Bats are nocturnal creatures and the only mammals that can fly. They are highly adaptable creatures that can set up homes in caves, under bridges, inside old mine shafts, attics, and other undisturbed areas of buildings. As long as there is access to food, bats can make a variety of structures their home, making them challenging to rid yourself of once they’ve established themselves on your property. Most areas have wildlife control restrictions on killing bats, so the pest control method most frequently used is encouraging the bats to leave your home by reducing your home’s habitability for bats. The average cost of bat removal can range dramatically based on many factors. Currently, the national average is around $450.
| National Average | Average Cost Range | Minimum Cost | Maximum Cost |
| $450 | $100 – $9,000 | $300 | $9,000 |
If trying to exterminate bats on your own becomes too challenging, we recommend Orkin, Terminix, and Aptive. These exterminators have some of the best-trained professionals that are able to use traps, baits, and other chemically treated solutions that are often more effective than standard DIY methods.
4.6
Over 90 years of experience
Nationwide service area
Free retreatments if pests return
4.7
Treats 20 types of pests
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What Influences Cost?
Bat removal services are a highly specialized service that requires special licensing and liability costs for the pest control company. When you have bats, you may also have other pests that have invaded your home. Let’s go over some of the biggest influences on bat removal cost.
Severity
The most significant factor in bat exclusion costs is the number of bats you have and the overall severity of the infestation. If you have a single bat or small colony in your attic, this will be significantly less expensive than a colossal bat colony with hundreds or even thousands of bats.
Other Present Pests
Bat infestations are often present alongside other pest infestations, such as other wildlife, rodents, termites, and fleas. All of these infestations will require their own control services, which will add on additional costs and affect the total cost.
- Average rodent and wildlife removal costs: $150 to $800
- Average flea exterminator cost: $150 to $500
- Average termite extermination costs: $400 to $5,000+
Method Used
In most states, bats are protected legally and may not be killed. Most professionals will charge for bat removal services by the type of service, including possible fees for the initial inspection, exclusion, removal, sealing entryways, and sealing other holes that bats may reenter through.
As a result of the legal protection, pest control services are set up to encourage bats to leave the premises. To get rid of bats, professionals typically seal entryways by covering openings or eaves with nettings or tubes. These nets or tubes allow bats to drop down and fly out of the structure, but they can not fly back into your home. After a while, all of the bats will have to leave your home for food and will not be able to get back in, eventually ridding your home of all the bats that have taken up residence.
Repairs and Cleaning
Cleanup after a bat infestation is usually more expensive than the actual bat exclusion method. Bat guano, otherwise known as bat feces, is not only smelly, but it’s hazardous to human and animal health because it can carry fungal spores that can cause respiratory diseases. Professional cleanup is recommended, which can easily cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars depending on the severity of the infestation. Guano removal is often billed alongside attic restoration because it’s challenging to remove bat guano without damaging and needing to replace some of the attic’s insulation. Depending on your area, this can easily add up between the cost of the attic insulation material and labor costs.
Many bat removal experts will also recommend treating the affected area with a residual insecticide after bats have been excluded from your home. The insecticide will kill different bugs, like mites, that bats may carry and help to prevent another infestation from another type of pest.
Insurance
If you have homeowners insurance, reach out to your insurance company to see if your insurance policy offers coverage for bat removal. Many policies will provide some coverage for bat removal, which can be a great way to be reimbursed for part of the bat removal cost.
Signs & Causes of Infestation
Bats are tiny, winged mammals that can fit into tight areas. Sometimes, a bat may wander into a home and get stuck, but bats will frequently seek shelter from the harsh winter or look for a safe, indoor place to roost during the warmer seasons.
Typical signs of bat infestation include:
- Noise. Bats are often pretty noisy animals that will begin chirping and creating rustling noises around twilight. Unlike rodents, noise from bats will sound like flapping of wings and scratching noises, rather than scurrying and chewing noises.
- Bat droppings (guano). Look for bat droppings on window sills, which is frequently a sign that bats are colonizing in the walls, attic, or chimney of your home.
- Odor. Guano will cause an unpleasant odor after building up, which is another common sign of bats. Guano and bat urine will smell like ammonia.
- Stains. Look for stains on your attic walls which are often from bat urine.
- Bats flying around your home. If you notice bats routinely flying around your home at night, they may be flying to and from your home to look for food, indicating that they have started a colony.
- Dead bats. If you find dead bats inside or outside of your home, you may have a bat problem.
Bats are good at controlling insects, which means that many states have laws protecting bats from harm. No pesticides are currently registered to control bats as a result.
Health Risks
Despite the many stereotypes about bats, bats are not out to suck your blood. In fact, most bats do their best to avoid humans altogether and are rarely aggressive. However, bats can carry a dangerous virus, rabies, which can be transmitted to humans and animals through saliva and bites. As a result, you must never handle bats. There is a minimal risk of rabies as less than one percent of the bat population is believed to contract rabies, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior. Though the risk is low, it’s never worth the risk to handle a live or dead bat directly because rabies can cause various unpleasant symptoms, including confusion, fever, headache, and nausea.
In addition to the risk of rabies, bat guano can carry fungal spores, which can cause histoplasmosis. This uncomfortable lung disease is not usually serious for healthy adults but can be dangerous to infants or those with a weaker immune system. Guano should never be handled directly and should be taken care of quickly before it can build up.
In addition to this, a provoked bat may scratch or bite you, which not only puts you at risk of rabies and any diseases the bat may be carrying but can also be a painful injury. Overall, bats are dangerous animals that humans should keep their distance from.
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DIY vs. Hiring a Professional
While many pests can be dealt with by the average homeowner, bats are not recommended to do it yourself and should be addressed by someone specifically trained in bat removal.
This is due to a variety of factors, including the lack of proper tools and equipment to remove bats from your property and the health hazards that bats present. There are many bat repellent and home bat removal products on the market. However, none of these are guaranteed to work or certified.
Since bats are so beneficial to our ecosystem, many laws and regulations are in place protecting them as a whole, and different species of bats may have special protection as well. Before you DIY any bat removal on your own, you need to reach out to your local wildlife agency to ensure that you conform to any laws in your area about bats.
At the end of the day, bats are animals that should not be dealt with lightly.
Professionals that deal with bats are experienced in this specialized exclusion service. Typically, they will start by assessing your property and examining the area where bats may be. After determining your bat infestation’s estimated size and severity, they can discuss bat exclusion options with you.
A few professional companies that perform bat exclusion include:
- Terminix offers a multi-tiered bat control and removal service. During this service, your trained technician will seal off all entry points to your home, remove bats using bat valves, clean guano, sanitize the affected area, and replace any missing insulation.
- Orkin safely removes bats and eliminates bats in compliance with the local law, all while ensuring that the bats do not return to your home. They also offer sanitation services and seal-off entry points to prevent future bat problems.
4.6
90+ years of experience
Nationwide service area
Free treatments if pests return
4.7
Treats 20 types of pests
Offers instant online quotes
30-day money-back guarantee
4.3
Treats 20 types of pests
Offers instant online quotes
30-day money-back guarantee
4.0
Treats 20 types of pests
Offers instant online quotes
30-day money-back guarantee
What is the Standard Bat Extermination Process?
Think you might need to get rid of bats in the attic or house? The standard bat extermination process involves having a technician come out to your property and inspect the area for bats. They’ll usually start by asking you about any bats you may have seen and other signs of a bat infestation, such as bat droppings, odor, and strange noises. Then, they’ll do a physical examination of your property. After assessing the bat infestation, they’ll discuss different treatment options with you. In most cases, bats will be taken care of through exclusion methods using nets or bat tubes.
Bat nets and tubes only allow the bats to leave your home in search of food. However, when they try to return to the colony, they’ll be unable to fly back up into the area, effectively blocking them from reentering. After a while, all the bats will have to leave in search of food, which will eventually force every bat to leave your property.
After the bats have been excluded from the premises, a professional will likely recommend their bat guano cleaning services. Bat guano can transfer disease through spores and is challenging to clean up, which is why the clean up is typically best left to a professional. Attic insulation may also need to be removed and replaced in the process of cleaning up the bat guano. Other possible clean up may include cleaning urine off of your walls.
Many companies will also recommend treating with a residual insecticide after the bats are gone to kill any fleas, mites, or other pests that the bats may have brought with them. The technician will even check for other pests, like termites and insects, that frequently live with bats. After your property has been thoroughly treated and cleaned, a technician may choose to go over further exclusion options with you. This could include closing off any holes they notice and barring the entryway into the bat den to prevent future bat problems.
A professional may recommend mosquito treatments because mosquitos are an attractive food source for many types of bats. Mosquitoes are typically attracted to standing water for breeding, so mosquito treatments for standing water on your property can be effective at significantly reducing the number of mosquitoes on your property. There are both single services and long-term services available for mosquitoes. If you have other insect infestations, dealing with these can also reduce your chances of bats being attracted to your property.
Other steps you can take to bar bat entry on your property include:
- Using essential oils as a repellent. Bats are offended by a variety of smells, including cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus, and mint.
- Covering holes with wire mesh, which bats can’t fly or tear through easily.
- Using insecticides and insect repellent to decrease the chances of insects gathering on your property. Bats are less likely to stick around your property if they don’t have easy access to food.
