You should call a licensed wildlife removal specialist to safely and humanely get a bat out of your house. They have the skills, tools, and legal know-how to handle bats safely.
Bats may be fascinating creatures in the wild, but having one fluttering around your living room is another story. Acting quickly is important, and the safest move is to contact a licensed wildlife removal specialist who can handle the situation humanely and in compliance with local laws.
What Kind of Professional Removes Bats?
If you’ve discovered bats in your home, knowing who to call makes all the difference for a safe, legal, and humane removal.
Wildlife Removal Specialists
Wildlife removal specialists are trained to safely and humanely handle situations involving bats in homes, attics, or other structures. They understand bat behavior, follow local wildlife protection laws, and use methods that remove the animal without causing harm.
In most cases, they can also identify how the bat got inside and recommend steps to prevent future intrusions. These specialists often offer emergency services for single bat incidents as well as exclusion work for colonies. By hiring them, you ensure the removal process is legal, humane, and effective, avoiding the risks that come with DIY attempts.
Why Pest Control Companies Aren’t Always the Right Choice
While pest control companies handle insects and rodents, they’re not always equipped or licensed to work with bats. Many states have strict regulations protecting bats, which means extermination is not an option and specialized exclusion techniques must be used instead.
This makes wildlife control professionals a better fit for the job. Pest control teams that aren’t trained in bat biology may unintentionally harm the animal or violate wildlife laws. Choosing a provider who specializes in humane wildlife removal ensures the job is done right the first time.
Why You Shouldn’t Remove a Bat Yourself
Removing a bat on your own might seem simple, but it’s far more dangerous, and legally complicated, than most people realize.
Health Risks from Bats
Bats can carry diseases like rabies, which can be transmitted through bites or scratches, even if they seem minor. They may also spread histoplasmosis, a respiratory illness caused by inhaling fungal spores found in bat droppings.
Attempting to catch or handle a bat without proper protection can put you at serious health risk. Because symptoms of some bat-related illnesses can take time to appear, any direct contact should be treated as a potential exposure. This is why professionals use protective gear and strict safety protocols during removal.
Legal Restrictions on Bat Removal
In many areas, bats are protected by federal or state laws that make it illegal to harm them. There are also seasonal restrictions, especially during maternity season when mothers are raising their pups. Removing bats at the wrong time can leave young bats trapped inside, which is both inhumane and against the law.
Wildlife specialists know these regulations and use approved exclusion methods to comply with them. This ensures the bat is removed legally while protecting local bat populations.
What to Do While Waiting for Help
Discovering a bat indoors can be unsettling, but your actions before help arrives can make the removal process safer and faster.
Contain the Situation Safely
If a bat is flying around inside, confine it to one room by closing all doors leading to other parts of the house. Keep windows and exterior doors shut to prevent it from relocating to another area or escaping in a way that makes tracking it harder.
This containment helps the wildlife removal specialist locate and handle the bat quickly when they arrive. Avoid chasing or swatting at the bat, as this can cause it to panic and hide in small, hard-to-reach spaces. Staying calm will keep the situation under control until professional help arrives.
Protect Yourself and Household Members
Make sure everyone in your household, including pets, stays away from the room containing the bat. This reduces the risk of bites, scratches, or accidental contact that could lead to potential disease exposure.
If possible, place a towel or draft blocker under the door to prevent the bat from slipping into another room. Wearing gloves and long sleeves is a good precaution if you must briefly enter the room, but avoid direct handling. Let the trained specialists manage the removal to keep you and your family safe.
How Professionals Remove Bats from Your Home
Removing bats isn’t a job for DIY; it requires skill, patience, and humane techniques to ensure they’re gone for good without causing harm.
Live Capture for Single Bats
When only one bat has entered your home, wildlife specialists often use a humane live-capture method. This typically involves carefully trapping the bat with a net or container while wearing protective gear, ensuring no harm to the animal.
Once secured, the bat is released outdoors in a safe location away from your property. This process is quick, minimizes stress for the bat, and reduces the chance of it flying into hidden areas. Professionals also check for potential entry points during the visit to prevent repeat incidents.
Exclusion for Colonies
If a colony has taken up residence, specialists use a method called exclusion. This involves installing one-way devices over entry points, allowing bats to leave but preventing them from returning. It’s a humane approach that avoids harming the animals while fully evicting them from your home.
After the bats have left, the technician seals all identified entry points to prevent future access. This combination of removal and prevention ensures the problem is solved long-term.
Preventing Future Bat Intrusions
Keeping bats out for good means going beyond removal, it’s about making your home uninviting and inaccessible to them in the first place.
Sealing Entry Points
One of the most effective ways to keep bats out is to identify and seal all potential entry points. Common access spots include gaps in rooflines, loose soffits, attic vents, and chimneys without caps. Even openings as small as half an inch can be enough for a bat to squeeze through.
Wildlife specialists use durable materials like heavy-duty mesh, caulk, or metal flashing to close these gaps. This creates a permanent barrier that stops bats from returning once they’ve been removed.
Reducing Attractants
Bats are often drawn to properties with abundant food sources and shelter opportunities. Since many bats feed on insects, reducing outdoor lighting or using yellow “bug” bulbs can help lower insect activity around your home. Keeping trees trimmed away from the roofline also removes convenient landing and entry points.
By making your property less appealing, you greatly reduce the chances of another bat finding its way inside. These proactive measures work best when combined with professional exclusion services.
Protecting Your Home and Bats the Right Way
Having a bat in your home can be alarming, but the safest and most effective solution is to call a licensed wildlife removal specialist. They have the skills, equipment, and legal knowledge to handle the situation humanely and prevent it from happening again.
With professional help and preventive measures in place, you can protect your family, your property, and the bats themselves. Partnering with experts like AAAC Wildlife Removal ensures peace of mind and a long-term solution.
Protect Your Home with AAAC Wildlife Removal!
Don’t let a bat problem put your family’s safety at risk. At AAAC Wildlife Removal, we provide humane, legal, and effective bat removal services tailored to your home’s needs. From emergency single-bat extractions to full colony exclusions, our team handles the entire process, including sealing entry points and sanitizing affected areas.
