Bat Removal Services in Oakland County, MI & the Surrounding Areas.
Call My Bat Guy for Expert Bat Removal!
As much as we love bats for their mosquito-heavy diet, we don’t want them in our homes, offices, or commercial spaces! Not only can they be a nightmare to deal with when they’re frantically flying around the house or office, but they also carry diseases and ectoparasites and have smelly and corrosive urine and guano (bat droppings). But the good news is, if you have a bat problem and you live or do business in the state of Michigan, help is just a phone call away. My Bat Guy is fully licensed and experienced, and specializes in humane bat removal services and Emergency 24/7 Bat Removal Services. From small to large bat colonies, we’ve got you covered, day or night.
Contact Us!
How Do I Get Bats Out of My House?
First things first: how do you get the bat or bats OUT of your home? If you’re adventurous, you can follow these DIY tips and give bat removal a go yourself.
How To Remove A Bat From The Home If It’s Flying:
- Try to confine it to one area.
- Open the doors and windows and give the bat time to use its echolocation to find its way out of the home. Using a plastic lid or bed sheet to guide them can also be helpful.
- Maintain visual contact with the bat and the open doors and windows to witness the bat leaving your home. As soon as it exits, close the door or window and let out a big sigh.
- If you lose visual contact with the bat or you can’t seem to find it, keep the windows and doors open but close off the room they were last seen in. They often hide in window treatments, under lamp shades, under tables, or in other darker, cooler places if they can’t find their way out.
- Give us a call to schedule a home inspection so we can pinpoint how the bat got in (and remove it if it’s still in the home) and identify what needs to be done to prevent future problems.
- Put gloves on. Rubber cleaning or dishwashing gloves will do.
- Get a bowl or a box and a piece of cardboard.
- Approach the bat slowly.
- Place the bowl or box over the bat.
- Slide the piece of cardboard between the wall and the bat, trapping it inside of the bowl or box.
- Keep the cardboard secured over the bowl or box, while still allowing air in for the bat.
- Take the bat outside and release it.*
*If you or anybody in your home came in contact with the bat, you will want to keep the bat so you can have it tested for rabies. Call your local health department for information on the local protocol.
How Does My Bat Guy Humanely Remove Bats?
If you have trouble capturing and releasing the bat or bats or you just want the bats out as quickly as possible, give us a call. We offer 24/7 bat removal services throughout the great state of Michigan and we have the equipment, techniques, and experience to remove the bat or bats fast. We have years of experience doing this and are fully licensed with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), so when we’re in your home or business, you can put aside your worries.
We’ll inspect the entire structure and figure out just how big of a bat problem you have on your hands and just how much damage has been done. We’ll scope out the most common bat invasion areas, like the basement, attic, chimney, shutters, and walls, and identify how many entry points the bats are using. Once we’ve figured out the size of the bat colony and the extent of the damage done, we’ll start on the removal process. Some things we’ll identify when working out a plan for your bat exclusion service:
- Is it a maternal colony or a bachelor colony?
- Are the bats only around for the season or is this their permanent residence of choice?
- Is it the season for baby bats? (If baby bats are present, removal must wait until they’re grown and can fly out of the roost on their own.)
Once we’ve answered all of these questions, we’ll work on the best course of action, setting up the appropriate equipment and working to remove the colony. We’ll seal up any secondary holes or gaps that are 3/4” or larger, as these can be possible entry points for bats. Next, we’ll install one-way doors* at primary or main entry points so that the bats can fly out, without regaining access to the home. These doors are installed at an angle that ensures that the bats can exit but not re-enter.
*Bat doors are installed in existing holes — at no point will we make additional holes in your home.
How Long Does Bat Removal Take?
Most bats will try to return to the home for about 2-3 weeks before giving up and finding new digs. Once we know all bats have left the structure and that they’ve moved on, we’ll return to remove the bat doors and seal the holes to prevent future problems.
Can Bats Be Removed Without Harm?
Bats are protected by Michigan law as an endangered species, so killing them isn’t just inhumane, it’s also illegal. We never harm bats during our removal and never use poisons or harsh chemicals, so you don’t have to worry about your health, your property, or the little winged critter. Our team uses only humane traps and performs live relocations — guaranteed.
If you have a single bat that has accessed your home through an open door or window, our technicians will show up in protective gloves and gear, capture the bat in a temporary carrying case, and release the bat at one of our established release locations.
How Do Bats Get in the House? How Can I Keep Them From Coming Back?
Whether you had bats flying around inside your home or you hear them or suspect them in your attic, chimney, walls, basement, or another area of your home or building, after the removal, it’s crucial that you identify entry points and seal those entry points off after the bats are humanely removed. It is illegal to fumigate the space and kill bats, and also against the law to seal your home while the bats are out for dinner. You need to be 100% sure that no baby bats are left behind in the home, where they could die in your vents or attic, which is why you should schedule a home inspection and a live bat exclusion.
Our expert team has years of experience with bat removal and prevention and can perform a full inspection of your home, office, or commercial space. We know when bat breeding seasons are and have the equipment and knowledge to ensure that all bats are properly and effectively removed and that none are left behind. In the majority of the cases we’ve seen, one bat means many, so we highly recommend scheduling an inspection if you’ve spotted a bat.
Most bats will try to return to the home, even after removal, if they can. Bats are unbelievably good at making their way into even the smallest spaces, so even if you have a ridge vent on your roof with a 3/8” gap, they’ll find a way in when they’re looking for a nice, warm, and safe place to rest after a long evening of feasting on insects. Eating thousands of mosquitos in one sitting is exhausting! So how can you figure out which small or large space allowed the bat or bats into your home? Give us a call.
From the foundation to the roof, we’ll check each and every area of your home for possible entry points and provide you with a full run-down, including a cost estimate, of our suggestions. We’ve also designed a Preventive Maintenance Program to help you keep bats out for the long-haul.
How Do I Know If It Was A Stray Bat Or I Have A Bat Colony Invasion?
In our experience, one bat usually means many, but that’s not always the case. Here are some tell-tale signs that you have a full-on bat colony invasion in your home or office:
- You’ve visually spotted bat droppings (guano) in the attic, chimney, basement, or another area of the structure.
- You’ve visually spotted bats leaving your house at dusk.
- You hear scratching and other noises in the attic, walls, basement, or somewhere else in the home or office.
- You smell a strong ammonia-type odor (the smell of bat excretions).
Whether you have one bat or a colony living rent-free in your home, office, or commercial building, we can humanely remove them for you, remove the guano and bat urine, repair any areas that have been damaged by the colony, and bat-proof your house, office, or commercial property to prevent future problems.
What to learn more about the different species of bats found in Michigan? We’ve put together this resource to inform you on the bats you might encounter if you have bats in your home.
How Do Bats Damage Attics & Other Spaces?
Aside from the health risks, the worst thing about having bats in your home, office, or commercial property is the damage they can do.
- Bats tend to scratch away at the insulation in attics and walls.
- Their guano and urine is corrosive and can stain and destroy your property, cause wood rot, and corrode metal.
- Bat guano can build up and cause sagging drywall and a weakened structure.
- Their guano provides the perfect environment for histoplasmosis-causing fungus to grow.
- Bat guano attracts rodents and insects, all of which can damage your home even further and leave feces throughout your insulation and attic.
Considering that bats defecate about 20-30 times a day and a colony of bats can number in the thousands, that’s a lot of guano and a lot of damage! If you’ve had bats living in your attic and are in need of restoration services, from insulation removal and structural restoration to guano cleanup and disinfecting services, the team at Bat Removal & Prevention can help. We’re licensed builders with extensive experience and knowledge, and we’re the preferred contractor for a number of homeowners’ insurance companies. We’ll make sure your attic is clean and restored properly, and that any damage done is effectively repaired.
What Are The Health Dangers Associated With Bats? Are They Aggressive Animals?
When you have a bat in your home, it can be comforting to know that they’re not typically aggressive animals. Still, there are some dangers associated with bats:
- Bats can carry many diseases, including rabies. If you come into contact with a bat or believe you may have been bitten by one (they will sometimes bite in defense, like any other animal) and cannot have the bat tested for rabies, you’ll need to go through the rabies vaccination process. If you have the bat contained, call your local health department about having the bat tested for rabies. The protocol differs from area to area, but your health department will be able to advise you on what the process is in your locale.
- Bats bring with them ectoparasites like fleas, ticks, mites, flies, and bat bugs, all of which can be a nuisance and a health hazard to humans and pets.
- Guano (bat droppings) are smelly and can cause staining on your property and provide a breeding ground for fungi. These fungi spores can cause a fungal infection of the lungs (histoplasmosis) if breathed in. For more on guano and how to identify it, visit our Bat Guano page!
- Eau de bat urine is certainly not a good fragrance for your home, but bat urine isn’t just stinky; it’s also corrosive and can eat away at the materials in your home or office, weakening the structure and compromising its integrity.
Will My Insurance Company Cover Any Of The Removal, Prevention & Restoration Costs?
Bat removal and attic restoration services aren’t usually planned or budgeted for, which can make the entire situation even more stressful — but we can help. In many cases, homeowners’ insurance will actually cover the cost of bat removal and prevention, and attic restoration. As a fully licensed and preferred contractor, we’ll work with your insurance company to help you get your costs covered.
Have questions about our bat removal services? Please give us a call at 248-403-8167. We’re here to be a resource, to answer any questions you may have, and to resolve your bat troubles fast. Bat Removal & Prevention is here to help, 24/7. We proudly serve the areas of Macomb, Lansing, Brighton, Ann Arbor, Fenton, Grand Blanc, Lapeer, Rochester, Oxford, Clarkston, and Bloomfield.
You can also reach out to us online!
Don’t worry! We can help with squirrel removal, too. it’s all part of our wildlife control and removal services.