If you've started hearing strange scratching noises coming from above or caught a faint whiff of something like ammonia, you're likely wondering what to do if you have bats in your attic. It's a unsettling realization, especially if you're worried about your family's health or the integrity of your home. First things first: take a deep breath. While bats aren't exactly the roommates anyone asks for, having them move into your insulation isn't an immediate "evacuate the house" emergency. However, it is something you need to handle correctly and, more importantly, legally.
Most people's first instinct is to find the hole they're using and plug it up immediately. Don't do that. Honestly, that's probably the worst thing you can do. Let's walk through the steps of how to handle this situation without making it a much bigger (and smellier) problem.
How to confirm you actually have bats
Before you call in the cavalry, you should make sure you're actually dealing with bats and not just a very busy squirrel or a confused raccoon. Bats are nocturnal, so you're most likely to hear them at dawn and dusk. Unlike rodents that chew and scurrying loudly throughout the day, bats make more of a light scratching or fluttering sound.
The most obvious sign, though, is their droppings, known as guano. If you see piles of small, dark pellets that look a bit like large grains of rice, you've likely found the source. A weirdly specific tip: bat guano often has a shiny, metallic look because of all the undigested insect wings. If you find these piles near the eaves of your roof or on the floor of your attic, it's a safe bet you have some winged tenants.
Another giveaway is the "night watch." Go outside just as the sun is setting and watch your roofline. If you see dark shapes fluttering out from under a loose shingle or a gap in the siding, you've found their front door.
The big "don'ts" of bat removal
When you're figuring out what to do if you have bats in your attic, it's just as important to know what not to do. There are a few common mistakes that can turn a simple removal into a legal and environmental nightmare.
First, never try to catch a bat with your bare hands. Even though most bats are harmless and just want to eat mosquitoes, they can carry rabies. It's rare, but it's not a risk worth taking. If a bat happens to get into the living space of your home, wear thick leather gloves and use a container to trap it, but if they're just in the attic, stay back.
Second, don't use poison. There is no federally approved poison for bats. If you try to use rodent poison, you'll end up with dozens of dead bats rotting inside your walls and ceilings. The smell is something you'll never forget, and it's incredibly difficult to find every carcass. Plus, in many places, it's actually illegal to kill bats. They are protected species because they do a massive amount of work for our ecosystem by eating tons of pests.
Lastly, and this is the big one: don't seal up the entry holes during the summer.
Timing is everything: the maternity season
This is the part that surprises most homeowners. You can't just kick bats out whenever you feel like it. Most bat species in North America have a "maternity season," which usually runs from May through August. During this time, the mothers have flightless babies, called pups, tucked away in your attic.
If you seal the entrance during the summer, the mother bats will get locked out and the pups will be trapped inside. The mothers will go crazy trying to get back in—sometimes even finding their way into your living room out of desperation—and the babies will eventually starve and die in your walls. It's cruel, it's incredibly smelly, and in many states, it can land you a heavy fine.
The best time to deal with a bat problem is in the early spring before the babies are born or in the late fall once they've grown up and are ready to leave on their own.
The right way to get them out: exclusion
If you want to know the professional secret for what to do if you have bats in your attic, it's called "exclusion." This is the only humane and effective way to get rid of them.
The process involves installing one-way doors or "exclusion tubes" over their entry points. These devices allow the bats to fly out at night to hunt, but they can't figure out how to crawl back in. Over the course of a week or so, the entire colony will eventually find themselves locked out of their cozy attic home. Once you're absolutely sure every single bat is out, you can then go in and permanently seal up the gaps with hardware cloth, caulk, or professional-grade sealant.
Dealing with the mess (the guano problem)
Once the bats are gone, you're left with the cleanup. This is arguably the most dangerous part of the whole ordeal. Bat guano can harbor a fungus called Histoplasma capsulatum, which causes a respiratory infection called Histoplasmosis. When you stir up dry guano, the spores become airborne and you can breathe them in.
If you have a significant amount of droppings in your attic, don't just go up there with a shop vac and a dust mask. You need a high-quality N95 or P100 respirator and protective clothing. In many cases, it's better to hire a professional restoration company. They have the industrial vacuums and sanitizing agents needed to safely remove the waste and ensure your home's air quality is safe. They'll also check to see if your insulation needs to be replaced, as bat urine can soak through and ruin it over time.
Why you might want to call a pro
While you can do an exclusion yourself, bats are incredibly stubborn. They can squeeze through a gap as small as half an inch—about the size of your pinky finger. If you miss even one tiny crack, they'll be right back in next season.
A professional wildlife removal expert knows exactly what to look for. They'll do a full inspection of your roof, chimney, and siding. They also know the local laws regarding protected species, so you won't accidentally break any environmental regulations. It costs more upfront, but it usually saves you a lot of headache in the long run.
Preventing a repeat performance
After you've gone through the stress of an attic eviction, the last thing you want is a sequel. Bats have a "homing" instinct and will return to the same spot year after night if they can.
Take a walk around your house once a year to check for new gaps or weathering. Keep your trees trimmed away from the roofline to make it a little harder for them to land. Some people also find success by installing a "bat house" on a pole far away from the main building. This gives the bats a place to live where they can still eat your local mosquitoes without living directly over your head.
At the end of the day, having bats in the attic is a nuisance, but it's a fixable one. Just remember to be patient, respect the timing of their breeding season, and focus on sealing them out rather than trapping them in. You'll have a quiet, bat-free attic before you know it.