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How To Keep Bats Away From Porch

How To Clean Up Bat Poop

9 Easiest Ways to Get Rid of Bats

Once the bats vacate the roost, there is no doubt you will have to undertake deep cleaning.

Bat poop or guano, as its often called, look like small dark pellets. They are round in shape, with an overpowering stench and can leave you holding your breath to avert the smell. Once dry they crumble to dust exacerbating the problem.

Bat poop carries fungal spores that can lead to significant health problems, including respiratory infections.

So once you have removed your bat infestation rid of the bats, it is good practice to clean up the mess they leave behind.


Here are some helpful tips:

  • Use a respirator mask when disturbing and cleaning the bat feces
  • Wear thick rubber or latex gloves as a barrier from the fungi spores
  • You can vacuum the guano or scoop the dried droppings using a scraper, and dump it straight into a garbage bag.
  • Once the guano has been removed, scrub the area using a disinfectant or cleaning solution getting rid of any residual waste molecules
  • Getting Rid Of Bats Behind Shutters

    If you have shutters on your home and the bat chooses them to live it can be quite annoying.

    They will be noisy with their scratching and squeaking and you will want to remove them and then discourage their return. For similar reasons, you dont bats flying in and out of your porch.

    • The bat does not like light. If you are able to direct bright light toward the shutter or inside of the porch they will not want to stay. The downside to this method will light also attract bugs and it could be counter-effective if the light draws the bat to a food source.
    • Check your state guidelines on bat repellents before using them. In some areas, it is illegal to harm bats. Not all repellents are legal to use, and some states do not allow the use of any chemicals. You need to make sure you are choosing legal ones before putting them out.
    • There are bird repellents on the market that are sticky. If the bat crosses this stickiness they will not like the feel and will be discouraged from living there.

    How To Get Rid Of Bats In The Chimney

    Unused chimneys are the perfect roosting space for bats. Its common to find infestations during the maternity season and will need to take care of these circumstances given the young bats are unable to fly. If separated from their parents during an attempted eviction, and the young die deep inside your chimney flume you will have a secondary problem to clean up.

    Its possible to use one-way exclusion netting, allowing the bats to leave the chimney but preventing them from re-entering. Once bitten, twice shy, once the bats leave be sure to install a chimney cap to prevent a further episode.


    If you find you have bats nesting deep inside your chimney, or if your suspect you have dead or rotting bats trapped. We would recommend you call a professional pest control service to clean the flue.

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    Signs Of Bat Infestation

    Bat infestations are more common than you might think.

    Its important to separate bat conservation, from an infestation within your home. We love bats here at The Yard and Garden but we dont want to share our bed with it and Im sure you dont either.

    Like most pests, bats carry disease and therefore a potential health risk. So, despite all of the great work they do in pollination and insect control, they are best kept outside of your home.


    Here are our top 5 tell-tale signs of a potential bat infestation.

    Bat sightings around your home

    Regular bat activity around your home at dust or dawn is a sure sign bats may be nesting either in or near your home. If you dont have a bat house or outhouse then check your attic for bats.

    Frequent bat droppings

    Where bats live, bats defecate. If you find yourself cleaning up an unusually large amount of round black poop like pellets in your attic, your crawl space, or any other sheltered, dark location in your house, its mostly like a bat infestation. Other signs include milky white urine stains on windows and other household surfaces.

    Squeaking sounds

    Bats have a high-frequency squeak that resembles the screech of a mouse. You may ever hear strange noises coming from within your home, maybe an attic or in between walls, or if you hear these sounds frequently at sunrise and sunset, it can be an indication of a bat infestation.

    Dead bats in and around your property

    The scent of ammonia

    Keep Your Porch Lights On

    How To Keep Bats Away From Porch

    Bats generally hate bright lights. While most bat species appear to be blind, studies suggest they can see, just not clear enough.


    The distaste for light explains why bats prefer dark caves, cracks/holes within your house, or why they prefer hunting at night. A simple way to keep bats from your residence is by ensuring that your porch remain well-lit during the night.

    The solution, however, is only viable if the bats are not already living within your house. Dark spaces such as the attic, ceiling, etc., can provide an ideal living space for bats. Placing bright lights may not entirely solve the situation but might cause the creatures to move deeper within your living space as they seek to avoid the light.

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    Essential Oils And House Items

    For those who have been noticing a couple of bats regularly flying over their home and roosting in nearby, you may want an easy DIY solution to help deter them for a nest. This DIY solution is best for those who are anticipating a bat infestation.

    If youve noticed a couple of bats flying around over your home or roosting in the eaves, you might want to consider putting together essential oils and household items to stop the problem before it starts. The pungent smell of essential oils may seem pleasant to us but are quite the opposite to bats.


    Since their noses are much more sensitive, strong scents tend to scare them off. There are many essential oils available, but the ones that are popular among those who want to get rid of bats are cinnamon, eucalyptus, cloves, mint, and peppermint.

    Mix a couple of drops of your preferred essential oil with 2 cups of warm water and half a cup of sugar. Shake the mixture to incorporate all the ingredients.

    Place in a spray bottle and get ready to spritz. Look for the places that the bats visit the most, and spray until it is visibly damp but not dripping wet. The scent may help deter them from coming back.

    Tips For Removing Bats From Your Porch:

    The following tips will help you deal with any issues that arise when removing bats from your porch or property:

    1. Keep Porch Lights On

    Bats dont seem to like light, and you can take advantage of this fact. Using your porch light to deter bats from coming around could be a good idea.


    Keeping the porch lights on at night has proven to be effective in keeping bats away for some people. The bats will be disturbed, and they will be unable to sleep as a result.

    The porch will no longer be a suitable roosting location for them. The bats will be less likely to stay if you have the porch lights turned on.

    2. Use Bat Repellent

    One of the best methods to get rid of bats on a porch is using bat repellent spray. There are a variety of bat repellents available on the market that you can investigate.

    Some of the bat repellents on the market are made with natural ingredients that bats find unpleasant. Others will be chemical-based sprays aimed at preventing bats from entering the area.

    View The Latest Bat Repellents On


    Repellents made with natural ingredients will be more effective in a variety of ways. You wont have to be concerned about them harming any plants that may be growing near your porch.

    3. Fix Holes And Cracks

    Bats are very good at making homes for themselves inside cracks and holes, so repairing them is a good idea. You may have cracks on the top of your porch or in the areas around it that need to be repaired.

    4. Install Bat Nets

    5. Use Bat Houses

    6. Remove Food Sources

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    How To Get Rid Of Bats Outside Your House

    Last Updated on August 5, 2022 by David Jackson

    Getting rid of bats outside your home may increase other pests because bats eat thousands of bugs, including mosquitos. Sometimes, however, bats choose to live in places too close for comfort, near our homes.

    Beyond their seemingly spooky swooping, bats can also carry diseases. When bats start hanging out near your home or their numbers get too large, its probably time to learn how to prevent them from frequently flying outside your house.

    Sometimes the bats are not using your home as their resting spot. They may just be too close to your home and if you dont get rid of them your house will be threatened.

    There are some preventive measures to keep bats from finding your area inviting:

    • Wood: Bats love to live in dead trees. If you have a tree that has died, cut it down and remove it. If the bat cant find a place close to you, then they move further away in search of a home.
    • Standing water: If you have an area that always has water sitting in it such as bird baths, or rain catchersget rid of them. If you have a pool, covering it when not in use might help slightly. Theres not much beyond that you can do though. You are attracting bats with a consistent source of water .
    • Insects: The main food source for the bat is insects. If you can resolve the insect population around your home, you can reduce the chances of bats coming near it.

    How To Keep Bats Away From My Porch

    How to Remove Roosting Bats from Outside your House

    Bats can be very stubborn animals that will take advantage of their location and have also take advantage of human habitats and this is why bats often migrate to places where humans are because of the structures that these bats find secure and safe and the porch is the top contender when it comes to giving the bat a nice and sheltered place to stay where it hopes not to be disturbed. Bats will often roost at the overhang of the porch which can startle a lot of people and this is why people want bats gone. So what are the solutions to keep bats away from your porch? We compiled a handle list for you to get to know some solutions that anybody can execute if you are willing to take the step. In case you dont feel comfortable, there are always Bat control specialists like Bat Control! We are specialized, insured, and licensed experts that can handle it all.

    Moth Balls

    Moth balls are an effective way to keep bats away from the porch. The best way to proceed with bats are to get a cheese cloth and to wrap it in such a way that it forms a sack of moth balls. After that, you can either secure them with a string to the top of the porch to keep the bats way. Its a cheap and effective deterrent with varying results though!

    Keeping the lights on

    Bat Repellants

    Hose them down

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    Avoid Leaving The Porch Light On

    Okay, so think about bugs here. Bats may be a bit larger and more intelligent than some insects, but they do some of the same things.

    Part of the reason for this is that they are drawn to those same insects which are drawn to the light.

    Bats may be subconsciously drawn to light, as well. Mainly, however, they are just searching for a snack which happens to come in the form of insects attracted to porch lights, house lights, and firelight.

    Dont believe us, the University of Nebraska- Lincoln Extension can confirm that bats who enter homes are typically seeking shelter or drawn to bugs that are attracted by the doorway lights.

    In cases where there is a bat in your indoor space that needs to be removed, a light can be left on outdoors while the indoor lights are turned off. This is meant to draw the bat out, without you having too much close contact in the process of getting it back outside where it belongs.

    Find And Disrupt Their Primary Roosting Spot

    Bats will often find one spot and hurdle together in small, medium to large colonies to keep warm . Identifying the roosting location of the creatures should be a top priority for any homeowner facing the challenge of bat poop on their porch.

    Bat guano is a tell-tale indicator that bats could be living within your home. Bats tend to leave guano at the entrance of their roosting spots. If you find bat poop on your porch, the odds are that you could be harboring a colony of the nocturnal creatures close to your home.

    You can start by checking your attic. Bats will rest in dark unoccupied spaces for a considerable time. Attics are ideal places for bats to roost and move without attracting attention since most people rarely visit the confined space.

    You can also check for cracks, crevices, and other spaces large enough to hold a bat within the vicinity of the droppings. Its best to search for the location during the day when the creatures are resting. After identifying the spot correctly, it becomes easier to make their stay as uncomfortable as possible.

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    Understanding A Bats Behavior

    If you are frightened by bats, know that many other people feel the same. Yet when you understand a few of their behaviors, youll realize why theyre generally harmless to humans:

    • Most North American bats are natural predators to insects. The common bat may eat up to 600 mosquitoes or more per hour or nearly half its body weight in bugs during a single night. This can help farmers save money on pesticides.
    • Why does a bat screech? The technical term is echolocation a kind of sonar that allows bats to shriek and listen for the echo as a method of nighttime navigation to avoid objects and locate food.
    • Bats are the only mammals that can fly. Due to their nocturnal nature, youll only see them between dusk and dawn. If a bat flies into your home during daytime, it will be as surprised as you are and will want to find an exit.

    If you encounter one nearby, there is a definite reason. One or more of the following likely applies to your home:

    What Do Bat Droppings Look Like

    How To Keep Bats Away From Porch

    There is a tendency to mistake bat guano for mice droppings owing to their small size and smell. However, its easy to tell bat droppings from the droppings of other small mammals by considering a few key characteristics.

    Bat guano almost looks like a small rugby ball with oval edges . The excrement has a coarse texture, is glittery, and averages 8 mm-11 mm in length. The width ranges from 3.5 mm-4 mm though the actual dimensions may vary depending on the bat species.

    You can find the animals guano in chimney holes, along cracks, ceilings, and other areas where bats often roost. If left unattended, the droppings exhibit a distinctly pungent smell that can linger on for days.

    The concentration of bat droppings depends on the size of the colony and the length of stay. If you find copious amounts of animal droppings in your living space, it is likely either that there is a large colony of animals living within your premises or that the animals have lived there for quite some time.

    Why are there bat droppings on my porch?

    A primary reason you have bat droppings on your porch could be that bats utilize the location as a resting/roosting ground.

    Bats poop when they rest, so if you occasionally find the animals droppings on your premises, the animals have likely made your porch their favorite sleeping location.

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    How To Keep Bats From Roosting Under The Eaves

    Bats love to hide in small places where they are safe and the eves of a house is ideal for them. If you suspect a bat problem there are several places you should look and signs you should look for.

    First, check the cracks and crevices around your house. Look for stains along the walls or piles of droppings. Droppings, or bat guano, can collect high up on part of your roof or an easement of your house.

    Second, try switching outdoor lights to a yellow light. This will attract fewer bugs and, in turn, fewer bats.

    Third, seal the areas where bats are getting in. This can be a very extensive job. Bats can get in very small areas. Check out this video for how one exterminator was able to get rid of a bat problem.

    Here are the places you should check for bats around your house:

    • Underneigh roofing tiles or overhangs
    • Under loose flashing or boards
    • Through poor fitting or torn screens
    • Around the holes in the house where pipes enter
    • At the juncture where the porch meets the house
    • Cracks in the siding where it meets the chimney or forms a corner

    Bats As A Pest Species

    Bats are immensely beneficial to the environment, and in nature are almost entirely harmless to humans. But in or near your home, bats can still be dangerous.The danger isnt from a bite although there is a risk of bite if you purposefully or accidentally get too close to one. Rather, bats especially as infestations grow create droppings, called guano, that are filled with bacteria and acidic to your property. Bat guano causes a terrible odor, grows mold, and can be immensely damaging.

    Homes also offer a lot of safety for bats. Exterior shingle siding provides useful nighttime protection. Attics and barns offer excellent safety. Bats will find any space they can live without risk of predators and sleep comfortably during the day, and frequently those places are found around human dwellings.

    Bat colonies that are left undisturbed, sometimes for years, can grow to contain hundreds of bats. Even smaller colonies carry risks. And while bites are rare, all wild animals will bite if they feel threatened. Bats are vectors of disease. Their bodies can host viruses that are harmless to the bat but dangerous to humans, so bites are considered serious medical issues. Bats are hosts for:

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