Bats In My Belfry

[eddiememphis]

I thought it was mice.

For years I have tried to trap, poison or frighten away the mice that poop on my deck. Every summer morning, I get five or six turds in one corner.

Last night, I set another trap. The red discoloration is cayenne pepper I tried last week. Did nothing except make me sneeze when I cleaned it up.



This morning...



Not a nibble.

We have bats in the park across the street. I can see them at twilight when I walk the dog. Then I finally looked up...



Yup. Poop on the wall. That corner is about 12 feet high so I have rarely looked up there. The little holes are 3/4 wide and about 1/4 deep.

Is that too small for a bat to enter? I think they about the size of mice so one may fit. I am going to plug all the holes eventually, although only one looks like it goes through. I don't want to seal them in. Scare them off first, I don't need dead stinky rodents in my ceiling.

What can I use as a repellent to keep them away? I know nothing about bats but am about to learn.

[colorider]

Put a bat house on an outside wall away from the porch and maybe they will move in. We have a LOT of bats at our house. Neighbor has 4 bat houses and tons of them live at the lake nearby. Summer at dusk they swoop all over eating bugs. They go right over our heads. Kind of creepy, but also pretty interesting too. They munch hundreds of bugs, which is nice. Keeps the moths and skeeters from pestering us too much.

[O2HeN2]

Put a bat house on an outside wall away from the porch and maybe they will move in.

South wall so the sun never shines on it. The house needs to stay [relatively] cool.

O2

[JohnnyDrama]

That hole is large enough for a couple of bats. I don't know about getting them to move. A sheltered hole about twelve feet up sounds like a bat's dream home. Considering the amount of bugs those guys eat, I'd welcome them. If you really want them gone, you might try putting up a bat house then go out after dark and plug the hole.

[00tec]

I've heard that some peppermint oil in a fog machine in the attic will make everything leave. Run for a bit, seal up everything, and enjoy the smell of candy canes for the next 2 weeks

[colorider]

In addition to the bats at my house, we have a resident owl that keeps the rodents in check. He hunts from our chimney and poops his pellets on the driveway. Oh, and a fox has a daily snack of rabbits off our front porch. It’s pretty dang cool living where I do because of the wildlife that hangs around here and Standley Lake. Lots of hawks too.

[BushMasterBoy]

Bat Magic at Home Depot.

[JohnnyDrama]

I've heard that some peppermint oil in a fog machine in the attic will make everything leave. Run for a bit, seal up everything, and enjoy the smell of candy canes for the next 2 weeks

[JohnnyDrama]

In addition to the bats at my house, we have a resident owl that keeps the rodents in check. He hunts from our chimney and poops his pellets on the driveway. Oh, and a fox has a daily snack of rabbits off our front porch. It’s pretty dang cool living where I do because of the wildlife that hangs around here and Standley Lake. Lots of hawks too.

That is really cool. All I have around here is an occasional Cottontail or deer. Once there was a turkey out front but it's usually really quiet.

[def90]

can you put some sort of flap over the holes that would allow them to squeeze their way out and exit but not get back in? But yeah, those holes are plenty big for bats.