Bat Control: How to Get Bats Out of Your Attic Safely and Legally

You hear faint scratching and squeaking above the ceiling around sunset, or you find small dark droppings under an attic vent. Bats in a house need a different approach than most pests. Some species are endangered, some states make it illegal to kill them, and bats can carry rabies. This guide helps you confirm you have bats, pick a legal time to act, get them out with a one-way device and seal the house behind them.

How to tell you have bats

Droppings are usually the first clue. Bat droppings (guano) are pellets that crumble into powder when crushed, and the powder shows shiny bits of undigested insects. Wear gloves and use a stick to crush one; do not use your fingers.

If the droppings look like a rodent’s, our guide to signs of rodents will help you sort it out.

Signs of bats in the house

• Bats flying out of a gap in the roofline, eaves or siding at dusk.
• Dark stains below and around a gap, left by body oils, urine and droppings.
• Noises in the attic or walls, or an odd smell near the roost.
• A single bat flying around a room.

If what you hear or see does not fit bats, compare it with our guides to squirrels and raccoons.

Why bats move into houses

In spring, female bats gather in maternity colonies to give birth and raise their young, and an attic or wall void can make a good roost. Males usually roost apart from the females and young. Most bats leave buildings in late fall, and colonies that stop briefly on migration often move on within a few weeks.

Bats need very little room to get in. CDC notes they can squeeze through openings as small as 1/4 inch.

Rabies and other health risks

In the US, bats are the animals most often reported with rabies, and most Americans who die of rabies were exposed to a rabid bat. That does not make every bat dangerous. UC IPM reports that no more than half a percent of randomly tested bats carry rabies, though a sick bat is more likely to be infected. Bats rarely bite except in self-defense.

Rabies spreads when saliva or nerve tissue gets into a wound or into the eyes, nose or mouth. There is no evidence that bat urine or droppings spread it. A bat bite can be so small you do not notice it, which is why the rules below are strict about possible contact.

A bat that is out during the day, can’t fly, lets you walk right up to it or approaches people may be sick. Keep your distance and call animal control or your health department.

Dry bat droppings can also carry the fungus that causes histoplasmosis, a lung infection you get by breathing in dust from stirred-up droppings. UC IPM notes the fungus does not usually survive in hot, dry places like attics, and the disease is rarely reported in California. Anyone cleaning up guano should wet it down to keep dust low and wear a respirator that filters fine particles.

Never handle a bat with bare hands. Wear thick leather gloves, and teach children never to touch a bat, alive or dead.

A bat in the bedroom: what to do

Act differently depending on whether anyone could have had contact with the bat.

If there is any chance of contact, do not release the bat. That includes waking up to find a bat in the room, finding one in a room with an unattended child, or finding one near someone who was drunk or otherwise could not tell whether they were bitten. Texas health officials say a bite can’t be ruled out in these cases, so rabies shots should be considered unless testing the bat rules out rabies. A negative test may spare the person a series of shots.

1. Call animal control or your local health department first. They may send someone trained to catch the bat for testing. If no one can come, follow the steps below.
2. Get children and pets out of the room and close the door so the bat stays in one room.
3. Put on leather work gloves.
4. Wait for the bat to land, then place a box or wide jar over it. Do not hit the bat: damage to its head can make rabies testing impossible.
5. Slide a piece of cardboard with small air holes under the container and tape it shut.
6. Call your local health department or animal control about testing and whether anyone needs medical care.

If someone was bitten or scratched, wash the wound well with soap and water and get medical help right away. If you can’t catch the bat safely, call animal control or the health department.

If you are sure no one touched it and no one was asleep in the room, UC IPM suggests closing the bat into one room, opening a window or outside door and waiting. A bat in the living space is usually a lost young bat trying to get out. If it lands instead, cover it with a box, slide cardboard underneath and carry it outside. CDC still advises talking with your health department before releasing a bat found inside your home.

When to exclude bats: maternity season

With bats, timing decides whether the job goes well. If you shut the adults out while their pups still cannot fly, the pups starve inside your walls, and you end up with odor and flies.

Florida also makes it illegal to kill or harm bats, and some species around the country are federally listed. Seasons and rules differ by state. Call your state wildlife agency before you start, even if you plan to hire the work out.

How to get bats out, step by step

1. Find every opening. Watch the outside of the house at dusk for a few evenings and note where bats come out. Check during the day for stained gaps around vents, eaves, chimneys and siding.
2. Check the calendar. Confirm you are outside your state’s maternity season and that the weather is mild. Florida requires overnight lows forecast above 50°F while devices are up.
3. Put a one-way device on each exit. One option from UC IPM: hang 1/2-inch polypropylene bird netting or a light fabric from about 12 inches above the opening, extending 12 inches past each side and below it. Leave the bottom loose so it works as a flap. Bats can push out under the flap but can’t get back in. Another option is a 2-inch plastic pipe in the opening with a collapsible sleeve of plastic sheeting on the outer end.
4. Wait. UC IPM suggests leaving devices up for 7 days. Florida’s rules call for at least four nights.
5. Seal the openings for good. Once no bats are using the exits, remove the devices and close the gaps with caulk, putty, expanding foam or 1/4-inch hardware cloth. Pack gaps around pipes with steel wool. Screen a chimney with welded wire mesh of 1/2 inch or smaller, following your local fire department’s spark arrester rules. The steps in our rodent-proofing guide work for small gaps too.
6. Clean up carefully. Mist droppings to keep dust down and wear gloves and a respirator. Heavy guano under insulation is a job to hand off.

What does not work

There are no pesticides or chemical repellents registered for bats in California, and poison has no place in bat control anywhere. Ultrasonic devices tested against bats have failed. Lights left on around the clock in an attic, or an attic fan, can make a roost less appealing, but they don’t replace exclusion.

When to hire a licensed bat exclusion professional

A lone bat that flew in through an open door, with no chance of contact, is something you can handle. A colony living in the attic or walls is a different job. It means ladder and roof work, finding every gap, following your state’s season rules and cleaning up guano safely. Most homeowners are better off calling a licensed wildlife control operator who does bat exclusion.

Call a pro when:

• You see bats leaving the house at dusk, or keep finding bats indoors.
• The openings are high, on a steep roof or hard to reach.
• You are not sure of your state’s maternity dates or permit rules.
• There is a heavy buildup of droppings in the attic.

A typical job starts with an inspection inside and out, often including a dusk watch, and a written list of entry points. The technician confirms whether pups may be present, installs one-way devices, seals the gaps bats are not using and comes back after the colony is out to remove the devices and close the last openings. Expect more than one visit.

Questions to ask before you hire:

• Does your state require a license or permit for bat work, and do you hold it?
• Will you schedule exclusion outside the maternity season?
• Do you use one-way devices only, with no trapping, killing or poison?
• How many visits will it take, and who seals the final openings?
• Is guano cleanup included, and what protective gear do your workers use?
• Is the work guaranteed, and for how long?

Our guide to choosing a pest control company covers licensing and contracts. For what affects the quote, see pest control costs. The wildlife hub covers other animals that move into houses.

Bat questions

Can I seal the holes at night while the bats are out? Not safely. You can’t be sure every bat has left, and in spring and summer flightless pups stay behind. One-way devices let the bats leave on their own schedule.

Does one bat in the house mean I have a colony? Not always. Single bats sometimes come in through an open door, window or chimney. If it keeps happening, or you see bats leaving the roofline at dusk, look for a roost.

Should I put up a bat house? It is fine if you want bats nearby, but it won’t pull a colony out of your attic. UC IPM notes a new bat house can take a year or more to attract bats, and it should go away from doors, play areas and pets.