Buildings can provide a safe warm place for bats to roost and/or hibernate. As a property owner with bats, you can choose to help bat conservation by providing a healthy habitat and by safely bat proofing your home. The fall is a great time to ensure that your home is sealed off to keep wildlife out. As temperatures fall, all sorts of animals could be looking for a warm place to spend the winter – not just bats – but squirrels, pigeons, stray cats and more. If you would rather not share your space, it is best to avoid having them enter; then you will not have to consider disturbing them once they have moved in.
At appropriate times of the year, one-way exits/exclusion devices can be installed and then exterior access points permanently sealed once all the bats have left the structure. Refer to the Bat Exclusion Policy for further information. Bats are not like rodents, they do not gnaw or chew to create holes to enter (or leave) buildings. Exclusion methods work with the biology of bats and minimizes renovation costs.
You can lower your chances of harming bat populations by installing bat houses on your property and limiting bat exclusion measures to the spring and fall months. Exclusion may be the best option if:
- Bat hazards and/or issues cannot be rectified;
- Living areas cannot be sealed to prevent bat access; or
- Major repairs, renovations or a demolition is planned.
The below diagram of a house shows possible access points for bats:
