Our Experience with Bat Control

I read with interest the article on getting bats out of the attic (EDN 664). Indian houses here on the Paraguay River don’t lend themselves to bat problems because Indian houses are open without attics and because smoke from the “cow patties” that they burn in open fires repels them. 

For more affluent folks bats are a big problem. One missionary family returned from furlough to the home they had just built before leaving and found the overwhelming smell and dust from the bat guano so bad they had to replace the entire superstructure, roof and ceiling.

Bats invaded our attic through cracks between the roof and ceiling. As in your article, we found ultrasonic devices to be useless. We were able to get rid of them, however, by burning mosquito coils and using some commercial sprays.

The permanent fix was to caulk all the holes with a putty we made ourselves. We mixed cement and boiled linseed oil, both of which are not difficult to obtain even in Third World countries. The oil and cement powder should have enough cement so it isn’t too sticky to get off of hands or rubber gloves. It is about like bread dough. This is then pressed into the holes or grooves and allowed to dry. It eventually dries rock hard and tight and should keep out bats, birds and other pests. (After about 10 years the caulking may get chalky enough for birds to peck it out).