While preparing to do some chores around the house the other day I came across an interesting visitor under the house.

While knocking down mud dauber nests, I noticed a small dark patch resting on a piece of wood.

Upon closer inspection I realized it was a bat. Later that same day, I found it had flown off to do its thing, hopefully eating its weight in mosquitos. However, the next morning it was back in the same spot; it appeared as though the flying mammal had found a new home.

While I’m not particularly scared of bats, there are some concerns if the creature decides to make a home under my abode.

So far, there aren’t any signs that it’s found a way inside. It seemed to just hang out on the underside of the house.

I haven’t seen the bat in a couple of days, but if I see it again it will be time to take action. If that is the case, I will have to employ a humane method to relocate the beneficial creature. Since their diet is comprised of mostly nuisance insects, it’s best to not cause it harm.

Some research shows that the best way to convince them to make a home elsewhere is to build an exclusion device at the point of the bat’s entry into the home, if the bat or bats have nested inside the structure.

By using an exclusion device, the bats will leave for their daily feeding, only to find their entry has been blocked when they return.

If you find your home has become a nesting site for bats, a quick search on the Internet will provide some great ideas for enticing them to live elsewhere.