Removing bats from the barn requires patience.
Bats are beneficial to the ecosystem and devour hundreds of insects an hour. Nevertheless, few people appreciate their presence in a barn. Some people cannot move past the negative image folklore has attached to bats. Barn owners worry that a rabid bat could infect barn animals. Lung disease could develop in barn animals who inhale the fine dust of dried bat droppings. The flying mammals squeak, attract bugs to the barn and cause urine and fecal stains. While the process of ridding the barn of bats is not quick, it is by no means impossible with proper tools and timing.
Instructions
Removing a Single Bat
1. A single bat is easy to remove.
Open barn windows and doors to encourage a bat to leave on its own. According to the University of Nebraska State Museum, most bats can be gently guided out.
2. Catch a bat that will not leave by placing a container such as a coffee can or small box over the resting bat and sliding a piece of cardboard between the container and the surface it is resting against. If the bat is asleep, wearing thick leather gloves and catch it by hand.
3. Take the bat outside and release it against a tree or in the shrubs away from children and animals. Hold it off the ground so it can properly take off.
Removing a Bat Colony
4. Multiple bats require more effort.
Set up a bat house outside of the barn to give the bats a welcome alternative to the barn after the removal is complete. Plan removal of the bats for early fall or early spring before babies are born or after they can fly out of the barn with the colony.
5. Watch the barn from the outside at dusk to determine where the bats are exiting.
6. Seal all unused areas that could serve as future entry points for bats. According to University of Florida IFAS Extension, some bats need only a 1/4-inch opening for entry.
7. Attach bat netting or a similar one-way device to each exit. This allows the bats to leave but not return. Install a homemade version by using duct tape or staples to attach the top and two sides of a mesh screen to the opening, leaving the bottom free. The bats will crawl out the bottom which will then fall closed.
8. Seal all exits permanently after two weeks so the bats cannot return. Use caulk, mesh, wood, metal, plaster or anything else that leaves spaces no bigger than 1/4 inch. Even if all entries cannot be sealed, as is often the case, the closed exits will discourage the bats from returning to their former homes, and the bat house will present them with an easy alternative.
9. Treat the area with an insecticide powder to rid the barn of bat parasites such as mites. Do this as soon as possible to prevent the parasites from finding other hosts likely readily available in the form of barn animals.
10. Disinfect all areas where bat droppings are present by spraying the droppings with a solution of one part bleach to 10 parts water to avoid inhalation. Wear protective clothing and breathing gear, and remove all animals so they do not inhale any spores from the droppings. Clean out the moistened dust and feces.
Tips Warnings
Do not net, strike or trap a bat. It will increase the possibility of bat-to-human contact and will most likely result in one or both parties being injured. While most bats do not intentionally attack humans, they are wild animals and will fight back if frightened or trapped, according to the University of Nebraska State Museum.
If you wait until the babies are born but not yet able to fly before removing a colony, the mother will not be able to return to nurse her young who will then die of starvation in your barn, smelling strongly and attracting flies and other pests. In some states, this is illegal and is considered unnecessary cruelty to animals. Do not remove bats between April and August, according to Bat Conservation International.
Never touch a bat with your bare skin. While only half of 1 percent of bats carry rabies, it can be transmitted through a scratch or bite.
If you come in contact with a bat, contact the local health department. Wash any bites and scratches thoroughly with soap and water. If possible, capture the suspect so it can be tested for rabies.
Never touch a bat you find on the floor, even if it is dead. Contact animal control.
If you find a bat in a part of the barn with a young child or an animal who has not been vaccinated, play it safe and assume that contact has been made. According to the Organization for Bat Conservation, the bat must be tested for rabies.
Do not poison bats. In some states it is illegal. Also, the poison used to kill bats is hazardous to other mammals, including humans and any animals living in the barn.
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