anybody trap bats? looking for some suggestions, dont really want to kill 'em , gotta get rid of them though.

Hey Bosco,

Lots of posts and good information out there on bat exclusion. Best way to assure a long term bat free home or building structure is to exclude bats.

Involves knowing where they are coming and going from, knowing how to seal the rest of the areas, and ultimately how to "vent" or allow the bats to
exit through one way valves or systems for a period of time, before removing those and sealing the structure.

This is a massively oversimplified version of it, but please look into bat exclusion. It is the way to go, no need to trap them or attempt to do so, exclusion
is effective and when done right provides a long lasting impact, good for bats, good for people.

Lots of people on here perform this type of work every year, I'm sure you'll get more feedback.

Just saw this and wanted to get you started...

One resource (no one single resource is perfect or covers all topics or issues you may run into) you can read to get some direction is this:

https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/sites/default/files/resource/wns_nwco_amp_1_april_2015_0.pdf

Best,

Justin

There is never a valid reason to kill bats. Singular yes if testing for various diseases is required but no for solely nuisance reasons.

Bats like all animals in structures must exit and by manipulating the exit into a one way passage you effectively remove the animal from the structure.

They urinate and deficate on my log home,the upper peaks are cedar siding and there's a gap where they meet the logs,I've seen where one got stuck and didnt make it , so I'm guessing I need to caulk this up .But no way to manipulate this to a oneway. So either a night job or a winter job ? could I smoke 'em out bug spray or any thing to make them exit in the daytime?

Of course there is, I do that exact scenario at least once or twice a year. Think slip and slide, give the bats an easy out but no way to climb back in. My go to for that presentation is a sheet of plastic taped and stapled to the logs so it conforms to the uneven surface and butted tight to the gap. Extend this down approximately a foot. Add a top layer of plastic attached to the soffit or above the entry. Close up the sides to make a tube. Bats slide out but don't climb back in.

Be sure to inspect the structure inch by inch and seal anything larger than a quarter inch that the bats aren't using. DO NOT close any active entry points. All active entry points must be valved (one ways installed). Complete the seal prior to valving otherwise you may just move the bats from one location to another. If the home has vents such as gable vents or open ridge vents they can be screened, on the exterior, with quarter inch hardware cloth.

Leave valves in place a week to ten days to allow all bats to exit before removing and final seal.

There are several pros in your state that can help you.

Baloney...if I can do a 200 ft soffit at a school, you can do your house.
Check your laws FIRST, because here, we cannot exclude until after Labor Day when the pups can fly. If you separate pups from parents this time of year it will become a smelly mess.

Hang a tarp, or 2-3 ft x 10-20ft strips of anything(old sheets)over the length of the overhang, so it hangs about 2 ft lower than where they are entering. Staple or tape it in place.
Leave it for a week.
Can you check from inside if they are gone at the right time?

Information about bat traps can be found here:
http://www.crittercatchersinc.com/critters/bats/bat_traps.html