During the fall, bats are seen more often around human homes as they search for a warm, safe place to spend the winter.
The simplest way is to build them out. Find the places bats can get inside a home and fix them.
Some common ways bats can enter a home are:
- Through loose fitting doors to the outside or attic
Bats need an opening at least 3/8 x 7/8 inch to get in. You can tape over or plug the holes with steel wool, cover chimneys with a one half inch hardware screens, have doors fitted with draft guards and windows with screens. Bats do not chew holes so if the entrance to the home is not there, they are easily excluded.
If you find bats in your home, close up all but one or two of their entrances. After a few days the bats will get used to leaving by the openings that they can still use. Then one evening, after they fly out, close up these entrances. The best time of the year to do this is in the fall as baby bats are born in the spring and early summer. If bats are in your home you do not want to trap young bats inside your home.
Some people choose to put up bat houses. If you choose to use a bat house, place it well away from your home and out of the reach of children.
- Any physical contact with a bat (including being bitten or scratched).
- Find a bat inside your home with no idea of how it got there or how long it has been there. Especially, if you:
- Wake up with a bat in the same room you were sleeping in.
- Find a bat in the same room as an unattended child, mentally challenged or intoxicated person.
- If you are bitten or scratched by any wild or stray animal.
Bat bites and scratches are often not noticeable. Bat teeth are tiny and razor sharp. They leave a mark the size of a pin prick, which can be easily overlooked. Scratches are shallow and usually only a millimeter long. Because it can be difficult to find a scratch or bite mark, any physical contact can be considered an exposure.
- If you know or suspect that you have been bitten, immediately wash the bite site with plenty of soap and lots of running water for a minimum of 10 minutes. Washing the wound site has been shown to markedly reduce the likelihood of rabies.
- Notify your health care provided immediately.
- Call your local health department (Benton-Franklin Health District's Phone Number is 509.460.4205).
- If possible, catch the bat safely, avoiding direct contact. Use heavy leather gloves, a net, and tongs. Put it in a can and tightly cover it with a lid. Do not damage the head of the bats, because the brain is needed for testing. The Health Department will make arrangements with you to send the bat off for testing.
- Click here for tips on how to safely capture a bat and transport.
Bats should be captured only if there has been direct contact with a person or pet, or if the bat was found in the room of someone who might have been bitten. Once these bats are captured, they should be tested for rabies infection.
Do not release a live bat, or throw out a dead bat, that has bitten or scratched, or has had direct contact with a person, unless Public Health has told you that it will not be necessary to test the bat.
Once an exposure has been established, a post exposure anti-rabies vaccination should be administered. This vaccine is typically given at set intervals for the best results. Your medical care provider and/or the Health Department will help you decide if you need a rabies vaccination.
More information about the vaccination can be found at CDC’s Rabies Vaccination site: Rabbies Medical Care