Questions About Bat Removal and Other Wildlife in Michigan

Bats are excluded from your home or attic through a "Live Bat Exclusion" Process.  This is done by bat proofing your home with screen, caulking, caps, etc. Also a one-way trap door is installed at the entry point so the bats can get out but not get back in.

Bats will tend to roost at night in sheltered areas like under a porch or in a shutter.  Try using some aluminum foil or shiny metal flashing and put it up in the areas where the bats are hanging.  This will help keep them from hanging however it wont completely keep them from hanging around your house.  Maybe you can at least keep them off of your front door step.

You cannot poison bats. There are no baits or chemicals that will get rid of bats. In Michigan and most states bats are protected animals. Bats are great for our environment and help control the mosquito population and the spread of west nile disease.

People will often say... "there are bats living in my basement".  The bats are most likely not living in your basement but end up there from the attic our a wall cavity within the house.  Bats tend to enter roosting areas at high points, generally 8 feet and higher.  Once the bats are in your attic they will network through open cavities in the walls, attic chases to the basement, and even through your chimney.  Even though it's most likely that the bats are not coming directly into the basement from the exterior of the home it is still a good idea to make sure that all areas around the foundation are checked for openings because there have been some instances where the bats end up finding a hole along the foundation to the basement once excluded from the attic.

Bats will not leave their roost inside your attic to go into a bat house. However Once the bats are excluded from your home it is a good idea to give them an alternative living area.  Bats are not good to have in your home or attic because they cause a lot of damage and can be a health risk. Although this is true bats are very beneficial to our environment because they control the insect population. Therefore it is recommended to give the bats an alternative living structure to keep them around your home just not in it.  Install a bat house on an open tree or pole at least 12-16 feet high facing the SE corner. Paint it black so it will absorb the most heat.

Bats, like rats will leave a brown or black grease stain from the oils on their fur at an opening they are using over and over again. They will also leave urine staining and often times bat droppings (guano)  outside of the hole.

Bats tend to use openings 1/2" or larger so it is very important to seal everything on the home. Ridge vents, gable vents, eves, chimneys, drip edge, fascia boards, under soffits,  etc. are all places to repair.  Look to see if there is a 45 or 90 degree landing pad for the bats to land on, because unlike birds, bats will actually land first and then crawl into the opening.

Typically we get calls because our customers are hearing scratching or have had a bat in the house. Once the bats are excluded all of these scenarios should end because all of the bats will be excluded. Often we can tell the bats have left thorough our one-way doors because of the signs they leave when they leave.  We give our customers full re-inspections when we remove our trap doors to ensure all the bats are gone. If the bats return our work is warranted for five years

We always recommend having the dropping removed from the attic no matter what the severity is. Bat guano can cause health problems if the bacteria or fungi spores become air born. Most of the time you will need to have your attic completely restored, but we recommend having the soiled areas removed, sanitized, and deodorized.

If there is a bat flying around in your house open a couple of doors or windows to allow for fresh air flow to enter your home and generally within 10-15 minutes the bats will exit your living quarter. If the bat lands somewhere on a wall or a curtain you should where gloves, place a box or a can over the bat, and then put a thick piece of paper between the wall and the bat and guide it into the box. see bat in your house for more info.

It's a misconception that all bats have rabies. Actually the likeliness of bat having rabies is less than 1 percent. Just like any wild animal bats can carry rabies but its not as likely as one may think. Raccoons and skunks are more likely to have rabies than bats.  

Bats are the most active during the months of August and September. This is because the juvenile pups are are now able to fly and the insect population is at its highest.

Bats tend to fly during the warmer months because there is more of a food source for them to feast on.  There are really only a few months out of the year you shouldn't attempt to exclude bats. Typically May, June, and July are the months when juvenile bats are maturing and do not leave the roost. Maternal mothers will leave the roost and come back to nurse the juvenile bats.  You should not install one-way trap doors at this time however it is a good idea to start the process of the exclusion by sealing all other potential entry points so that when it is time to install the one-way doors 90 percent of the work is already completed.  After July the juveniles are ready to fly and leave the roost, at this time you can proceed with the exclusion.  Although bats are in hibernation during the winter months it isn't a bad idea to perform the exclusion at this time. Once the bats come out of hibernation they will fly out of their roost to seek food and the exclusion will already be set up so they can't return. At this time you already have the bats excluded before they have their young so you wont trap any young pups in the attic

Just like many wildlife in Michigan, bats will find an area in your attic with temperatures above 45 degrees and hibernate all during the winter months. Every so often you will actually hear the bat moving around trying to find warmer areas underneath the insulation. Bats will generally hibernate between the months of November and April or until the frost line is gone and the insects are hatched giving the bats a food source

Bat removal is not as easy as setting a trap and relocating the colony. It is important to be meticulous when doing bat removal because the bats can fit through tiny little openings. Because of that there is a lot of labor, materials, and patience involved. Price will vary home to home depending on the number of repairs required and the toughness of the job.  The number of bats you will not determine the price, because all bat exclusions are done the same way no matter if your colony is small or large. Looking for an idea or range of price visit the cost helper or visit our new pricing page. We can give you an estimate range over the phone and a precise estimate will have to be given once we inspect your home. Please call us for further details. For more information on pricing visit our wildlife control division pricing page at Michigan Wildlife Solutions. 

Birds, Squirrels, Raccoon's, Bats in the fireplace are there because there is a crack in your chimney or missing a chimney cap.  Don't try to smoke them out! You probably going to end up with a dead animal or an animal in your living space.  Call a professional to remove the animal. We can set traps, install one way doors, repair your chimney, and install chimney caps.

Possibly, but 9 times out of 10 you have chimney swifts in your chimney.  More often than not this will be a nest of babies that will probably live there until the wings are developed and they can fly.  They nest in the middle of the chimney and there isn't any real good way to get to the nest with out destroying in and the young.

Yes you are able to, but in Michigan you must be licensed in order to transport wildlife. Unless you are familiar with the habitat of the animal you are trapping we don't recommend doing this.

Call us and we will relocate your skunk for you and bring your trap back to you.

Yes we do. In fact we are one of the only companies specializing in bird control in Michigan. Our technicians are all schooled in commercial bird control procedures.

Do not just seal in the nest.  There may be birds in there and worst of the nest carries a lot of bacteria and fungi.

We do not get rid of insects at this time. Your best bet is to contact Proof Pest Control for insect services