How can I keep bats out of my home?
Some bats live in buildings and there may be no reason to evict them if there is little chance for contact with people. However, bats should always be prevented from entering rooms of your home. For assistance with bat-proofing your home, contact a pest control company or a wildlife conservation agency. If you choose to do the bat-proofing yourself here are some suggestions. Carefully examine your home for holes that might allow bats entry into your living quarters. Any openings larger than a quarter-inch by a half-inch should be caulked. Use window screens, chimney caps and draft-guards beneath doors to attics, fill electrical and plumbing holes with steel wool or caulking and ensure that all doors to the outside close tightly.
Additional bat-proofing can prevent bats from roosting in attics or buildings by covering outside entry points. Observe where the bats exit at dusk and exclude them by loosely hanging clear plastic sheeting or bird netting over these areas. Bats can crawl out and leave, but cannot re-enter. After the bats have excluded, the openings can be permanently sealed. For more information about bat-proofing your home contact Bat Conservation International.
If you find a bat in your home and don't know if a human or pet exposure has occurred, confine the bat to a room by closing all doors and windows leading out of the room and contact the Pima Animal Care Center immediately.