How much does it cost to hire a bat removal service?

The only mammal capable of flying, bats often invade homes, attics, and chimneys, making noise at night, damaging the structure of the home, and leaving hazardous waste in their path. While bats are an important part of the ecosystem, they belong outdoors, making bat removal and exclusion necessary services for homeowners.

Female bats are constantly on the prowl for a warm location to roost and eventually raise their young.They often occupy chimneys and attics. The cost of hiring a professional to remove bats varies based on a multitude of factors. Bat infestation removal cost ranges from $400 to $600, with the average cost of $500 for removing a small colony, including the initial inspection but excluding clean up after the removal. Larger colonies can end up costing $8,500, including inspection and guano cleanup costs. However, if instead of a colony, you only have one bat, that would be cheaper, at around $275 for the removal of a single bat.

Bat Removal Prices

Bat Removal Cost by Location

Bats can make a home in a number of areas within a house: the chimney, attic, or walls. In most cases, bats colonize in one area of the home. However, in some cases, bats may be in more than one location within a single house. As illustrated by the table below, bat removal costs are relatively consistent despite the location of the bats.

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How to Get Rid of Bats in Soffits

Getting rid of bats in soffits starts with a thorough inspection to determine their most common roosting places and then identify potential solutions. In many cases, the best way to prevent bats from roosting outside of your home is to provide them with alternative housing in the form of a bat house. The initial inspection averages $75 to $250, and bat houses range from $50 to $180.

How to Get Rid of Bats on the Porch

When the home is lacking points of entry, bats often get comfortable on the porch. For homeowners wondering who to call for bat removal when they’re outside, pest control services that handle indoor bat infestations can also assist with outdoor needs. The best removal method, in this case, is providing alternative housing by installing a bat house large enough to accommodate the maternal colony. The initial inspection averages $75 to $250, and bat houses range from $50 to $180. Keeping the porch light on at night helps deter bats until a professional can come.

How to Get Rid of Bats from Trees

Fruit trees can attract bats to the property. When bats roost in trees, the extermination involves making the trees less attractive for bats by covering fruit, installing noisy decorations, and providing alternative options for the colony. The costs associated with bats in trees include the cost of a bat house and range from $50 to $180.

How to Get Rid of Bats in a Barn

Barns make excellent homes for bats. They’re dark, quiet, and often have lots of nooks and crannies for roosting. Professional bat removal is best for barn infestations because this involves identifying and remediating points of entry and then installing bat houses strategically to encourage roosting away from homes and outbuildings. For homeowners wondering how much it costs to get rid of bats in the barn, the cost averages $400 - $600.

How to Get Rid of Bats in the Basement

In some cases, maternal colonies will settle in the basement. Calling a bat removal company is the best solution. These professionals can determine how the bats are entering the home, ensure they’re able to exit but not enter in the future, and provide better housing options for the colony. The average cost to remove bats from the basement is $400 - $600.

Remove Bats from the Chimney

One of the most common points for bat entry into a home is the chimney. Bats can either enter through the chimney and then roost in other areas of the house or roost right in the chimney. Call a professional exterminator for bats in the chimney; they will likely use exclusion netting or install a bat-proof chimney cap. The average cost to remove bats from a chimney is $400 - $600.

Remove Bats from the Attic

You may be wondering about the cost of bat removal from the attic. Any pest control service that has experience with bat exclusion will be familiar and comfortable with an attic infestation. Removing bats from the attic involves installing exclusion netting on any entrance, sealing up unwanted holes, and then installing a bat house to prevent future roosting. The cost of bat removal from the attic averages around $400 - $600. In some cases, bats might roost in an attic vent. To remove bats from the attic vent, the bat removal company follows the same exclusion process.

How to Get Rid of Bats in Your Walls

First, call a professional pest control service that is well-versed in bat removal. Bat removal from the house and walls requires the same process as bat removal from the attic. The company will first inspect the property to identify entrance points and then begin the exclusion process using netting, bat-proof chimney caps, or other solutions. The average cost to remove bats from walls is $400 - $600.

Bat Exclusion Cost by Size of Colony

Bat exclusion cost depends on the size of the colony. When there is a single bat, identifying and eliminating the point of entry is relatively easy. Conversely, a large colony may have many points of entry and will require larger bat houses and more extensive attic cleanup after removal.

It’s important to note that inspection and guano cleanup prices aren’t included in these price ranges. Homeowners should expect to pay more depending on whether their pest control service waives the inspection and the extent of any guano damage that has occurred to the home.

Cost of Bat Removal Services

Bats can be challenging to exclude from a home without hiring a professional. Professionals can remove bats without killing them and can help identify how they are getting into the house so you can prevent the problem from recurring.

Most professionals charge by the project, divided into services. You can expect to pay at least $75 for an initial inspection. The actual bat exclusion and removal will cost at least an additional $90, depending on the size of the bat colony. Sealing up entryways is yet another part of the process. You can expect to pay at least $100 per gable vent to prevent bats from returning and an additional $20 to $50 to seal any other holes through which bats may enter. The cleanup process can often cost significantly more than the removal, as it involves both cleaning bat droppings and replacing insulation.

Bat Guano Removal Cost

Bat removal is only one part of the process; bat cleanup is often required once the exclusion is complete. Bats leave behind guano, which poses health risks. Guano or bat poop removal is a separate service, but it’s often provided alongside exclusion services. The price for guano removal varies significantly depending on how severe the problem is. If you have an unchecked bat colony with hundreds of members, that adds up to a lot of guano. The work is hazardous and may take several days, depending on the severity.

Guano is commonly used as fertilizer. However, when it builds up in an enclosed space, it develops a significant odor and can cause a respiratory disease known as histoplasmosis. If you notice some bat droppings in the attic, please be aware that it needs to be removed by a professional equipped with all of the appropriate biohazard gear. In many cases, the attic or wall insulation will need to be replaced, which adds to your overall costs. Bat droppings on the porch could also mean that you need to make more repairs and, thus, increase the project’s price. It’s difficult to give a price estimate for guano removal or attic cleanup cost, as the problem could be contained to only a few square feet or could be as large as the entire attic. The average bat poop removal cost ranges from $500 to as much as $8,400.

Bat Remediation Cost Factors

Aside from the size of the colony and the extent of the guano left behind, a myriad of other factors influence the cost of bat exclusion services. Some of those factors include:

• The pitch of the roof. Navigating a steep roof takes more time and requires specialized equipment and the help of more than one technician. Therefore, the total cost of the project will likely be more for a home with a steep roof than for a home with a flat roof or a more gradual incline.
• The height of the house. Because much of the bat exclusion work is done from the outside of the home, having a home with two or more stories may require the use of scaffolding or other special equipment and/or additional staff. Bat exclusion is more costly for taller homes than it is for single-story homes.
• The location of the bat colony. A hard-to-reach bat colony may take a little more time to discover and remedy and, therefore, drive up the cost of bat removal services.
• The number of entry points. Exterminators must address every entry point by either closing it or covering it with an exclusion net. The work required to resolve the infestation and the associated costs increase when a home has multiple entry points.

Most pest control companies provide the homeowner with an estimate after the inspection to make it easier to plan for expenses.

Bat Inspection Cost

Prior to bat exclusion, an inspection is required. During the inspection, a pest control expert determines whether the infestation is bats as suspected or another rodent, like mice. Then, the exterminator determines how they’re getting into and out of the home. The cost of a bat inspection ranges from $75 to $250. If no infestation exists, the homeowner pays the full cost of the inspection. If one or more bats are found and the homeowner uses the bat exclusion services of the company that conducted the inspection, some pest control companies waive the cost of the inspection.

All About Bats

Dozens of species of bats live in the United States, but three main culprits contribute to indoor infestations: the little brown bat, the big brown bat, and the Mexican free-tailed bat.

These bats hibernate during the winter. In late spring, the females start to look for places to roost and raise their babies, leading them to explore homes, businesses, and other buildings. Chimneys and attics are warm and safe from predators, making them particularly attractive places to settle. Bat pups develop to maturity during the summer and eventually leave home in autumn.

Bats are active at night. They make the most noise and commotion beginning at dusk and continue with their disturbance throughout the night. Bats are extremely beneficial to the environment; in fact, some can eat their weight in insects every night!

However, when they get near humans, they can become a problem. Bats can sometimes carry diseases including rabies, but the bigger issue lies in their droppings or guano. Human exposure to guano can lead to a respiratory disease known as histoplasmosis. For this reason, bat colonies inside a home require professional removal and cleanup.

Signs of Bat Infestation

Many bats in the United States are very small and can fit into tight spaces. Occasionally, a bat will accidentally wander into a home and get stuck. As the weather starts to get warmer in late spring, female bats begin seeking out safe, indoor places to roost.

• During the spring and summer, homeowners may start to see bat droppings (guano) on window sills, which is a sign that bats are colonizing in the home’s chimney, attic, or walls.
• Guano buildup causes an odor, which is another sign of infestation.
• Bats can be very noisy. Sometime around twilight, bats will start chirping and rustling. These signs indicate that a maternity colony is present in the home.

Due to regulations against harming bats, homeowners often have to live with a bat colony until a professional can help with removing the bats or until the juveniles have aged enough to fly on their own, usually late summer or early fall.

Bat Health Risks

Bats pose two primary health risks to the inhabitants of a home in which they colonize: rabies and histoplasmosis. Rabies can be spread if a person or pet in the home is bitten or scratched by a rabid bat. Approximately 5% of bats are infected with rabies. Any person who has been bitten or scratched by a bat should capture the bat without touching it if at all possible and seek immediate medical attention. Waiting until symptoms appear almost always results in a fatality.

Histoplasmosis is most common following bat infestations that leave behind a large amount of guano. This fungal lung infection, presents with fever, fatigue, and cough. Most people recover from histoplasmosis without medical intervention. However, the infection can be much more severe for those who are immunocompromised.

Seeking professional help to manage a bat colony inside the home is critical for preventing serious and sometimes life-threatening health risks.

How to Prevent Bats

No foolproof way exists to prevent bats from entering a home, but steps can be taken to reduce the likelihood of this happening. Placing a bat house large enough to house the maternal colony helps prevent them from seeking shelter in a home or building. Sealing up any holes or cracks greater than ¼” that can allow bats in is important, too. Remember, bats can fit in small spaces! Managing the mosquito population in the yard near the home can reduce the food source for bats and make the property less attractive for them.

When the yard attracts bats, the home is at a higher risk for bat colonization. Fruit trees can attract bats, so learning how to prevent bats from getting to your fruit trees can be beneficial for both the trees and the home. Consider draping fruit trees with plastic netting, covering individual fruits with paper bags, or hanging noisy, distracting objects from the trees to deter bats.

Another common homeowner question involves how to prevent bats from roosting on the porch. Preventing bats from roosting on the porch requires the same steps as preventing them from roosting in the home: reduce the mosquito population and place a bat house on the property to provide alternate living quarters.​

Bat Proofing

The only way to ensure that bats don’t come back is to seal all of the possible entryways. Each gable vent needs to be screened, and all holes need to be sealed. The cost for bat proofing is added to the cost of an inspection. The average price for screening a gable vent is $100 per vent, and the average price to seal holes ranges from $20 to $50 per hole. Bat proof chimney caps range in price from $47 to $300 depending on brand and size. Bat houses range from $50 to $180.

Bat Exclusion vs. Bat Extermination

Bats play an instrumental role in our ecosystem. They manage entire insect populations, eating as many as 3,000 mosquitos every day. They inadvertently play a crucial role in pollination by transferring pollen from one plant to another while drinking nectar from flowers. Some bats assist with germination by excreting fruit seeds in their feces and leading to the growth of new trees, sometimes many miles from the original tree or plant.

Because of the extensive benefits bats provide to the ecosystem, and because several species are endangered, it’s important not to exterminate bats but to remove them from the structure and take measures to prevent them from returning. Six bat species are protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and/or the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1956: The Ozark Big-Eared Bat, the Grey Bat, the Indiana Bat, the Florida Bonneted Bat, the Northern Long-Eared Bat, and the Virginia Big-Eared Bat. Other species may be protected by state law.

Homeowners often wonder about the difference between bat exclusion cost and bat exterminator cost. Professional pest control services typically only offer bat exclusion and prevention, also called bat abatement. The cost for this service ranges from $405 to $600 on average for a medium colony. First, an on-site inspection costing $75 to $250 is conducted at or after dusk to identify points of entry. Then, an exclusion door is built that allows the bats to exit the premises but not re-enter.

Enhancement and Improvement Costs

Attic Restoration

Attic restoration and guano removal are often billed as a single service because it’s virtually impossible to remove guano without replacing at least some of the attic insulation. Depending on the severity of the situation, this could potentially require replacing all of the insulation in the attic. The cost of attic insulation varies based on the square footage that needs to be covered and the type of insulation used. These materials can cost anywhere from $0.44 to $1.45 per square foot, and labor can cost about $0.95 per square foot.

Additional Considerations and Costs

• DIY bat removal is not recommended. Bat removal experts have the proper tools and equipment to get bats out of the house. A quick Google search reveals dozens of bat repellents, bat exclusion products, and electronic bat removal methods, but none of these are certified or guaranteed to work. The most effective way to deal with bats is to get professional intervention.
• Before you take on any bat-proofing measures, you need to contact your local wildlife agency. Bats are protected on a federal and state level, and you’ll need to make sure to conform to regulations.
• Bats are valuable members of our ecosystem, and bat houses are a great way to give bats an alternative to your attic. You can buy bat house kits, build one yourself, or buy a finished bat house. Kits and houses range in price from $50 to $180.
• When you request a quote from a bat removal professional, inquire about warranties, as this varies from business to business. Most warranties do not include an incident where a bat comes in through an open door or window.
• Homeowners insurance usually covers bat removal, but you’ll have to check your policy for specific details.
• Remember, “you get what you pay for.” If someone is offering what seems like a great deal, you can usually expect lower quality service. Don’t go with the cheapest quote.
• Bats want a warm place to raise their young and a place with a lot of food. One way to deter bats is to create an unappealing feeding ground by getting rid of mosquitos. Single services and long-term services are available to get rid of mosquitos. The cost varies based on your property size.
• Female bats look for a place to roost and raise their young during the summer. Bat exclusion cannot take place during the maternity season, as the babies are not capable of living on their own.

References

• Bat Conservation International. “Bat Houses.”
  http://www.batcon.org/about-bats/bat-houses/
• Bob Vila. “How To: Get Rid of Bats.”
  https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-get-rid-of-bats/
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Histoplasmosis."
  https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/diseases/histoplasmosis/index.html
• FIXR Cost Guides and Cost Database.
• FWS.gov. “Endangered Species Act of 1973."
  https://www.fws.gov/laws/lawsdigest/ESACT.HTML
• FWS.gov. “Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act."
  https://www.fws.gov/laws/lawsdigest/fwcoord.html
• HGTV. “Yes, You Want to Attract Bats to Your Yard and Here's Why."
  https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/gardens/animals-and-wildlife/beneficial-bats
• Illinois Department of Public Health. “Health Hazards Associated with Bird and Bat Droppings."
  http://www.idph.state.il.us/public/hb/hbb&bdrp.htm
• Mayo Clinic. “Rabies."
  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rabies/symptoms-causes/syc-20351821
• This Old House. “Bat Removal: What You Need to Know.”
  ​https://www.thisoldhouse.com/pest-control/21018588/how-to-remove-bats-from-your-house