How to Keep Bats Away from Porch
Bats are essential to maintaining a healthy ecosystem. However, the animals can become a nuisance for homeowners when they invade their private spaces. You might find a bat (or bat colonies) casually roosting on your residence. The creatures prefer dark spaces like sections such as house attics, porch, backyards, etc.
Light attracts insects to your porch, this avail ready food for bats. Cutting the food source, sealing holes, and spraying bat repellants like cinnamon or eucalyptus. Installing nests, traps, and the use of ultrasonic bat repellent technology or even hiring a professional can get rid of bats.
Understanding how to deal with the menace can be challenging for some people. However, there are several ways of keeping the creatures away from your space.
Can bats roost on the porch?
Bats will readily roost on your porch during the day or in between meals. The animals find porches and overhangs as ideal spaces when resting, given the amount of space available for the creatures to maximize on.
Finding a bat roosting on your porch can be an unpleasant scene for many homeowners who have come to associate the animals with ill luck, pests, and diseases.
What brings bats to your porch
Bats come to your porch for several reasons. A primary reason involves the lack of alternative safe spaces for the animal to rest during migration, availability of food, etc.
Here are some of the reasons why you might find bats on your porch:
- A lack of adequate housing due to habitat loss.
- Food such as fruits, insects, etc., is readily available.
- Poor lighting.
- Cracks and crevices on your porch
How to keep bats away from your porch?
Some of the best strategies include:
Keep Your Porch Lights On
Bats generally hate bright lights. While most bat species appear to be blind, studies suggest they can see, just not clear enough.
The distaste for light explains why bats prefer dark caves, cracks/holes within your house, or why they prefer hunting at night. A simple way to keep bats from your residence is by ensuring that your porch (and other outdoor spaces) remain well-lit during the night.
The solution, however, is only viable if the bats are not already living within your house. Dark spaces such as the attic, ceiling, etc., can provide an ideal living space for bats. Placing bright lights may not entirely solve the situation but might cause the creatures to move deeper within your living space as they seek to avoid the light.
Use Eucalyptus/cinnamon.
A bat’s nose is an incredibly delicate organ that readily detects various smells and odors. Using scent to deter bats remains a humane and non-lethal way of keeping bats from your porch.
Bats cannot stand the smell of eucalyptus, cinnamon, peppermint, and other plants with strong scents. You can deter bats by using natural oils with potent scents along cracks, pouches, and other locations where bats are prone to inhabit.
Just make a solution of eucalyptus oil, mix it with water, and spray the concoction on the bats to instantly deter them. If the bats have made a home in your living space, continued application of the spray will eventually force them to move.
Try Bat Repellent sprays.
You can consider using bat repellent sprays to keep bats off your property. Most sprays contain naphthalene (a potent chemical compound that sublimes on exposure to air). Naphthalene irritates a bat’s nasal cavity, effectively keeping them away.
Some bat repellent sprays can also be hazardous to humans. There are cases of eye, skin irritation on continued exposure to the chemical substances. It is crucial to exercise care and to make sure that you always wear protective clothing on each application.
You can readily find bat repellent sprays on online stores, registered dealerships, etc. When using such products, you should ensure that you follow the manufacturers’ guidelines and specifications.
Use Check Valves/DIY bat traps.
Bats traps are an easy way of getting rid of bats from your porch. You can use a bat trap to deal with small numbers of bats within your living space.
One of the best methods to trap/keep bats away from your porch is simply setting up check valves at strategic areas of your house. First, you need to locate the main entry points of the animals. If the animals are coming from within your premises, check valves are an excellent way of keeping them out.
You can also opt for other traps such as cages to contain the creatures (and keep them away from your living space). It’s vital to take precautions when dealing with bats as they can bite and attack when feeling threatened.
If you are unsure how to deal with your bat problem, you can always hire a professional to help you deal with the menace.
Seal holes within your porch
It’s vital to seal holes within your porch when dealing with bats. The animals generally prefer to hide in dark crevices during the day. Your deck can provide an ideal resting place for the animals if the structure has several large cracks and dents.
A variety of methods are available for sealing a hole or crack in your outdoor space. However, you should first consider the material of your porch ceiling. Wooden ceilings require filler materials, while composite and plastic surfaces need glue.
The rationale is simple, fixing the cracks (and openings) deprives the creatures of suitable living space. Unless the bats’ nest in the trees, and other outdoor spaces, the solution can be a long-lasting fix to keep bats away from your porch.
Bat nets
You can capture and contain rogue bats using specially designed nets. Bat nets are an ideal solution when facing a bat infestation or when bats often visit your porch from outside spaces.
Most bat netting has UV protection features that effectively keep the animals away from your porch. Place the net strategically along the exterior of your home, and be sure to cover all the potential access points.
Bat nets provide a humane and non-lethal way of containing bats within your home. It’s advisable to install the nets at night when the animals are not at their roosting spots.
Experts also suggest that you extend the net to about 6 -inches on either side to entirely prevent access for the returning bats while a hanging bottom allows the animals living in the house to crawl to the bottom.
If you are not entirely sure how to correctly install a bat net, it’s always a good idea to consult a professional.
Limit Availability of Food
A sure way of dealing with troublesome bats involves limiting the animal’s access to food. Bats have a diverse menu, and the type of food implied depends primarily on the bat species.
Typical food items include fruits, insects, etc. Eliminating the animal’s prime source of food forces the bats out of your house (although the process may take time). It’s always advisable to combine the technique with more proactive measures for an effective solution.
You can try using insecticides, repellent sprays to keep insects off your space. Most bat species consume night-flying insects regularly. You can always ask for professional advice when identifying the bat species; the animal’s excrement might also give you some insight into the matter.
Use Ultrasonic bat repellent technology.
Bat repellent technology is a sure-fire way of handling a bat problem on your porch, house, or within your compound. The system incorporates various features especially well-suited to keep bats off your living space.
Most bat repellent systems work by releasing high-pitched ultrasonic sounds that irritate and deter bats from your home. Just place individual units strategically along your porch, power up, and wait for results.
Bat repellent technology provides a safe, chemical-free alternative to eradicating bats from your living space. Besides, the system rarely affects other household pets and provides definite results over time.
For proper installation, it’s always advisable to follow the manufacturer’s specifications.
Contain bats in bat houses
Bat houses are an eco-friendly solution to containing bats within your home. The structures provide a safe alternative when keeping bats away from the inhabited areas of your home.
Constructing a bat house usually involves creating a small structure mounted on poles or attached to tree branches/buildings. The height of a bat house should be about 15 feet from the ground surface to keep off predators, kids, and other animals that might interfere with your structure.
You can also plant aromatic plants such as marigold, thyme, and nocturnal blooming species to attract insects and keep the bats away from your porch. Bat houses provide a humane method of dealing with bats without having to interrupt the ecosystem.
Contact a professional
It’s always advisable to contact a professional for help if you are unsure how to deal with a bat problem.
Professional bat handlers are specially equipped with the correct strategies when dealing with a bat problem. Besides, having a professional save you the extra hassle and time when tackling the issue, yourself.
Most bat professionals are reliable, affordable specialists who can readily take care of your bat-related issues. They can also provide insight on what could be causing the creatures to nest on your porch, house, or compound.
Bat removal experts usually charge $400-$600 depending on the size and location of the colony(although several factors may apply).
Are bats attracted to porch lights?
In general, bats will avoid bright white lights at night, but some may somehow prefer the illumination because of insects.
Light makes the animals easily visible to predators and may affect their eyesight. Besides, bats are accustomed to hunting under the night sky using ultrasonic waves.
Bats consider porch lights to be a disruptive and irritating phenomenon that negatively impacts their hunting. Wildlife experts advise switching on porch lights during migration to keep the animals away from your porch, attic, and other living spaces.
