get rid – A late-night bat encounter can feel like comedy—until health risks, legal limits, and the need for proper exclusion are taken seriously. Wildlife removal experts say the fastest, safest approach is to call a professional, then seal entry points and clean guano
For weeks, the scratching started after dark—followed by a black cat, Lilith, staring at a blank corner at the far end of the room. Every night, the family investigated. Every night, they found nothing.
Then, one night around three o’clock in the morning, the situation changed fast. The husband screamed from the other room: “Bat!. Get the bat!” The response was immediate panic—and a little confusion. “You need a bat?” the writer yelled back, wondering what was going on. When the dust cleared, Lilith was standing poised to pounce, and a small bat was flying chaotically around the nursery.
The moment could have been a farce. Instead, it became a reminder that bats inside a home aren’t just startling—they’re a health and legal headache that has to be handled correctly.
After a professional pest service stepped in, the household learned what experts say homeowners should do when bats show up: move quickly, but not recklessly.
The fastest way to get rid of bats
Even if it’s tempting to handle it yourself, experts say the fastest way to get bats out is to call a professional pest control company. In the account, the bat eventually flew out through a window—but the family still needed a professional to make sure it wouldn’t return.
Jason Burkhart. managing director at Critter Control. a nationwide humane wildlife removal company. says the safest route is having the situation inspected and handled by a trained wildlife removal professional. He adds that this helps keep family members and pets safe and prevents unnecessary exposure to bats.
If a bat is found inside, Burkhart’s guidance is straightforward: contain the bat in an enclosed area, contact a local pest control company, and let professionals remove the bats safely.
Signs bats are already living nearby
Bats may seem invisible at first, especially once they establish themselves in an attic or walls. Common signs include bat droppings—guano—found under roosting spots. The guano is described as shiny but crumbles into dust when pressed.
Other indicators include scratching, chirping, and fluttering sounds in walls, most often heard at dusk and dawn. Strong smells also matter: when bats have been living in a home for a while, urine and guano emit a strong ammonia-like odor, compared to the smell of a dirty litter box.
Homeowners may also notice dusk and dawn sightings because bats are nocturnal, plus stains or grease marks. Burkhart points to dark, charcoal-gray smudges around entry points—commonly along roof soffits, eaves, and vents—attributed to oily fur.
Why bats come indoors
According to the experts, there are three main reasons bats enter homes: they’re seeking shelter, they’re looking for a food source—such as insects like mosquitoes—and entry can be accidental, with bats flying in through open doors or windows.
The danger isn’t just the bat—it’s what comes with them
Bats can transmit rabies and other diseases to humans, which makes them dangerous inside a home. Burkhart says bats prefer to avoid human interaction, but they may bite or scratch if they feel cornered or threatened.
He notes that rabid bats may foam at the mouth and be “less avoidant of humans,” making them more willing to scratch or bite. And because it may be impossible to tell whether a bat is rabid, the recommendation is to contact a pest control company if bats are suspected.
There’s also the matter of guano. Accumulated droppings can cause the growth of the histoplasmosis fungus, which can lead to severe respiratory problems in humans. Even if bats aren’t bothering someone directly. the guidance is to get the situation handled sooner rather than later so guano can be cleaned and areas disinfected.
Exclusion is the core of getting them out—and keeping them out
Burkhart cautions that DIY removal may not work and may be unsafe. He also says local or state laws can prohibit handling bats if they are protected species.
The most effective strategy professional wildlife removal uses is exclusion devices—one-way doors that allow bats to exit but not return. Burkhart describes a one-way exclusion device as a popular and effective humane method because it lets bats leave on their own without requiring humans to interact with them.
These devices act as an exit to allow bats to leave the house to forage, while preventing them from coming back to their roost.
But timing matters. Burkhart says this approach may not be the best during spring and summer. If a bat is raising newborns that can’t fly on their own. Burkhart says a one-way exclusion device is legally prohibited from being installed until the pups are old enough to fly. If bats are present during mating season, removal may require waiting two to three months to complete.
Even then, the family isn’t supposed to stay exposed. Burkhart says professionals can help close off the nesting area so bats don’t enter parts of the home where people and their family spend time until newborns are old enough to exit through the one-way exclusion device.
Once bats are gone, sealing is the next step
Sealing entry points is the best way to prevent bats from coming back. The guidance is to use caulk, mesh, flashing, or foam sealants—but only after the bats are confirmed gone. If any bats remain inside, they can die or find other ways in, including through vents.
DIY repellents: the limits are built in
Repellents are described as unreliable. Burkhart says bats often quickly grow accustomed to DIY repellents and ignore them.
The most common deterrents include bright lights and loud noises, along with strong smells like peppermint oil. But the advice is clear: these methods won’t permanently remove bats if they’re already inside.
Peppermint oil may be recommended, but Burkhart says the odor dissipates rapidly, requiring constant reapplication—and bats can get used to it. He also ties the overall message together: set expectations low for DIY methods.
What a professional removal strategy looks like
Professionals begin with a thorough inspection to understand the full scale of the issue—where bats are. how many there are. how they’re getting in. and what brought them inside. From there. the strategy typically includes exclusion devices at entry and exit points. sealing after the bats are removed. and sanitization and cleanup.
Guano must be cleaned up and the space sanitized to help prevent respiratory illness such as histoplasmosis. Burkhart says a professional is best equipped to determine the scope of the problem and carry out a tailored removal or exclusion plan.
What homeowners commonly get wrong
Getting rid of bats is tricky, and homeowners can make things worse. Common mistakes include sealing entry and exit points too early and trapping bats inside. Another error is removing bats during spring and summer, when baby bat pups can be trapped inside and starve.
Reliance on DIY removal methods or store-bought bat repellents is also cited. So is using flimsy or degradable sealants that allow bats to reenter.
The guidance also warns against poison: using poison to kill bats is illegal in most areas. Handling bats with bare hands is discouraged because it exposes people to diseases.
Burkhart’s key point is blunt: attempting to handle the situation on your own is the biggest mistake. He recommends professional removal or exclusion, along with an inspection to identify entry points other bats could use, then sealing those access routes.
Legal consequences are possible in some places, the guidance says, but not everywhere. Even where DIY removal may be legal, it’s still not recommended because it can expose people and their family to harmful diseases.
When to call a professional
The recommendation is to call a pest control professional even if there’s suspicion bats have made a home inside. Burkhart says that if unusual sounds or smells appear in an attic or another area of the house, the safest move is to enlist a professional for a robust inspection.
Local or state laws may also require professional removal, especially if bats are protected—so handling on your own can lead to fines or other legal action.
The quick answers homeowners ask most
In the guidance provided, the fastest way to get rid of bats and prevent them from coming back is to call a professional pest control company.
Bats can live in walls. The account describes bats living in walls in the home in question.
How long bats stay depends on how they entered. If a bat came inside by accident, it will live up to five days before dying of dehydration or starvation. If bats enter on purpose, find a clear way in and out, and establish a roost, they can stay indefinitely.
Whether bats leave on their own depends on the situation. A single bat will usually leave if it’s contained and a window is opened. But if there’s an established colony roosting in an attic or walls, they’re unlikely to leave.
Finally, the guidance says bats don’t like strong scents like peppermint, bright lights, and loud noises. Even so, while deterrence may discourage them, the techniques are unlikely to remove bats long term.
In the end, the family’s late-night panic had a clear takeaway: the “right way” isn’t simply getting a bat out of a room. It’s doing the work after the adrenaline fades—inspection, safe removal, and exclusion—so the scratching doesn’t start again at dusk.
bats in house wildlife removal bat droppings guano histoplasmosis rabies risk one-way exclusion device humane pest control home entry points DIY bat repellents