BATS!

[charlie74]

Hello all,
Today I was woken up by a text from my wife which was a picture of a bat on the inside of one of our window screens. (She is Eastern right now and I’m Pacific due to work). She called an animal control company who came out to do an inspection and found that while we do have bat(s) in our attic it is not a full-on infestation. Our roof vents are ridge vents and he said that they are probably getting in through those and said for them to put a guard up over them would be $3000+ ! We have asphalt shingles…
Has anyone dealt with this before and found a more economical (and quick) method of dealing with this? I’m due to be traveling home on Saturday hopefully but I found out this morning that my opposite broke his hand yesterday so that possibly is in flux.
At any rate neither the wife nor I are particularly pleased at this point…and please, no suggestions of tennis racquets etc etc. I’d like to do this with the minimum of bloodshed…

 

[mikephillips]

I haven't, but I wonder if you could, or get a handyman to, go into the attic and staple something like a heavy chicken wire down the inside of the peak. Wouldn't keep them from trying to wiggle into the ridge vent, but would block them from getting to the attic space. And should be considerably cheaper than 3 grand.

 

[NutmegCT]

Put bright lights in the attic space, and toss some cinnamon and mothballs around the area they're already in. Bats should get out of there fast. Then, as Mike suggests, staple wire screen across those vents (inside), to keep the critters from returning.

They can get through 1/2" wire screen easily, so the smaller the grid, the better.
Tom M.

 

[John Turney]

Put bright lights in the attic space, and toss some cinnamon and mothballs around the area they're already in. Bats should get out of there fast. Then, as Mike suggests, staple wire screen across those vents (inside), to keep the critters from returning.

They can get through 1/2" wire screen easily, so the smaller the grid, the better.
Tom M.

Good ideas. Also, install a bat house in a tree nearby so they can go there.

 

[equiprx]

Good idea building a bat house.
They are important pollinators and bug controllers.

 

[charlie74]

Thanks guys! I like the idea of cinnamon for purposes of eviction! Seems pretty harmless and cheap. I use mothballs in the TR6 (still in the box) when it’s stored over the winter so maybe a cocktail of the two will work.
I think I’ll have to supplement that with a more permanent solution as described above along with the bat house as well. I appreciate any and all ideas so keep ‘em coming.

 

[mikephillips]

Too bad Adam West is gone, he might have come around asking if it was for rent...

 

[Silverghost]

And here all this time I thought it was cat house and bat cave........ (I'll see myself out.....)