How to Keep Bats Out of Your Home
For many years, we’ve been taught through movies and television that bats are to be feared. Through the vampire movies of the past and even recent Batman movies, we’ve gotten the message that even seeing a bat spells trouble. While even the way bats look can be intimidating for some, bats typically avoid contact with human beings.
However, this is not to say that you shouldn’t beware if you come in contact with a bat. Bat feces or guano carries the disease called histoplasmosis, a respiratory disease that can be contracted from the release of airborne spores.
The best way to avoid the dangers of bats is by preventing them from entering your home. Below are a few tips that homeowners can employ to do that. If you already have bats in your home, it’s highly advisable that you contact a company that specializes in bat removal in Tampa, FL.
SEAL HOLES THROUGHOUT YOUR HOME
The most important and effective way to protect your home from bats is cutting off entry ways. Do an inspection of your home from roof to floor to see if there are places that bats can enter. There are probably more places than you think. A bat can squeeze into a hole the size of a dime. Common areas for bats to enter are at the top of roofs, walls, and chimneys. Use a sealant, like foam rubber or steel wool, to close off holes. Chimney caps can be used to seal chimneys. If you have had plumbing or electrical work done, use caulking to seal off small holes.
USE MOTH BALLS
Putting mothballs up in an area where you have had a bat problem can be effective in warding them off. The smell of mothballs irritates bats, which leads to them to avoid an area where they smell it. However, you must use caution when using mothballs. The smell is not only irritating to bats, it can be irritating to humans and pets as well and it’s toxic vapor can be harmful.
CHANGE YOUR OUTDOOR LIGHTS
One of the benefits of bats is their propensity for eating bugs. Bats can eat nearly 1,000 bugs per hour. However, if your would like to avoid bats, you have to limit their food source. By switching to light bulbs that don’t attract as many bugs, bats are less likely to be drawn to your home.