Bats

I know little about bats, but I know more than I did 10 minutes ago because of these FAQs:


Bats - Pest Control

BAT FAQ

Some useful stuff

Bats Frequently Asked Questions

Hope these help.

From reading those faqs, if you ( or your landlord) find out where they enter and leave the walls, you can place some bird netting over the entrance in such a way that they can leave the area but not re-enter. When they are all gone, you can cover up the entrance permanently so they can never get back in. Don't know about them entering your apartment - sounds like they would have no reason to try to get in, and if they had wanted to they would have already entered.

Thanks, Larry. When I first moved here there was a bat flying in the hallway, big wing-span, swooping and diving, no doubt it made its way in because someone left the door propped open. I figured they were insect eaters, beneficial to the ecosystem, but it's hard to not be spooked. I know they have no interest in humans, but it's hard to get past their nocturnal ways to appreciate their contribution to the planet...

If I woke up with one of those things staring at me, I wouldn't care how many damn insects it had eaten either!

I have a friend who had a bat get into her apartment before and I wish I could remember how she got rid of it. I think she called the police who came and somehow cornered and caught it. Either way it scared the heck out of her and her 3 daughters. Getting them out of the walls is a very good idea as eventually they could make their way in. The netting idea that Larry mentioned that lets them get out but not back in sounds like a great idea. I would talk to my landlord and give them any suggestions you come up with to get them out as it is their responsabilty.
I personally have nothing against bats, but I wouldn't want them living in my house either.
Best of luck to you.

My friends in Garlant, TX, had bats in the attic, they used a shot gun but then you know Texans.

LOL Joanne. Only in Texas ;-)

:wink:

We had a small clot of bats living in one of our chimneys years ago. They would often come and go by the scenic route , which involved flying down into our kitchen and flitting around the house until we opened a window.
' The kids made up a game called BAT minton. They would try to hit the bats with badminton raquets . They only got one that I recall, and we had to get a a professional "critter gitter"
Turning it into a game takes a lot of the fear out of the bat problem.

Best, to call the exterminator before you get rabies from the bats.

Bats in the house are a bother. Still, they are eco-beneficient critters. We have several "Bat Boxes" scattered around the buildings here at Timberland. We encourage Purple Martins and bluebirds too, and frogs. The coalition has some suppressant effect on the ravaging hordes of mosquitos which besiege and lay waste to The Northwoods every year.

Bat houses are a great idea, but many people feel like they shouldnt be attracting bats to their own homes, which surprises me because what do they think that is flying around up there at twilight..a bird??..anyway, people just dont like them, even if they are basically harmless, of course, like NH says, there is the fear of rabies, and if they are trapped in your house it can be a chore to get them out...basically though..open a window, the doors, etc.

I hate to tell you how I used to catch the bats around when I was a kid...pretty basic science actually.
Get a fishing pole, let the line out <with hook>, when bat is flying about, swing the line towards the bat, the radar system of the bat simply tells it its a flying object like a bug and it will hit on it, in which time you now have hooked the bat. We used to take our pillowcase and fishing nets and have them at the ready cuz, the poor little things would basically be knocked to the ground when you hooked them, get them in pillowcase/nets and well, just be kids figuring out what a bat looks like and does. Those poor bats.
Im not afraid of them however, and I would put up a bat house...no problem.

Bat guano is fairly corrosive, isn't it? Best give them their own houses.

Thanks for all your responses. I don't mind if they live in the walls outside my apartment, just as long as they don't enter. Unforunately, bat houses aren't part of the landscape here, as it's an apartment building. Oh well, I'll talk to the landlords. At least the hornets haven't come out yet, I know they are lving the walls too...