Why would you want bats closer to your house?
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If you provide a high-quality bat house on a pole about 15-20 feet away from your roof, the bats have somewhere to go when they get "evicted." This keeps them from trying to find a new way back into your attic. Plus, they’ll stay in the neighborhood and keep your yard mosquito-free. A good bat house should be painted a dark color to absorb heat and be mounted at least 10 feet off the ground.
When to give up and call a pro
Some houses are just too complicated. If you have a cedar shake roof or an old Victorian with a thousand nooks and crannies, DIY exclusion is a nightmare.
Expect to pay anywhere from $500 to $3,000 for professional removal. It’s expensive because of the labor. A pro has to climb a 40-foot ladder, inspect every square inch of your roofline, and often offer a warranty. If a company tells you they use "ultrasonic repellents" or "mothballs," hang up the phone. Those don't work. The FTC has even issued warnings about ultrasonic pest devices—they’re basically expensive paperweights when it comes to bats.
Taking Action
- Check the Date: Verify you aren't in the middle of pup season (May-August).
- Night Watch: Spend 30 minutes at dusk watching your roof to find the "active" holes.
- Seal the Rest: Close up every gap except the active ones using caulk or mesh.
- Install Tubes: Set up one-way exclusion devices on the main exits.
- Wait and Seal: After a week of clear weather, remove the devices and seal the final gaps.
- Sanitize: Clean the area using proper respiratory protection.
- Maintenance: Inspect your roof every autumn to ensure no new gaps have opened up from house settling or weathering.
The reality is that bats are just looking for a warm, safe place to sleep. They aren't trying to mess with you. By using a calm, methodical exclusion process, you protect the bats and your home at the same time. No chemicals, no traps, just smart engineering.