Bat exclusion that gets the whole colony out

Why “bat removal” is really exclusion

People search for bat removal. What actually works on a colony is exclusion. No poison is registered for bats, North Carolina limits when they can be evicted, and trapping and moving them doesn’t solve anything because the building still has openings and the bats still know where home is.

Exclusion flips it around. We make sure the only ways out are one-way doors, the bats leave to feed at dusk, and they can’t get back in. Once the building is empty, we seal those last openings too.

The inspection is most of the job

A proper exclusion depends on finding every gap a bat can use, and bats don’t need much. An opening about a quarter inch wide is enough. So we look at the whole upper building envelope:

• Soffits, soffit returns, and fascia joints
• Gable vents, ridge vents, and roof vents with failed screening
• Dormer corners and roof-to-wall intersections
• Chimney flashing and chimney chases
• Places where an addition meets the original house
• Loose siding, shutters, and trim transitions

We also go into the attic when we can. Guano piles, urine staining, and dark rub marks around a gap tell us where bats are roosting and which openings they’re using right now.

What you watched them leave from is usually real. It’s rarely the only one.

How the work goes

1. Seal the secondary openings. Gaps the colony isn’t actively using get closed first, with materials that suit the spot: sealant, screening, hardware cloth, or trim repair.
2. Install one-way exits. Exclusion devices go on the active openings. Bats can crawl out and fly off. They can’t find their way back in.
3. Wait for the building to clear. Devices stay up through enough nights of flying weather for the colony to leave.
4. Close the last openings. Devices come down, those gaps are sealed permanently, and the job goes under warranty.

If we find guano soaked into insulation, we’ll talk with you about attic cleanup and guano removal once the bats are out.

Timing in North Carolina

From May 1 through July 31, bat evictions aren’t allowed in North Carolina. Pups are born in early summer and can’t fly for several weeks; an exclusion then would leave them to starve inside. State rules also require paid bat evictions to be done by a licensed Wildlife Control Agent.

That makes August through April exclusion season. If you call in summer, we inspect, seal any openings into the living space, and put your exclusion first in line for August. Getting the inspection done early is the best way to be at the front of that line.

The mistakes we see most

• Sealing the obvious hole with foam while bats are inside. They look for another way out, often into the house.
• Buying an ultrasonic repeller. It doesn’t change the openings, and bats return to known roosts.
• Waiting for winter. Some bats stay in buildings through cold weather. A quiet attic isn’t an empty one.
• Hiring someone who only puts a device on one hole. The colony moves to the next gap down the roofline.

What affects the cost

We don’t quote over the phone because the building sets the price. The biggest factors are how many openings need sealing, the height and pitch of the roof, how much repair the gaps need (a rotted fascia board is more than a bead of sealant), and whether the attic needs cleanup. The number of bats matters less than most people expect.

Why call us

You’ll deal with Joe Zets and his crew, the same people from inspection through the final seal. Customers say they get photos of the gaps they couldn’t see and a straight answer about the warranty. We’re a division of Integrated Wildlife Management in Raleigh, so if the inspection turns up squirrels or birds instead of bats, the same crew can handle that too.

Back to the Triangle Bat Removal home page or see emergency bat removal if a bat is loose inside now.