What areas can bats enter a house through?

Given their flexible bodies, bats will crawl through very small spaces. Houses generally have many openings that are susceptible to bat entry. Literally any open space may be good enough for bats.

Do they have a preference?
• Yes they do. Because they are animals that live in dark spaces, an open door will not be what a bat is looking for.
• They will not want to get in the houses through entrances that are used by people or other animals as they are afraid of people.
• As long as there is a possibility of a home within the house, the bat will ensure it uses minimum entry points to squeeze in. Especially when the cold of winter is biting and shelter is needed.

So what openings do they use exactly?
• Any cracks you may have leading to your attic or basement.
• Small windows that may be leading to their choice habitat.
• Any structural gaps in the house. For instance the spaces that are found along the roofline.
• Holes that may have been created by other animals. For instance squirrels or rats.

What can be done to avoid a bat invasion?
In case they have not already invaded you and are possibly lurking around, being safe is better than sorry. So you may need to screen them out. The way to do it is by;

• Sealing all possible holes and cracks within the house.
• Use of sealant will help seal all possible openings.
• Lose tiles should be fixed and sealant used. One can also consider use of netting the tile roof.

When is it best to do this?
Evenings are great hours to do this job. Mainly because;

• One is able to see zero in on as many cracks as is possible by focusing the light on what they suspect are problem areas.
• The bats have gone out feeding and hence one reduces the risk of disturbing them.
• As one works, they can see where the bats keep getting in and out through; this eases the job of guessing all day which areas may be problem areas.

If this proves hard for you, there are many professionals one can consult with that will get the issue sorted. While only one percent of bats have rabies, it is usually not advised to take too many risks when one has not handled them before. Safety is prime when handling bats in any way.