How to Catch a Bat in Your Home or Attic

Bats are the only mammals with capability of taking sustainable flight. Their long forelimbs make a webbed wing that helps in their flight. The size of bats varies from species to species ranging from m about 5-19cm in average (from tip to tail). However, with wingspread, they are about 15-38 cm long. They do not have fur or feathers like other birds, though their body is covered with tan to black hair. They are the only mammals that feed on blood. Although they are not a dangerous creature but still many people have a misconception regarding them. Their nocturnal behavior is what frightens the people most. They catch their prey from their hind limbs since front limbs formed the webbed wings.

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Complaints about Bats

From past centuries there have been many mysterious facts about the bat being the dangerous witchcrafts and vampires. Even the paranormal fictions about the vampires originated from the concept of bats. But all of these are just myths no truth in such things. The only thing true about the specie; they are nocturnal and feed on blood.

Bats live almost all across the world from mountains to forests. The only thing that affects their habitat is the cold temperature. In order to protect themselves from the frost, they mostly start living in warm places like houses, attics, caves, and mines, etc. They live in colonies, therefore, having a colony of bats living at your place is something very frustrating. Although they do not cause much harm, they can cause from minor problems to life-threating issues.

The squeaking of bats and the rustling sound of bats wings can be very annoying. For they are active at night and at that time we humans want to sleep. Also if some bat dies or got stuck in your house, the stinky smell will be very disgusting for a human to bear. Furthermore, the area of the house at which the bats are residing, you will find the walls dirty with their urine stains.

Techniques you may use when catching

Think that a colony of 30-40 bats living in your home or attics and daily leaving the urine stains. It will not cause the pungent smell but also can attract too much bacteria threatening your health. In addition, they are famous for carrying rabies and chronic lung infection. You should be very practical and careful if you find that the bats have resided in your place for nothing are more important your health. There are some ways of catching the bats and getting rid of them from your place. But you have to be very careful in using these techniques since if you fail in catching the bat, they may harm you by biting or scratching you a hand.

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• Using butterfly traps

This technique can be quite hard and requires a special attention since in order to catch the bat, firstly you have to wait for it to land properly only then you can catch it in a net. While catching you should be careful. If you go harsh and don’t handle with care, the bat may die since it is so fragile. After catching, bring out of the house and let it free. You can also use other nets like the fishing one, but there are possible chances that bat can squirt themselves from the holes of the net.

• Thick Leather Gloves

You can also use thick leather gloves for catching the bats. All you have to do is wear them and wait for a bat to sit somewhere then you can catch them cautiously but don’t hold them too tight. They can also be caught when they are flying, but it can be challenging and dangerous for you since bat can be defensive to save itself.

• Trap in a bowl

Bats can also be a trap in the bowl or bucket etc. just wait for the bat to land and then carefully place the bowl against wall or floor trapping them inside. Now cautiously slide the piece of paper or some lid between the surface and the bowl to trap the bat. Bring it on your home, rather some distance away from your place and let it free.

• Open the window as wide as possible

If there is some bat in your place, instead of catching them, you can also make them go away by opening your doors and windows as wide as possible. While flying the bat will automatically go out from the opened window or door. Once it is gone, make sure to close them.

• Smoother the animal in blanket or towel

The other technique you can use it that just drape the towel or soft blanket over the bat once it is exhausted and lands somewhere on the floor or wall. Carefully hold it and let it free after bringing it outside.

How to trap a Bat?

Bats are very in a way that they find their way back to your home even after you have let them free far out of your place. So in this case, you will need special bat exclusion devices or traps so that they can get out of your place but won’t be able to return. It is not an easy task as it requires expert skills and practice to place the trap correctly. Once you have identified the place where they are living and all the hole and gaps in the windows and other parts of your place from where they possibly go out and return, you have completed the step 1.

Now all you have to do is be creative, or take help of some professional to place the traps and exclusion devices at that entry points. The best time to place such traps and devices is at night when the most of them are gone out. This way they won’t be cautious about being trapped.

• Types of Bat traps

There are different types of traps available in the market to trap the bats. But in most of the countries, trapping and killing them is illegal. So you have to be very careful while using them

• Cage traps and boxes mounted on the exit points

These types or traps are very common just like the mouse traps. They are placed at the exits and entry points of the house or attic. When an animal enters into it, the door is closed automatically, and the bat is trapped inside. They are not deadly traps since people only use it to catch the prey once they are caught you can just leave them far away from your place in some forest.

• Glue Board bat trap

The bats are uninvited guests in the house. When people get too fed up of their presence, they use glue board traps. These are used to kill the animal. What people do is, they place the glue board in attic or other places where the bats are roosting. When some bats get stuck on the board, it is unable for them to move from their place and eventually they starve to death. This is illegal for a person to kill the bats. Also, this process is slow and very disgusting producing the stinky odor and other diseases.

Conclusion

The bats may look ugly and deadly creature and regarded as the vampires. Still, they are not dangerous as people have a misconception about them. They are the only mammal that flies. Though their presence at your house can be very frustrating and infuriate still, they are very useful that they help in insect control. Even most people have specially made the places for the bats to reside there.

Though there are some other techniques and traps that people use to catch the bats, still much of them will find their way back to your home. Unless you take the help from some professional bat trappers or research the bat exclusion in detail.