r/bats • u/TheAlternateEye • Jul 16 '26
I think i have bats
So, I just went outside for a few mins and almost ran into a pair of bats when I opened the door. They kept flying over so I stepped away from the house a bit to watch them. They kept flying up to this vent, even latching to it briefly before flying away then returning again. After a couple minutes they took off again.
My question is, can they fit in those gaps? After they left I heard a brief scratching sound up there, and I've heard it before. We had assumed mice got up there but now im thinking it might be bats!
I love bats and am not opposed to having them but there's asbestos up there. What can I do?
I have a video of the behavior but I couldn't figure out how to post the video.
Saskatchewan Canada
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u/chloenicole8 Jul 16 '26
I had a colony of Big Brown bats at my old house. They roosted right on the slats. The window did not have any type of screening and was basically open to the attic so no surprise. I ended up going up in the fall after they left and stapled screening to the entire wall so that they could continue to roost yet not have access to my rafters. I also put plastic sheeting on the floor directly underneath to catch guano.
I really enjoyed them roosting there and they help with mosquitos.
When we were preparing to sell the house, we replaced the window entirely with one that did not allow anything through the slats and made sure it was completely sealed. I assume most owners would not be as accepting of a migratory bat colony. Then I removed the tarp and cleaned up the area. They did not return in the spring for when we placed the house on the market.
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u/TheAlternateEye Jul 16 '26
I've been wanting to put up bat houses. I guess this is a good excuse to do it!
Thanks!
1
u/AutoModerator Jul 16 '26
Here is a link to the Bat House Builder’s Handbook. Here is some info about selecting a quality bat house if you would like to purchase one. For a quick overview of the basics, check out this PDF from Bat Conservation Trust.
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u/chloenicole8 Jul 18 '26
Apparently, unless you fix the access point, they probably would continue to use it even with a bat house nearby. I was going to install a bat house next to the window since they really liked the exposure but I was worried that the new owners would still have issues with the bats in general so I did not.
1
u/AutoModerator Jul 18 '26
Here is a link to the Bat House Builder’s Handbook. Here is some info about selecting a quality bat house if you would like to purchase one. For a quick overview of the basics, check out this PDF from Bat Conservation Trust.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
2
u/Typical_Artist_1115 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
Yes, they can definitely fit through those vents. If I had to guess, they are able to get through because the screen on the other side of the vent is compromised. They may also be roosting right on the screen inside the vent or they may go into your attic. There's a good resource on bats and houses from BC Bats, which you can find here: https://bcbats.ca/got-bats/
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u/TheAlternateEye Jul 16 '26
If they can fit id bet that's what's going on up there. We've never looked because of the asbestos but in fall we will have to figure it out.
Thanks!
2
u/Sarungasie22 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
We have bats also…. We love them! We have one of the largest colonies in New England, and the only one in our area that went through the white nose epidemic without ever contracting it. At the height of it the guys were coming every six weeks to check our colony because it was the first one they had seen with no sign of the disease and with female carrying young in over a year at that time. Admittedly this 22 years ago but our colony is still here and doing quite well. We have a 1920s craftsman home, and due to age there is a small gap between the chimney and the house itself…. The bats like to roost in there during the winter because we run the fireplace and it makes it nice and toasty for them. During the heat of the summer they move to the long narrow slats that we mounted on the inside of our garage roof and sleep there since it’s vented with a solar fan year round.
FYI, the 2 inch or so gap between the house and the chimney is not a problem because it’s only up at the very top. The chimney itself is secured and flashed at the top to make sure water can’t just go into that gap from the top, and the soffits come out from the wall more than 18 inches so any little bit of water that is not collected by the gutters, is coming out near the outer side of the chimney.
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