We have been known for years to be one of the most reasonably priced bat professionals around, and many times are told we were the best price quote that someone received. We try to keep your costs down by coming to your home prepared to do the work on our first visit.  That way we can save the expense of an inspection fee.  We do need to charge an *inspection fee if you just want or need us to look at your home to determine the situation with your bats and what needs to be done to fix it.  However, if you allow us to do the work on that initial visit, we will waive the inspection fee and only charge for our work.  And you can be assured that we will not charge an exorbitant fee for the exclusion; in fact, ours are some of the most fairly priced fees in the business.  Your exclusion may be much less than you expected!

Our customers also have the satisfaction of knowing they can call us in the future with a question or a need because we have been in the bat business for many years.

We also accept major credit cards.  If you like, even if your bat removal was very affordable, you can make payment arrangements with our office - without interest!

Bat problems rarely go away on their own.  So even if you are reluctant to schedule the work now, be aware that as time goes on the problem usually becomes a more costly one.  The bat colony will continue to grow, and can lead to odor issues with your home.

*If you would like a free estimate, before we come to your home, that can also be done!  We need for you to take very good pictures of your home and up-close pictures of the suspected problem areas and e-mail them to us.  We will get back to you promptly with an estimate to remedy your particular bat issue.  Please take 2 – 3 pictures standing on the street or away from your house in order to capture the whole house, it’s elevations and the terrain around it.  Then take some pictures of the problem bat areas as well as you can.  You do not need to get on a ladder.  Stand on the ground and use your zoom or simply get as close as you can.  Once you have the photos – you can upload them to us on our “Contact” form.

It is not uncommon for bats to be found hanging under covered decks and porches.  They may be resting temporarily, or they might like it there and stay much longer.  Some folks aren’t too concerned, but for others, particularly if the bat is near the front door, their droppings (guano) can become a nuisance.  Homeowners, tire of sweeping guano away (see “Will Bat Guano Make Me Sick“, and don’t like the idea that their nocturnal friend could accidentally fly in the house with the opening and closing of the door.  Is there is some sort of bat repellant that would encourage their bats to quit hanging there?

There are many so-called solutions floating around, most with limited success.  We have heard of balloons, streamers, fake owls (bat’s natural predator) devices that emit noise, etc.  Although we don’t know of any sure-fire 100% successful bat repellant, there is something that can be tried that seems to have much better success than any other.

At a hardware or pet store, or on the Internet, look for “powdered cat and/or dog repellant”, usually in a small canister.   (The Internet may prove to be a much easier way to find the repellant). Do not get repellant in an aerosol form; it is not as successful.  After getting the powdered repellent, add water and make a strong “tea” out of it.  Put this repellent into a spray bottle.  When the bat or bats ARE NOT hanging in their spot (usually when they have left to hunt in the evening), spray this mixture around the area they hang.  They do not like the smell of this and that can be enough to encourage them to move on.  In addition, you will need to place a very bright spot light aimed up at he area the bats are hanging at.  Your porch light is not enough. Do this for about 3 to 4 nights in a row. Monitor for droppings (see “How Can I Tell If It Is a Mouse Dropping or Bat Guano?“), if they continue repeat the above steps.

We hope this method proves to be successful for you.  As always, we want to humanely and safely work with our bat friends.  If you are unsure whether your bats are just hanging out, or whether they are actually living in the structure of your home, call us and we can make that determination.

Bats often get into homes – sometimes through doors left open in the evening, perhaps while bringing in groceries.  Also, if open windows are without screens, or have ill-fitting screens, they can enter.  And unfortunately, at times, people attempting to bat proof homes seal them into attics and walls (see how to detect bats in attic).  When they are sealed into structures inadvertently, they become desperate to find an exit and sometimes discover a way into the home.

If you are certain the bat has had no contact with anyone, just allow him back outdoors. If you can isolate him to one room by closing doors to the rest of the house, do so.  Then open doors and windows to the outside. (We recommend doing this during the day; if done at night there is the risk that another bat could fly in.)  Once you have opened doors and windows, the bat can feel the air current and fly out.  However, if it does not, it can be captured and released.  When it is resting on the wall or floor, cover it with a box and slide a flat piece of cardboard under the box to nudge the bat inside.  Keeping the flat piece over the box, take your captured bat outside and gently shake it onto a bush, wall or tree.  (We always suggest that you wear leather gloves when doing this.) The bat can take flight once it has its bearings.  DON’T put the bat on the ground.  Many bats cannot take flight from the ground, and they are vulnerable to predators there.

If the bat appears sick or injured, we can refer you to a Wildlife Rehabilitator.  Or you can call Animal Control or the Public Health Department.

Whatever you do, don’t panic.  Rest assured, the bat wants out of your home as much as you want him out!  He will perform his own “bat removal” if he is possibly able!

You’ve called us.  You think you have bats inside, but either have only occasionally seen some, or not yet seen them at all.  Maybe you’ve seen some droppings, (please look in our “Common Questions” tab for info about how to detect a mouse dropping from bat guano, and how to detect if it is fresh or old) or maybe you’ve heard some little chirpy noises in the ceiling or wall. Could it be bats inside?

With approximately 20 years in the bat business, we will know how to tell whether you have bats inside or not, and also where they are entering or exiting.  But, if there is any doubt, or if you are curious, you can do a little detective work yourself.  Go around the exterior of your home or building.  Look for guano on the ground, or on decks and porches, perhaps stuck on windows.  Or there may be some white urine staining on the siding or windows.  Then you can serve some “Watchman Duty”.  Stand at different ends of your house outside around sunset.  It helps if more than one person does this, but if it is just you, then circle around.  The difficultly is, it depends on what species of bats you may be hosting as to what time he is going to make his nightly exit.

Western Pipistrelle bats and the slow flying Silver-haired bats make their exit before sunset.  Mexican Free-tailed bats exit right at sunset, and usually in a nice column or group.  Our very popular Little Brown bats exits at late dusk.  The Big Brown bats makes their debut about 20 minutes after sunset.  The little California Myotis bat, the Townsend’s Big-eared bat and the cute and creamy Pallid bat leave about an hour after sunset.  The Pallid bat will continue to go in and out through the night.  Fringe-tailed bats leave 1 – 2 hours after sunset; the huge Western Mastiff bat waits for complete darkness.  And the mostly solitary guy, the Hoary bat leaves very late, 2 – 5 hours after sunset. He can make audible chattering and hissing sounds, and may like to hunt around your outdoor light.

If you prefer, you can also get out right around dawn in the morning and catch some erratic flying guests coming in for a landing and back to bed.  Now you know if there are bats inside and how to detect bats.



Why is Western Bat Specialists particular about the timing of bat exclusions?  Why is Western Bat Specialists concerned about how bat exclusions are performed? Why do we get alarmed when we hear that someone has closed the openings in their house – sealing bats inside, or  performed a bat exclusion during bat maternity season?  Why do we only have certain months to do a bat exclusion, thereby at times making you, our customer, wait several weeks?

Bats, although they can make a big mess in your home or business, are extremely valuable.  We will all be in serious trouble if the numbers of the bat population become drastically reduced.  And the sad fact is, over half of all bat species across the nation are in trouble.  This is because of many things; the closing of mines and caves, (loss of habitat) the use of pesticides, white nose syndrome, destruction of maternity colonies and poor attempts on some people’s part to exclude or even kill bats.  And sometimes even well intentioned people bring harm to the bat species by causing too much disturbance.  This is especially true in the wintertime, when bats have barely enough fat reserve to survive through the cold weather.  One extra disturbance (wake-up in winter) can cause a loss of 60 days worth of fat reserves for the hibernating bat!  For this reason, we don’t do bat exclusions when they are hibernating.  (They are not going to queue up and fly out at that time anyway.)

Most bat species only have one baby a year, so when the bat population is endangered, it can take a long time for it to recover. We do not do bat exclusions during  bat maternity season, June through mid-August.

If you are experiencing bat problems during bat maternity season, please don’t hesitate to call Western Bat Specialists.  Other companies may agree to do bat exclusions during this time, but this is extremely harmful to bats.  We would love to help you by performing a bat exclusion during the proper time of year!

Histoplasmosis (caused by spores in infected soil, bird or bat guano has also been called “Cavers Disease” and “Spelunker’s Lung” because it would sometimes occur after long exposure to bat guano that had been stirred up by cave explorers.  It can be a very serious disease, although most people infected with these spores will never display symptoms.  It is a disease that usually affects the lungs, and often used to be misdiagnosed as tuberculosis.  It is not limited to just the lungs however, and is very serious (or fatal) when it travels to other organs.  Symptoms can include coughing, fever and general flu like symptoms.

The people who are at the highest risk of infection are those who inhale a large number of spores by working with heavily infected soil, cleaning  poultry pens, working in bat infested buildings, frequenting caves and farmers.  People with compromised immune systems are also at high risk for contracting Histoplasmosis.

In our office, we have heard of families contracting Histoplasmosis from having large deposits of guano in the ceiling of their home.  We have not heard of it being contracted from small amounts of guano being swept away.  However, if you were to develop symptoms of the disease, you should always contact your doctor.

If you have bats living in your structure, you may need a bat “clean out”, or bat remediation.  We are bat specialists in removing guano from buildings and homes, and you will see us using our protective gear and face masks as necessary.

Bat with white nose syndrome

White-Nose Syndrome is a mysterious fungal disease that has been killing bats hibernating in caves in the Northeastern United States at an alarming rate.  The mortality rate is over 90% in affected colonies.  Affected bats can look like they are starting to mold, with white rings of fungus around the nose, and also on the wings and ears.  The disease is alarming, and spreading at a rapid rate.

Although White-Nose Syndrome is under study, it is thought that it kills bats by wakening them during hibernation.  A hibernating bat awakens only about every 10 – 20 days normally and naturally, during which time they drink, urinate, mate and perhaps change location.  A bat with White-Nose Syndrome awakens every three – four days.  These awakenings use a lot of energy, and a bat that is awakened too much will use all it’s body reserves, and starve to death before winter is over.

Five species are currently being affected, one of these, the Indiana Bat, was already on the endangered list.

This disease is not currently in California or Nevada, but it is having a huge effect in other states on the population of two of California’s most common species, the little brown (in particular) and the big brown.  We love our bats and want them to thrive. That is why we do our utmost to care for them, and practice only safe exclusion methods.  If you have bats, consider putting up bat houses for them.  (We will discuss bat houses in another blog)  If they are in your house, use someone that is a bat professional and has expert knowledge of bats (read about Ken Clacher) and their habits to exclude them.  Protect our ecology!

Although the Southwest States are favorite habitats of the Mexican Free-tailed Bat, we have them in the Northwest as well.  Thankfully we see them often in our exclusion work in Northern California.

If you have been bit by a bat (which is rare), be sure to go to the nearest hospital for treatment.  Bats by nature are very calm and gentle, so if they do exhibit aggressive behavior such as biting, there is a good chance that the bat has contracted rabies and you do need to seek treatment immediately.