How To Catch A Bat

Posted by Seth on August 21, 2009 under Uncategorized | 2 Comments to Read

What do you do when you have a bat in your house?

How do you catch it?

How do you stop them from getting in?

To catch the bat, you can either:
1. Clap loudly or make some other sonic disturbance to get the bat to land on a wall. (works sometimes, I have done this, my second cousin gave me this tip) Then you grab it with a towel (I have done this) a tupperware ( I have done this) or leather gloves (I have not done this, but I would have if my leather work gloves were handy).

2. Throw a blanket or towel over it mid-flight. I have done this, but do not recommend it again, unless you like looking like a fool throwing a towel at a bat for 15 minutes.

3. Use a net with fine webbing. I happen to have my childrens’ insect catching net. It works really well. It moves through the air quick and contains the bat nicely. I have caught four bats with this. The last one got hurt. (as you can see in the video).

You prevent the bats from getting in by locating entry points in the house. This can be done at dusk. Watch for bats moving around the house. Look for dark marks around crevices in the corners, under the roof, and near vents.

We have some kind of venting on the under side of the roof fascia. This is where our rodents are getting in. Since we are replacing the roof in a few weeks, then we will seal these up when we get up there.

A couple words of wisdom.
You don’t have to tell your wife or your kids, “yeah, there is a bat flying around the house at 1 AM,” sometimes, they are happier if they don’t know. AnaVictoria spent two weeks sleeping with the door tightly shut to her bedroom after I first told her (even thought they do not come upstairs).