What Repels Bats?
When bats invade your space, they bring noise, filth, and in some cases, even disease. Although rabies caused by bat bites is probably rarer than you might imagine, bats still make a mess wherever they make their home. Yet, because Colorado law protects them, you cannot exterminate them as you would cockroaches or fleas. Instead, the most common way people try to manage bat infestations is to repel the bats away from homes, schools, and other buildings where humans reside. Consider the following methods of repelling bats.
Ultrasonic Devices
With many ultrasonic devices marketed to repel bats, it might seem like a simple way to solve your bat problem. These electronic devices emit a high-frequency sound that humans cannot hear, but that may drive bats away. You can buy an ultrasonic bat repellent device without spending a fortune, and it requires very little maintenance.
However, there is little evidence that ultrasonic bat repellent devices work. In independent testing, these devices have not been shown adequately effective. Also, these devices might disturb your pets or other wildlife that you don’t want to frighten away.
Lights and Sparkles
Shining lights where the bats go to roost disrupt their sleep, so they may leave to find another place where they can settle down. Additionally, you can use a mirror or a sheet of aluminum foil and shine a light on it to increase the light. Unfortunately, unless you illuminate every possible roosting spot, the bats will simply move somewhere darker.
Products with Naphthalene
Chemical bat repellent products might succeed in keeping bats away when electronic devices fail. On the other hand, you need to consider the safety of using such products. The most popular chemical bat repellent products use naphthalene, the same chemical in mothballs. However, these chemicals are hazardous to human health. Therefore, if you used enough of them to eliminate a significant bat problem, you could be putting your family at risk. Consequently, it is best to use naphthalene products in small areas where people and other animals do not go.
Natural Bat Repellents
Natural bat sprays are effective because bats have extremely sensitive noses and do not like the smell of the ingredients used in the sprays. For example, some bat repellant sprays have essential oils like spearmint or peppermint. Fortunately, such sprays present no danger to you or the pests. However, these sprays or packets are best for the early stages of infestation and may require frequent reapplication.
Dealing with an Infestation
If bats make a home in your home, then the challenge goes beyond keeping them from coming inside. Instead, you need to get them out of your space and prevent them from coming back. In this case, you need a comprehensive bat exclusion plan that covers both removal and prevention.
Assessment is the first step, and it starts with a discussion of your bat problem and what you’ve already noticed. An inspection comes next, and it often reveals places where bats enter and how many bats roost in your space. Next comes a plan to eliminate your bat problem.
A professional pest control company like OMNIS can choose the best, most effective methods of repelling the bats that have already found their way inside. We have the expertise needed to eliminate the bats safely and thoroughly.
Then, we work on exclusion to make sure the bats do not come back inside. For example, we can install bat cones that allow bats to leave your space but do not allow them to reenter. Next, we can advise you on where and how to seal openings in your home. We can also recommend bat prevention methods like putting a bat house somewhere nearby as an alternative roosting spot.
Contact OMNIS
Having bats on your property can cause you a lot of stress. However, the good news is that there is help for your pest control dilemma. You can try chemical, natural, or electronic bat repellants, and you may have some luck. But in the end, if you can’t get rid of bats on your own, you can get help from a bat control expert like our team at OMNIS Pest Control.
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