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farmerjim
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bats
07/28/05 07:47 AM
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i have a bunch of bats in the attic of my barn, they are starting to become a nuisance, i find them everywhere when i'm doing work in the barn. the other day was my last straw i went to put on some gloves and there was one inside a glove. i don't want to kill them as they eat all the mosquitos and other bugs. i have built a bat box and hung it in a tree next to the barn but they don't seem to go into it. can anyone direct me to a good way to evict them from the barn.
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Pat
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They rely on ultrasonic echo location for navigation (SONAR) so if you install ultrsonic pest repellers they should be quite annoyed.
There are infra red motion detecting ultrasonic units that emit a loud (silent to humans) ultrasound signal when a warm body is detected. Bats are mamals, i.e. warm bodied.
 Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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AncientHouse
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Re: bats
[re: Pat]
08/02/05 04:06 PM
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Do those really work? I read that the ultrasonic pest repellants didn't work. The article said that bats and mice get use to the sounds because they hear different frequencies all the time and once they know it doesn't pose a threat...they come back.  Has anyone used this with consistent success?
I'd love to know as I'm in the process of getting rid of my bats as you know.
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Pat
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Ultrasonic pest thingies don't work on mosquitos as they are advertised to do but they do work on birds and mamals including bats. Yes, animals do get used to constant sounds... so don't get that type of a system. I suggest either infra-red motion detection activation or random sequence activation. I have used both. I have a problem right now with the feathered mud daubers AKA swallows. They are perching on our porch ceiling fans and making quite a mess with their droppings. I don't want to run the fans 24-7 so I will be getting out the untrasonics I had previously had in the front yard to keep dogs from leaving "love notes" (100% effective for several years where previously I got 2-3 "notes" per day.)
Some of the units I have used allow you to select the band (range of freqs) constant or random intermittent transmission etc. My personal fav is the warbling tone simlar to a "yelping siren" but of course inaudible to humans. As it "slides" through a range of frequencies it is quite obnoxious to animals (personally observed.) Key attributes of a system are: weather proof, powerfully loud (just not to humans), not on continuously.
Alternatively, can't you find and plug the bat's access? Open it in early evening to let any out and after any exit then plug it till the next evening. Bats aren't going to drop dead if confined for a night if they don't get out before you close the door. Hunger and thirst will motivate them to want out during subsequent evening exit opportunities. You should be able to remove most if not all by this approach.
There are jillions of bats in Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico and if there is an evening thunderstorm a brewing or other inclement weather they don't come out. Proof positive they survive just fine without getting out every night as after all the centuries of their occupancy the colony hasn't died out.
Even if your temporary bat control ameliorations are not particularly aesthetic, take heart, once the bats are removed yo can take your time wlring a more appealing solution. Fine mesh nets made from course string (so as to be visible on SONAR) around the eves would prevent access.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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AncientHouse
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Re: bats
[re: Pat]
08/04/05 11:32 AM
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Hi Pat,
That's great to hear. Any brands you recommend? Your fav.
A friend was over on the weekend and swore that he saw a mouse go up on the roof and because I've heard some different sounds on the ceiling, It's possible that I might be using this on the bats and mice. Once I deal with them then I can spray the konk for any cluster flies that get in before I seal up the rest of the house.
It's an ongoing saga. 
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Pat
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Ancient, I guess I'm partial to bats, especially as compared to rodents. I wouildn't be down on rodents so much if they ate mosquitos. If I were trying to solve your problem I'd probably go to considerable lengths to remove as many bats as is practical without harming them... AND THEN... I'd show no mercy to the rats and mice.
The selectable freq/selectable time on units I bought last wre marketed in the Sharper Image catalog. I would be doing some Googling if I were doing it again. (which I just may be)
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
Edited by Pat (08/04/05 09:41 PM)
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AncientHouse
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Re: bats
[re: Pat]
08/05/05 09:05 AM
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Hi Pat,
I actually quite like the bats but if I don't get them out then they might be stuck in there when I go to get rid of the mice and the cluster flies. Then they would be dead bats and I don't want that. That's why the ultrasonic device sounded like a miracle cure. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't purchasing something that didn't work as we are tight on funds from renovating the farmhouse. I'll get googling.
Thanks.
Lee
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Pat
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Lee, Do err on the side of more power output and just above human hearing not way up in the ultrasonic spectrum. I used to be able to hear up to 21, 500 Hz in one ear and about 20, 500 in the other. I could hear bats quite well. Unfortunately I could also hear ultrasonic burgular alarms too. Most annoying while trying to shop as they often do not turn off the transmitters during store hours since virtually no one could hear them.
You might want to do a litle research... Google or ... to confirm best freq range for your species. Have you identified your species?
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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AncientHouse
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Re: bats
[re: Pat]
08/08/05 09:52 AM
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Hi Pat,
Not sure of the species. They are little black bats. Do you recommend any reputable brands of ultrasonic devices? I keep seeing Sunbeam come up on my googling. I only hear the bats squeek when we caught the one flying in our house and put it outside. We caught it with a lamp shade and a magazine.
Thanks.
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Pat
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Ancient, I wish I couild ID the species from little and black. I suspect you might find a biologist from one of your local universities or the like who could ID it and help you determine the freq range where they operate. Failing that, I'd look for equipment that could transmit just above human hearing and that can put out a varying tome not a single note. Again, you want either a random transmission timing or one based on IR detection so they don't easily get used to it like they will with a constant tone.
Sorry that I don't have a brand to recommend. I would have no better approach for finding a COTS unit than your Google searching.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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AncientHouse
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Re: bats
[re: Pat]
08/09/05 03:32 PM
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Thanks Pat. I'll go on researching.
Lee
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Pat
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Ancient, I wonder if we are trying to be too high tech? Do you suppose you could place a "check valve" over the ingress/egress hole the bats use? A lightly spring loaded flap that a bat could push open from the inside but not push open from the outside.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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AncientHouse
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Re: bats
[re: Pat]
08/10/05 11:57 AM
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well we put screen on the larger entries with the bottom being the only side not sealed and we used expanding foam for any other holes we could see. So either we've missed something or they are getting back in or they aren't all leaving. So it seems we have to scare them out.
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Pat
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Ancient, Perhaps you could try some sort of semi-natural biological scare tactic. Fit a cat (preferably a good mouser) with booties to prevent the use of their claws and put them in the attic (or space containing bats.) The cat will have fun chasing the bats but will not lilkely harm many and the bats will probably want to "get out of Dodge" ASAP.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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AncientHouse
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Re: bats
[re: Pat]
08/12/05 12:26 PM
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That actually sounds like a great idea.  Great if you get the right cat. How about the insulation that's up in the attic? Hence, the booties. Hard to get booties on a cat. 
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Anjou
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farmerjim,
Lucky for you that you've got a sizeable bat population for insect control. It's too bad that they're becoming a nuisance. Perhaps your bat house is not as appealing as the barn. maybe if you put up a few more or tried moving the existing one to a different location or oriented it in a different direction (South?) We've only got a bat or two around our place at night so I was hoping down the road to build a few boxes and attach them to the telephone poles.
Our living room, with the 17' cathedral ceiling was open for awhile and we had an unexpected visitor roosting in the trusses... a barn owl! I'm not sure who was more startled me or it, but it hasn't been back since. He got at least one juicy mouse to eat while he was there. I hope that once I do get around to building a barn that I can get him to come home to roost again. That would be sooooo cool.
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