They’re scary, creepy, and disgusting, and they are the creatures of the night that appear in your nightmares: bats. For many people, this stereotypical image of bats alone makes it reasonable to purge them from wherever they live. What you probably don’t know however, is that bats are nature’s own pest control against mosquitoes, moths, and other creepy crawlers and fliers that are possibly more dangerous to humans. While bats do carry a few diseases, the frequency of bat-to-human transfers of such diseases is very minimal, compared to, for example, diseases passed by mosquitoes.

How to Build a Bat House to Lure Away Bats

Bats live in shaded areas such as trees, caves, bridges, and tunnels. If your house is near such places, then your chances of having a bat problem increase. It’s also not uncommon to have bats actually living in your house, whether in the roof space or behind the weatherboard. Experts don’t advise killing bats because they are beneficial to the ecosystem, and dead bats can make your home stink.

One way to get rid of bats without killing them is by building a bat house. You can also purchase one commercially in a feed store or online. This is the best option if your carpentry skills are below average. However, if you are up to the task, follow these instructions to make a bat house and lure away the bats:

Bye-bye, Bats: Other Tips to Get Rid of Bats

There are other ways to get rid of bats without installing a bat house. The following are some tried and tested methods of reducing disturbances caused by bats:

• Open the windows: If a bat gets into your house and starts flying around while you’re watching TV, there’s not much you can do but open the windows and let the bat find his way outside. Close the door though, because another bat might come into your house, and then you’ve got a bigger bat problem.
• Catch the bat: Sometimes, a bat can’t find his way outside. It is blind after all, and shrieking people in the house don’t help the bat to relax either. If this happens, put on a thick pair of gloves, then use a fishing net to catch the bat and move him outside. Don’t try to catch the bat with your bare hands because it might bite you and transfer diseases.
• Install fiberglass insulation: Fiberglass irritates the skin of bats severely. Install some fiberglass insulation in suspected nesting grounds around your house to keep bats away from these areas. Don’t install too much though; a thin layer of fiberglass should be enough to keep bats outside your home.
• Block off their nesting grounds: Another way to eliminate bats is to block off all entrances to their nest. This method is best for nests located inside your house. Simply wait until nighttime when the bats are out hunting, and then seal off their nest using a board or any kind of blocking object. Make sure that there are no bats inside, including baby bats, because bats left inside will starve and die, causing your house to smell extremely stinky.
• Use a bat repellent: Bats that roost outside your house may be more difficult to get rid of since you don’t know where they live. They may have multiple nests around the area, so eliminating one doesn’t solve the problem. If you still want to take a shot at it, simply spray bat repellent on areas that you suspect are bat nests. These can be trees, rock crevices, tunnels, or bridges.
• Call the bat busters: Fear of bats is a very common fear, so getting rid of bats yourself may not be an option. In this case, the best thing to do is to call on pest control professionals to get rid of the bats for you. There are also professionals who specialize in getting rid of bats, and they may solve your bat problem for good. This method is safer, because you don’t have to worry about bats flying in your face or biting your arms.

Remember, bats are generally good for the environment; and their presence in your area may be a sign that more dangerous pests are also present there. If some bats at night ensure that you won’t get diseases carried by other insects such as mosquitoes, then it might be best to just leave the bats alone.