Ah Rats !,..... I got BATS!

[Harms Way]

Hey all,

Not quite sure what to do with this problem, I have a old 3 bay Mobil Service Station that was built in the late 30's,... I have been trying to get it set up to work in and it became abundantly clear today that I have some Bats that have taken up residence,........ I am trying to isolate any holes or areas they could possibly get in,... but that is a lot of looking, any ideas?, traps?, I would like either to uninvite these little buggers or dispatch them by any means necessary. thanks in advance for any help / ideas.

 

[Bilko]

I would not kill them!!! Do a search on google and go from there, they can fit in a hole the size of your thumb. So you need to find out where they are getting in and out and make a door out of wire so that they can get out but not back in. Also they is a few month period where they have babies so you want to wait until they are gone. I am no expert but have a small bat problem in my attic that I am working on. Hope this steers you on the right path.

 

[swgray]

Build them their own home somewhere else on your property. I'm sure the plans can be found on the internet. I think they eat their own weight in bugs everyday, so bats are your friends.

 

[Harms Way]

I would not kill them!!! Do a search on google and go from there, they can fit in a hole the size of your thumb. So you need to find out where they are getting in and out and make a door out of wire so that they can get out but not back in. Also they is a few month period where they have babies so you want to wait until they are gone. I am no expert but have a small bat problem in my attic that I am working on. Hope this steers you on the right path.

Thanks, this building is going to be very difficult to locate any ingress/egress spaces, especially if they can enter in a space as small as your thumb, it has very large wood roll up doors and I have some spaces that size in different areas around the doors,.... I am concerned because there is a space above the office area I cant get into, and I think they could be nesting up there.
From what I hear Bat poo is very toxic, and my grandson comes over from time to time,.... and my grandson is a lot more important to me than a million bats,....... (and by the way,... they ain't eating the bugs inside the building, I have a lot of them too, my next problem will be getting rid of the wasps that like to hang around the bay windows)

 

[shocksystems]

Harms Way: I would love to see some pics of the garage and your work revitalizing it. Have you posted any yet? Cheers! Jim

 

[Harms Way]

Harms Way: I would love to see some pics of the garage and your work revitalizing it. Have you posted any yet? Cheers! Jim

Well I haven't posted any pictures yet, but I will soon. It was built in the deco style with the curved all glass panel office area, All block construction with a brick fascia, I live in northern Mi. now, just a couple miles from it and will be using it to build my Hot Rods out of. When I was a little kid my family would stop there for gas on the way to the Lake,...

Here's a teaser shot from 1951,... just goofing around I added the Deuce Roadster to the picture,if you look close you can see the pumps in the reflection on the glass,.... the Mobil signs has been gone since the 60's

I will post some current pictures soon, but I have to post them on the HAMB first

 

[nissan_crawler]

Build them their own home somewhere else on your property. I'm sure the plans can be found on the internet. I think they eat their own weight in bugs everyday, so bats are your friends.

Winner.

 

[HOTFR8]

There must be a natural reppelent for them. But make sure they have a home to move to. They would be detroying other pests whilst they are in your Garage.

I have a problem with mice but the little critters die in the wrong place. ( Phewwww ).

 

[djjsr]

I had a couple of bats 2 years ago. The good news is that they migrate in the winter, so they will be leaving on their own (when it gets cold). The bad news is that they will be back. Guaranteed.

You've got to find the holes during the day and plug them at night. And if you're considering those electronic gadgets to get rid of them, I have about 6 of them you can have. They don't work (at all).

 

[kbs2244]

Do some internet research on them.
I have some around me that I can see in the early evening. I have no idea where they roost.
What surprised me was that they like to nest where it is hot. You here about caves full of them, so you would think they like it cool, but not so.
They will go South in the winter, so that is the time to tighten up the building.
I would go with the idea of providing an alterative nesting place for them when they come back.
There are some good, easy to make plans on the internet along with placement hints so that you get the good side of having them around without the hazards.

 

[dawg]

Bats are a good thing!
they eat their weight in moquitos and other nusance bugs.
build a good bat house they will take up residence in there.
I got a few on my property thats full of bats and i dont have a bug problem at night.

 

[Thumper]

I had an old bat hanging around here for awhile.........then I divorced her !!!!

 

[SteveU]

Read somewhere that they eat 3000 mosquitoes per night & with all the rain/snowmelt & standing water this year having something to eat them would be a good thing & as long as they have a place to live outside of your house/shop it would be a win-win situation.

 

[OldCarGuy]

Indeed bats have received a bad rap. But please send them my way, I‘d love to have them! I built a bat house last year hoping to attract some on my property. To date none have shown up. Hopefully this year they will be more productive…

 

[Vincent Vega]

We had some in the house last year. The War Dept didn't like it so we called in a bat guy last fall. He explained there are two types common to our area (WI) Big Brown and Little Brown. The Little will migrate, the Big will hibernate. For 400.00 he sealed every opening he could find. He put "bat doors" in some of the openings so they could get out. A bat door is essentially a flat tube of window screen they can crawl out, but can't crawl in. 3 Year warranty. So far so good. He did not recommend any repellent or chemicals. He's been doing this way for 10 years.

 

[Harms Way]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, I am not opposed to Bat's and I am not a member of the HeeMan Bat haters club, I believe everything has a place, and would like to have them over at the new house (17 wooded acres ),.... But I don't want them IN my shop.

 

[GYOGI65]

Got bats in an enclosed roof not accessable from inside had sevral get inside house wife had fit sealed from inside built bathouses they stayed empty count 70 plus leaving at night even tangled with one and did the rabies thing found best thing is to leave them be and enjoy a bug free zone less hassle than trying to evict and nights are more enjoyable without the bugs

 

[roundvalley]

I live in a log home in Idaho and bats love it. Moth balls and electric gadgets do not work. Save your money. Bat houses are good, but will not make them leave their existing home. You need to go outside 1/2 Hr. before dark and watch them leave and take note of the places they come out of. You need to then plug these holes after dark when they are gone. You can also hang netting over the area so then can leave and not return . Lots luck because they are good buggers but a big dirty pain in the ***.

 

[UnionWelder]

12 guage ***** choke number 9 shot works everytime

 

[e-tek]

Yes, bats are good for a balanced eco-system. Yes, they eat lots (and lots) of bugs. But if they are in your way (or hair!) or wrecking your builkding, then they are a PEST and need to be treated as such. In University I spent a lot of time in the "Insectary and Small Animal" lab and learned a lot about these flying rats.
First things was said above - set up a bat watch. Start 30 minutes before Dusk and Dawn to see where they enter exit from. Look for Guano (white bat ****). Do NOT try to evict in August when babies are present - they are crazy mothers and will not leave off-spring easily!

Here's some good ideas I copied form a web site:
-Lower the temperature in the attic by creating an air draft. Use fans or add wall and roof vents.
- String floodlights in the attic to illuminate the roosting area.
- Bats can live to be 30 years old, and the colony will attempt to return to their traditional roost. Installing a bat house will increase your success rates in keeping bats out of your house and reduce the local mosquito population.
- Trapping is not recommended since excluding bats (keeping them out) is less complicated to carry out, less time consuming, more effective and requires no handling of bats.

*** Never attempt to poison bats! Poison is not effective because many of our bats are insectivorous and bats often roost deep in cracks where the poison wont reach. Poisoned bats will leave the house sick, and are then more likely to bite pets or people.

Hope you get them out of the building and into some homes of their own!!

 

[Question]

I had a nest in the attic right over our bedroom, found a research paper on line that said that they will not eat their way back into the nest. It recommended covering the area that they are using in plastic sealed at the top and open at the bottom. They will find there way out but cant get back in. They were using a crack between the chimney and the house. I wrapped in plastic and one night latter..GONE.. You can also get a clue as to where they are going in and out because they poop before they go thru the crack, I saw all the guano on the ground at the base of the chimney but didn't connect the two. I left the plastic up for about a week then filled the crack with foam.. no more bats..

Good Luck.