Helping Bats Leave

Bats in your belfry, or maybe your attic?

Before temperatures drop too low, now is the time to install exclusion devices that allow bats to safely leave and look for more appropriate shelter.

DNR provides DIY details from Bat Conservation International, as well as how to remove a single wayward bat and where to turn for professional help if needed.

Trina Morris, a DNR Wildlife Conservation Section program manager , stressed leaving exclusion devices in place "over a stretch of good weather." "As the weather cools, we suggest a week with warmer nighttime temps, low wind and no rain."

Afterward, if you can access the area where the bats were roosting, make sure none are home and then seal the entry point to make sure they don't return, Morris said.

FOR MORE

• Building bat houses
• Attract bats to your yard
• Georgia's native bats
• Bats and benefits
• White-nose syndrome

Top: Big brown bats roosting (Pete Pattavina/USFWS)