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SIGNS OF INFESTATION

      Bats are usually detected by their droppings or noise-making. The musty smelling droppings can easily be mistaken for those of mice or birds. However, bat droppings can be crushed into fine, shiny undigested insect parts. By contrast, mouse droppings are firm and do not disintegrate readily. No white colour appears in bat feces as in bird feces.

ROOST SITE IDENTIFICATION

      In order to determine whether bats are roosting in a structure, its exterior should be inspected before bats leave their roosts (before dark) or when they return from their night escapade (at dawn). A watch of an hour or so for a few days should be sufficient to identify all possible entry and exit ways.

      Because bats are nocturnal creatures, they will not leave their roosting sites if they are faced with bright light. Therefore, while inspecting the outside of a structure, one should maintain a dim light by affixing several layers of red cellophane with a rubber band over the head of a flashlight.

TAKING COUNT

      Marking the entry sites down on a plan of the house and counting the number of bats exiting or entering the building will be a great help when monitoring the results of your control program.

BAT CONTROL

      When a bat infestation takes place in your house, you might consider excluding them either by "bat proofing" the structure yourself, installing bird netting, using lights to disturb them, providing alternative bat houses or hiring a company to exclude bats from a structure. A combination of these methods would be most effective. One may be interested to know that newly installed bat colonies will be easier to dislodge.

      The best time to control bats is in the spring, before migratory bats return to the roost or in the fall, when migratory bats have left for the season. This is important in order not to kill the young bats that may be trapped inside the structure. Their carcasses would eventually create an odour and insect problem. Bird netting

      The installation of bird netting (polypropylene netting) stapled or duct-taped over entry points, the bottom part hanging loosely one to several inches from the building, will enable the bats to crawl under and exit the roost site. On the other hand, returning bats will not be able to re-enter.

      The building should be watched for several evenings at dusk to ensure bats have not found another entry in the same structure. After three to five days, when no more bats are seen exiting the building, the netting can be removed and the holes sealed as stated in the following section.

BAT PROOFING

      Bat proofing a structure is the best way to manage a bat infestation on a permanent basis. It is essential to seal all points of entry such as spaces under eaves, electrical conduits, and holes around the chimney and windows. Vents that must be kept open can be protected with a fine screen. Larger openings can be sealed with a high quality caulk, lath, sheet of metal, or window screen. Unlike rodents, bats will not gnaw their way through, but they will push away loose barriers.

USE OF LIGHTS

      Since bats tend to avoid daylight, illuminating an infested attic may cause them to leave for another location. This method is believed to be most effective if done shortly after bats return from their hibernating sites. It may, however, not be as effective if it is impossible to direct the light to all roosting sites.

BAT HOUSES

      Bats are important insect predators and therefore should be encouraged to roost in our neighbourhoods in structures other than those where people are living and working. One way to achieve this is to install bat houses in trees, where bats will not represent a nuisance. Bat houses can be purchased in hardware stores and garden centers or easily built with rough left over wood.

      Bat houses must be installed at various heights (from 1.8 m to 12.2 m), protected from the wind and oriented towards the sun in the morning. Different crevices of different widths, placed at different heights will attract different bat species. The entrance should be at the bottom since bats enter from below but no obstacles such as tree branches should obstruct it. It may take up to one year before bats occupy these new structures especially designed for them.

BATS AS VISITORS

      If a bat accidently wanders into a house through a window, door, or unused chimney, one should remain calm and not panic. Don leather gloves because a bat may panic and bite when frightened. Healthy bats have no reason to attack people unless threatened.

EXCLUSION METHODS

      To remove a bat from a room, only the doors and windows that allow access to the outside should remain open. Wait for the bat to follow the fresh air. Bats usually rest during daytime. Therefore, if you want the bat to leave a room of its own accord, wait until nightfall and make sure the room is dark enough for the bat to realize it is night. Artificial lights may only confuse the bat's instinct.

      If the first method is unsuccessful, one may consider capturing the bat and then releasing it outdoors. The bat can be netted or captured in a small box or can. Place the container over the bat, then carefully slide a piece of hard cardboard under it, ensuring you do not leave any space for the bat to fly away. These are fragile creatures and therefore should be handled with care.

      Another method consists of using a tube (such as one from a roll of paper towels). Seal one end and leave the other open. Slowly move the tube into a horizontal position next to the bat, and often the bat will crawl inside in an attempt to hide. Then set it free.

      Once the bat has been removed, you can seal all possible entry points as stated above.