Been kept awake recently by scratching coming from my loft, first thought was rodents, but after a look around up there was buzzed by pissed off looking bats.

My first thought was no problem, but after another sleepless night I’m rapidly changing my mind. Think they are burrowed into my chimney breast.

Anyone got any ideas how I can persuade them to leave? Yes I know it’s illegal to disturb them. My first thought is to stick a bat box on my wall then leave the loft lights on 24/7 but have read the lights could just cause them to burrow deeper??

They’re probably scratching around now as they’re preparing to hibernate. They’ll be asleep soon.

You’re on pretty dodgy ground with any attempts to persuade them to leave, as you say it’s illegal to disturb them. Plus, to be honest, given that they are about about to hibernate it’s a pretty crappy time of the year to do it. At least wait until next Spring/Summer to give them a fighting chance of finding somewhere else.

We had them in our old loft, probably living under the tiles, and they were no problem bar the occasional scratchy sound and a mild smell of wee in the loft :-). I quite liked watching them fly around the garden at dusk.

Rule #1 when you discover bats – Don’t tell anyone you have discovered bats.

My sister failed on this when about to start an extension, as a result her building work was delayed by three months.

As above – highly illegal to disturb a bat roost, they will be hibernating soon and when they are active bats eat a zillion midges so they are helpful

Also they can get thru tiny gaps so are difficult to exclude.

Get in contact with your local bat conservation officer who will advise – probably cope with them this winter, next summer provide alternative accomodation for them and block access to your attic

But bats are helpful animals, endangered and highly protected. You are lucky to have them

Earplugs

highly illegal

Something is either illegal or it isn’t, there is no such thing as highly illegal.

As above, leave them to it if you can. Leaving the lights on in the loft would constitute ‘disturbance’.

Ring the BCT (https://www.bats.org.uk/our-work/national-bat-helpline) who’ll try and send a volunteer round to discuss options with you.

Sounds mostly likely to be a small transitional roost of bats stopping over before moving to their hibernation site, so they’ll be probably be gone in a few days. The volunteer roost visitor would be able to tell you what species and type of roost it is.

Ok – its a priority for conservation groups and any persecution of bats will be prosecuted

Rule #1 when you discover bats – Don’t tell anyone you have discovered bats.

this ^

someone I know happen to leave a couple of 500w halogen lights on 24/7……. might help

We shared our last house with 200+ pipistrelles. They had a maternity roost in between the outer wall and the dry lining, in amongst the wool insulation. Most left in winter as they tend to hibernate in big old trees rather than buildings, but some remained and were audible throughout the winter. They don’t actually “hibernate” – if its mild they will rouse and scratch about and fly for food in the middle of winter. Occasionally a bat would get into the house through some crevice, shut The internal doors and an open a window and they’d find their way out after a few minutes – or the cat would get them. If they are living in the attic space they may well not be pipestrelles.
We were happy to put up with them, bats are protected for a reason, their habitats have diminished hugely over the last 50 years. Please try to learn to love them rather than “getting rid of them and their habitat.

BCT +1. I surveyed them for a summer..fab little things.

if you attempt to get them to leave, they will be at risk of death. that would really not be a nice thing to do. and that’s even before you get to considering the law.

ring the BCT if you’d like some good advice. they also have plenty of reading material on their website.

Tannoy

Simon and Garfunkel to the forum please

Tannoy

Ok, consider myself suitably chastised for considering trying to get them to move on, earplugs it is!

I’m still going to put up a bat box, hopefully when the time comes they move house!

There’s a bat in me attic what am I gonna go?
I’m gonna fix that bat that’s what I’m gonna do.

Love bats – little flying mice!

Something is either illegal or it isn’t, there is no such thing as highly illegal.

Not true. Some things are illegal, but some things are like, totally WELL illegal.

Similar to how some things are unique and some are very unique.

Something is either illegal or it isn’t, there is no such thing as highly illegal.

It’s like on here: some forum members know everything. And some forum members know absolutely EVERYTHING.

If you happen to be in Cumbria I’d be happy to come and offer some advice.

Otherwise the BCT are still worth talking to. They’ll tell you what species they are so you can get an appropriate box for them, and may have some options to make having them in the loft more tolerable for you.

Something is either illegal or it isn’t, there is no such thing as highly illegal

Can’t get much higher than the attic.

Something is either illegal or it isn’t, there is no such thing as highly illegal.

Mowing down a cyclist in your car is, technically, illegal. Disturbing bats is highly illegal, and this is reflected by the different sentences passed by the courts.

you just get used to it. It gets your attention when it’s a new noise. But then it’s just a sound like any other – the wind, rain, owls non of them are a bother really it’s just what night sounds like

we’ve had bats above our bedroom for about a decade – don’t really notice them

Last summer we realised our neighbours had bats in their loft. We used to enjoy watching them emerge around twilight from under the fascia.

Unfortunately the guy was terminally ill. I wanted to tell him then thought it might unduly worry him.

He passed away not long after.

The bats are still there. We enjoyed watching them emerge again many times this summer. I guess his widow is still not aware or they don’t disturb her.

My understand is that bats nest in the eve’s, if there in your loft area, they’ve gotten in by mistake and are probably stuck, as they can’t easily get out & will die… (depending on how hole-y your roof is). Which has ruined my childhood memories, as we always had bats in the loft…

Bats can get thru tiny gaps and living in attic spaces is pretty normal

pal of mine bought a house that had a major roost in its attic – 600+ IIRC

When the bats were out of the roost over the summer ( following proper advice) he closed off most of the attic space to the bats leaving a small amount and also put up bat boxes for them. Now has a easy co existence with the bats

Just remember they eat zillions of midges – bats are your friends. Far better to have a few bats than zillions of midges

Pretty sure there’ll be gone by the morning time

Pretty sure there’ll be gone by the morning time

Much better than the ub40 joke 🙂