Should I ever poison a bat?

If you have encountered a bat infestation, you are probably wondering how to get rid of the bats that have entered your home, whether you can hear them (or see them) in the attic or chimney. It is good to know that you can get rid of the bats that have entered your home without the need to poison them. As a matter of fact, poisoning a bat is probably the worst possible choice you can make to get rid of them. There are several reasons why choosing a poison for bat removal is a poor choice. For one, there is no official poison for bats (at least not in classic factory production). If you decide to use one of the registered insecticides, it is possible that it will achieve only partial success because spraying the infested room with an insecticide will not get all the bats, and some of them might just become sick. Poisoning the colony with an insecticide will create huge commotion – some will get killed, others will get sick, and some will manage to escape without damage and will simply get back when the air gets clear. All you will end up with is some dead and sick bats that will stink up your home all the way through.

It is also very important to know that poisoning bats is illegal. You can end up in jail or get a large fine for poisoning bats. Moreover, the poison will not completely solve your bat problem, especially if you have a large bat colony. Bats are animals that have a life span of over a decade. They are excellent at keeping the insect population under control, so it is really not a good idea to kill them with poison because this not only doesn't solve your problem completely but also creates a natural imbalance.

There is really no need to kill bats with poison or any other way. Bats are actually quite easy and simple to get out of your home. They fly in and out of your home all the time because they search for food (insects, primarily) every night (as they are nocturnal animals that are active during the night). So, all you have to do is create a one-way exclusion apparatus. This way, they will get out of your home and will not be able to get back in – and your problem with bats is solved.

Go back to the How to Get Rid of Bats page or email us if you have any other questions about Should I ever poison a bat?