Apart from the fact that they are a protected species, there are no readily available poisons and fumigants for killing bats. Some homeowners try to use rat poison for bats but it doesn’t work because bats only eat flying insects caught in mid-air and not food lying on the floor. Likewise, poisoning a bat would require poisoning their food, but bats would not eat dead insects.
There are nonetheless, several ways to kill a bat. Some of these methods are inhumane or even illegal.
Glue board trap:
This is a very inhumane kind of trap. A glue board is placed under the roosts of the bats and any bats that fall on the glue gets stuck, wriggling and struggling until they slowly starve to death. This is a gruesome way to die for any animal and should be avoided.
Poison
It is not safe to use poisons to kill bats and there are actually no registered poisons for that purpose. You are likely not to find any information about poisoning on the internet because it is highly illegal. The little information you may get is not verified but based on someone's tale of what they used and this, you cannot really trust. For instance, what amount of the poison did they use and did it wipe out the whole bat colony? How did they dispose of the dead bats?
Fumigants
Bat sprays such as DDT or RoZol can kill bats but they are illegal in the United States. These dangerous sprays do not only harm bats, but can harm humans as well.
Vikane Gas can also be used to destroy insects as well as bats but most of this fumigants have disastrous aftermaths.
Again, it is illegal to kill bats. If bats get into your house or attic, your best bet is to call a professional wildlife removal company. If a bat flies into the house living area, quickly close doors so that it doesn't enter other room and then open a window to let it out.
Better Alternatives
Bats are not necessarily bad animals, it's just that they are carriers of rabies and other diseases and even their droppings can transfer an infection. In actual fact, only .05% of bats have rabies, and they may be identified by their disorientation or inability to fly. Under no circumstances, should you attempt to pick up any bat that shows these symptoms.
The most effective way to remove bats from a house is by prevention and exclusion. Once you have found out their point of infiltration, you should proceed to seal up those infiltration points.
This is usually done after they have gone for their nightly foraging. Use sealant to shut every last gap and opening and access and hole.
As eager as you may be to get the bats out of your house, exclusion has to be done during spring when the young given birth to in the fall would have matured enough to leave. Otherwise you risk separating the mothers from the babies, who would subsequently die off, rot and then cause a horrible odor in the house. You may also be liable to the law as regulations are strict on bats’ mother-children separation. Apart even from the law, it is morally wrong to separate young bats from their mother; it just smacks of cruelty.
In carrying out a live exclusion, the devices have to be set in such a way that the bats can leave but cannot come back in. The holes in exclusion devices must be at least 3/8 inch since bats can enter tiny areas and the devices can be left for several days to ensure that all the bats have left the attic. Exclusion devices include:
How to Kill a Bat
Wildlife Education - Information and Advice for the Safe Removal of Bats from Attics
There are nonetheless, several ways to kill a bat. Some of these methods are inhumane or even illegal.
Glue board trap:
This is a very inhumane kind of trap. A glue board is placed under the roosts of the bats and any bats that fall on the glue gets stuck, wriggling and struggling until they slowly starve to death. This is a gruesome way to die for any animal and should be avoided.
Poison
It is not safe to use poisons to kill bats and there are actually no registered poisons for that purpose. You are likely not to find any information about poisoning on the internet because it is highly illegal. The little information you may get is not verified but based on someone's tale of what they used and this, you cannot really trust. For instance, what amount of the poison did they use and did it wipe out the whole bat colony? How did they dispose of the dead bats?
Fumigants
Bat sprays such as DDT or RoZol can kill bats but they are illegal in the United States. These dangerous sprays do not only harm bats, but can harm humans as well.
Vikane Gas can also be used to destroy insects as well as bats but most of this fumigants have disastrous aftermaths.
Again, it is illegal to kill bats. If bats get into your house or attic, your best bet is to call a professional wildlife removal company. If a bat flies into the house living area, quickly close doors so that it doesn't enter other room and then open a window to let it out.
Better Alternatives
Bats are not necessarily bad animals, it's just that they are carriers of rabies and other diseases and even their droppings can transfer an infection. In actual fact, only .05% of bats have rabies, and they may be identified by their disorientation or inability to fly. Under no circumstances, should you attempt to pick up any bat that shows these symptoms.
The most effective way to remove bats from a house is by prevention and exclusion. Once you have found out their point of infiltration, you should proceed to seal up those infiltration points.
This is usually done after they have gone for their nightly foraging. Use sealant to shut every last gap and opening and access and hole.
As eager as you may be to get the bats out of your house, exclusion has to be done during spring when the young given birth to in the fall would have matured enough to leave. Otherwise you risk separating the mothers from the babies, who would subsequently die off, rot and then cause a horrible odor in the house. You may also be liable to the law as regulations are strict on bats’ mother-children separation. Apart even from the law, it is morally wrong to separate young bats from their mother; it just smacks of cruelty.
In carrying out a live exclusion, the devices have to be set in such a way that the bats can leave but cannot come back in. The holes in exclusion devices must be at least 3/8 inch since bats can enter tiny areas and the devices can be left for several days to ensure that all the bats have left the attic. Exclusion devices include:
- ¼ inch poly netting: Most people use netting because netting allows for multiple bats to exit at once and a flap fitted across the bottom will ensure that bats don’t get back in. this can be used on long gaps with clear exit routes.
- Funnels: A funnel can be made of clear plastic to a ¼ inch steel screening or even a water bottle cut at both ends. Funnels are best placed in an eave gap over the exit types and when the bats have to leave small holes.
- Bat cones: These are special funnels that have a tapered body with attached wings.
- Pipes: One way valve smooth pipes can be used so that the bats don’t get stuck while going down the pipe. Once they exit, the valve closes ensuring that they can no longer get back in.
- Window screen: Screening can be used on adjacent to flat surfaces. A duct tape or staple gun can ensure that there are no gaps along the edges that can let the bats back in.
How to Kill a Bat