Should I Poison a Bat?
If you’re thinking about poisoning a bat, you had best reconsider.
Sure, bat infestations can become a problem, but there are other,
better ways to solve it. Poisoning an animal usually results in an
agonizing end for the creature and while you’re not around to see
it, it remains the case.
Beyond this, bats are a protected species, which means that you
could be hit with a hefty fine if you proceed with a poison plan and
are caught out. Moreover, if you plant poison in your attic or a
roof cavity, the most likely places where the offending creatures
abide, many are likely to die there, leaving the space with a
long-lasting, offensive odor. Even worse, they may wriggle down into
your walls before they breathe their last, bring to odor of rotting
animals that much closer to your living space.
And meanwhile, you should keep in mind that, whatever the current
problem, bats generally do far more good than harm, devouring 600-
or more insects – especially mosquitoes – during a single night’s
foraging. A colony of bats likely represents the most effective
bug-control solution you can find.
Nevertheless, if bats in your building become a problem that you can
no longer tolerate, it is definitely okay to evict them. In doing
so, keep them around by providing them with alternative dwelling
space in the form of a bat house. You can buy them in various sizes
or build them from plans that are readily available, on the
Internet, for example.
Evicting the bats isn’t complex. It won’t take much in the way of
materials, but it will take a little time and dedication. First, you
have to find out how they’re leaving and entering your space. Then,
you take a trip to the hardware store and get some screening and
tubes of caulking. Get your ladder out and close off all the
possible points of entry/egress, either with caulking or screen. Be
thorough, because bats can squeeze through very small holes.
There is likely one major portal and that requires a bit of
architecture. Cut and form the screen so that it forms a loose
curtain over the entrance, allowing the bat to exit freely. Extend
the curtain downward for a couple of feet, so that even if the bat
can get purchase on the screen and climb a bait, it can’t get in
position to reenter the port.
Leave the curtain up for a few days but meanwhile, check to assure
that there are no adult bats still in side and that no babies have
been left behind while their moms were out feeding. If there are,
hold off on the closure for three or four weeks and then execute:
the plan, not the bats.
If you need help, we service the entire USA! Click
here for a wildlife removal specialist in your town!
Go back to the main
Bat Removal page for
more information about Should I Poison a Bat?.
Read more about bat control in my educational articles. Find out if a
bat house will prevent bats from entering your home, and whether or not the
city or county animal services will help with a bat issue. Learn if a
bright light or high pitch sound deterrent machine will work on bats, and if a bat in your attic will have a
nest of babies. Find out if a
pest control company will remove a bat, and whether it is
Legal to trap bats.
I can teach you how to
Locate and Remove a Dead Bat and tell you everything you need to know about
Bat Exclusion Material. Learn more about
Bat Mating Habits and the
summer maternity season. Learn how to get bats
out of your attic and the different
property modifications you can do to keep bat populations down.
Find out if
mothballs or ammonia really help repel bats and even if bats make
Good Pets. Read my thoughts on if you should ever
Poison a Bat, and my best advice on how to clean
Bat Feces out of your Attic.