Keeping bats away from your windows and door shutters can be exhausting. They love to perch behind shutters because of their size and the shutter’s dark nature, which protects them from danger. So, how do you deter these stubborn household pests from shutters? We will cover some practical ways to ward them off in this guide.
Like every creature, bats prefer to dwell in places with easy access to food. And shutters allow them to find food easily, as it is an open place with no light. However, if you feel uncomfortable having them around, you can employ these simple yet effective ways to keep them at bay:
- Spray a bat pesticide. Ensure it penetrates holes in the shutters.
- Keep a bright light around the shutters.
- Manually remove bats yourself or employ a wildlife specialist. Doing this could be difficult, but it’s a permanent solution to having bats in your shutters.
In the following few headings, we will discuss practical ways to keep bats out of your shutters and answer frequently asked questions about eliminating their infestation. But before we go into all that, let’s briefly discuss some telltale signs of a bat infestation.
How To Identify a Bat Infestation Problem
Bumblebees, the smallest among other bats and weighing less than a penny, can fit into tiny holes. Its ability to fit into small holes allows it to roost behind shutters. Although these mammals are small and can fit into smaller gaps, they can’t stay hidden for too long. They move around in groups, which means that where you see one bat, chances are that more are hiding.
When colonies of such bats haven’t relocated to your house yet, they may take over soon. The reason you should act fast once you see traces of bats around.
Aside from bats living in colonies, you can also tell about bat Infestations by their waste urine. Bat waste looks like the waste of a rodent, just that it is bigger and looks more like dog waste. However, bats are fond of accumulating their feces, which makes it easier for you to detect.
The accumulated waste-guano often stinks and harbors the Histoplasma fungus. This fungus is detrimental to human health. Especially when it has become airborne and inhaled, it can cause a lung infection known as histoplasmosis.
Lastly, you can know you have a bat Infestation through their scratching on the shutter’s surface and the stains they leave. If you’ve discovered that you have an Infestation, you can find ways to get rid of it below.
How To Keep Bats Out of Your Shutters
Although bats are ecologically helpful because they eat up rodents and insects around the house, Most people don’t feel comfortable having these creatures around the house.
The discomfort may be because of their dropping, which poses a harmful substance to humans. It could also be a result of the fact that bats live in colonies. That means when one bat perches on a surface, chances are that a colony of bats will take over soon.
Droppings aside, these creatures are annoying with their scratching and chirping at night. As a result, it is crucial to keep these mammals out of your home forever.
1. Spray a Bat Pesticide
Bats are stubborn rodents that may return after a while, regardless of how far you try to remove them from your environment. It is especially true when they can still find a safe place to perch around your house. In addition, bats have an active sense of smell that helps them detect danger from afar. Therefore, using a repellent will help keep bats away from your environment.
Using chemical substances as repellents will keep bats at bay once you spray them between the holes in the shutter. You can as well use natural substances that repel bats from your home. Mothballs, cinnamon, white phenol, and eucalyptus are natural bat repellents. Fortunately, bats naturally dislike the fragrance of these natural repellents and can’t withstand them.
Place any of these substances behind shutters in your home and watch the outcome. These bats will be gone until you can get a permanent solution.
2. Keep the Area Lit
Bats naturally dislike light and, therefore, can’t withstand a lighted area. Therefore, to keep bats away from your shutter, keep a bright light around them. Another helpful method is to keep light between the shutters. But again, this method may not work for long, as the bats may get used to the light and return after a while.
They will return to find a safer and darker area around your home, like the attic or basement, which can become a bigger problem to remove. Therefore, using light to scare bats away may not be a permanent solution to deter bats from your shutters.
3. Manually Remove Them
It may be difficult, but it is the only way to deal with a bat infestation in your home permanently. After that, you can remove the bat or call a wildlife removal specialist.
Removing bats alone may be dangerous, especially when the windows are high. You will need a ladder, a glove, and a shoe box. Also, it will be best to be careful, so the bats don’t approach you aggressively while trying to get them out.
Most people prevent bats from returning to their homes by removing window shutters. It will help to divert the bar’s attention and drive them away without committing crimes.
Conclusion
Most times, it may not be so simple to deter bats from shutters, but you can avoid a recurrence. You can hire wildlife removal services to get them out of the shutters.
Furthermore, clean your environment thoroughly to remove anything that might attract them. You can also remove the shutters to ensure they have no hiding place; perhaps they will return.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I See One Bat in My House, Does That Mean There Are More?
If you see one bat in your house, especially the smallest of them, chances are that there are hundreds of them hiding. This is because bats are tiny creatures and can hide in small holes. Therefore, when you see a single bat, thoroughly check to verify if there are others.
What Will Scare Bats Away?
Bats naturally hate some natural smells, so while you use chemical repellent, be sure to use some natural repellents too. It will help scare bats away from your home.
Hide some mothballs or eucalyptus behind the shutters and watch the bats disappear. Likewise, CDs or mirrors reflect light, but bats don’t like light. So it will help to place a CD plate or a mirror around the area to scare bats away.
What Is the Minor Place a Bat Can Fit Through?
Bats can enter places as small as a chimney, an exhaust vent, and a louver fan. Also, an air intake, cable lines, and spaces around windows and openings around windows and doors can accommodate bats. Keep these places supervised to avoid these creatures entering your home.
