It’s Halloween season! Bats can be a good way to scare the unsuspecting. But not in our homes!

Bats are easily repelled at home using a variety of DIY methods to naturally get rid of bats.

It may be illegal to kill a bat in your area.

As scary as bats may be, they’re considered an endangered and protected species in many states.

Bats are necessary for the ecosystem to sustain itself, and killing them is an offense all over the United States in many states.

It is your responsibility and duty to make sure you’re complying with all local and federal laws concerning bat removal in your state.

You can check with your local city or state for bat laws. Here are some helpful resources:

Use artificial lights to drive bats out

Set up artificial light to repel them naturally from areas like your attic, chimney, or basement.

Bats aren’t blind, but they do have poor vision. They avoid daytime lighting because their vision isn’t good enough to feed on prey.

And this also makes them an easy target for predators during the daytime. Thus, they only come out at night when possible.

Seeing bats around during the day means they’re looking for food desperately, or they’ve been disturbed. Their main reason for avoiding light is to protect themselves and avoid any predators.

Any of these lighting conditions will repel bats:

  • Street lights
  • Floodlights
  • LED lights
  • Porch or deck lights
  • fluorescent  lights
  • Artificial lights
  • Sunlight
  • Natural light

All of these will attract pests at nighttime when bats are active, which will then have them feed on these bugs and make it seem like the bat is attracted to the light (which they’re not).

Will noise keep bats away?

Yes, bats are easily disturbed by annoying or persistent noises.

You can use supersonic repellers or white noise machines to drive bats out and naturally repel them.

A white noise machine or supersonic repeller can be found at any hardware store.

The sound volume must be loud enough and directed towards the bat roosting site to have any effect. You must also leave this noise on 24/7 until the bats are relocated.

Supersonic repellers

You can buy cheap or a professional-level supersonic repellers. They basically generate sound waves that disturb a range of pests, including bats.

These sound generators create sound waves with frequencies we can’t hear, but will annoy bats. There are mixed reviews for these sound generators, some work while others don’t.

If you decide to go with a supersonic bat repeller, be sure to read reviews. There are some basic ones that you just plug into an outlet and

there are also professional ones that are higher-grade and emit enough sound to cover a larger area. Do your research accordingly and choose the right model for your purposes.

Use Essential oils to get rid of bats

There are some essential oils you can use to get rid of bats.

Essential oils are a nice solution because they’re all-natural, safe for pets and humans, and harmless on most surfaces.

There are a few essential oils that work better than others, but the tried-and-true essential oil to get rid of bats is peppermint oil.

Peppermint oil as a bat repellent

You can buy peppermint oil at any department store. Just be sure the oil is natural and not artificial. Also get the strongest version if you can, as some are more diluted than others.

Be sure to do some quick research and read some reviews before picking up a bottle. It’s not hard- you just want to be sure you’re purchasing real peppermint oil.

How to DIY make a bat repellent

What you’ll need:

  • Peppermint oil
  • 3 cups of water
  • Boiling pot
  • Plastic cups

How to make the bat repellent:

  1. Add 3 cups of water to the pot.
  2. Bring the water to boiling.
  3. Add 1 capful of peppermint oil.
  4. Stir for 3 minutes.
  5. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
  6. Pour some of the mixture into a spray bottle, depending on how much volume your spray bottle can hold.
  7. Pour the remaining mixture into plastic cups. Distribute the mixture as half cups to make bat repellent stations.

How to apply the solution:

  1. Look for the bat nesting site.
  2. Spray the peppermint oil directly onto the site- this means spray the solution on their perch, walls, and any other object that they may come into contact with. Also, spray it around the entrance/exit so they get a whiff of the solution every time they enter/exit the nest.
  3. Place the peppermint oil traps around the area also. These will leave behind strong scents and the smell will distribute around the nesting site.
  4. You can leave these traps around for up to a week. Then remake the mixture and replace the cups with fresh repellent.
  5. Repeat this process until the bats are gone. Once the bats have left the area, be sure to seal up whatever entrance they were using to get into the area, or else you’ll be going backwards as bats will attempt to go back to the same site.
  6. Once you’re sure the current colony disappears, double-check the area to make sure it’s bat-proof. This is imperative to getting rid of the bats permanently.

Does cinnamon keep bats away?

Cinnamon works the same way as other essential oils.

You can buy cinnamon in liquid, powder, or whole form. All 3 of them work to varying degrees, so try out all of them and see which one works best for you.

Start with cinnamon liquid, then try the whole form. Place them around the nesting site to repel bats naturally.

Cinnamon is safe for pets, children, and humans, so it’s a nice and effective way to get rid of bats.

Keep the cinnamon out of reach if possible as bats and other pests may have contaminated the cinnamon and it harbors bacteria. Remove the cinnamon after the bats are eliminated.

Use a bat box

Bat boxes will naturally draw bats away from your home.

Bat boxes are basically homes for bats that are preferable for them to roost in rather than your home. The idea is to provide them another place to roost that’s outside of your house.

You can build a bat box or buy one from a greenery store. You can ask your wildlife removal group for a bat box also.

Just place it near your home in a shaded area. Bats will naturally discover the bat box and roost there.

With patience and persistence, you can get rid of bats naturally by driving them out of your home or garden.

The trick is to use a variety of methods and find the combination that works for you. Thankfully, the majority of methods are free or very cheap that you can do at home to get rid of bats from your property.

Remember to always abide by local laws concerning bats.

Check out our other bat article here.