Bats....:

It's been nearly a decade where we live and its in the "country" and for the first time ever I've had to deal with bats. They got into the fascia on the roof and one was in the attic. Sorry folks I realize they can be helpful but, I called an old Vietnam vet friend of my Dad...... Who sprayed agent orange back in the day.....I'm confident I won't have bats in the fascia after this weekend. Why are bats protected? It's a damn mouse with wings.

those things are EVIL! I've had 4 get loose in my house in 4 years!!!!!

I finally had a company come out and do a house evaluation and bat exclusion work a few months ago. 2-3 months in, we're not seeing/hearing signs of bats in my house/walls..

It's too bad that those small animals must be chased away.

We live in a rural area as well. We've not had to deal with bats yet *knock on wood*. Every other critter, yes. Bats, no.

Growing up, we would go swimming at a relatives pool. If we were there at dusk, bats would sometimes swoop down to the water. No joke. Apparently the bats were going after sips of water. One time an uncle caught one in a pool net. It shocked him so much when he caught it he didn't know what to do with it other than drown the thing.

We live in a rural area as well.  We've not had to deal with bats yet *knock on wood*.  Every other critter, yes. Bats, no.

Growing up, we would go swimming at a relatives pool.  If we were there at dusk, bats would sometimes swoop down to the water.  No joke.  Apparently the bats were going after sips of water.  One time an uncle caught one in a pool net.  It shocked him so much when he caught it he didn't know what to do with it other than drown the thing.

when I was younger, we'd throw small rocks up in the air to watch the bats chase them.

I don't mind bats....if they stay OUTSIDE of my house.

Bats are just ... bats. They do good things, like eating vermin bugs, and they are hugely misunderstood. I love them, but our brown bats are having huge problems now because of a fungus. When I worked as a lab tech the folks in the warehouse knew to call me when they had a bat inside a boxcar. I'd grab it and take it home so that the workers wouldn't kill it.

The reason that they like attics, or boxcars, is due to the heat there. They are animals living on the edge of existence. They can't gain weight or they can't fly. Their diet doesn't include fats, and fats are burned for bodily warmth. So they require environmental heat to survive as they rest; hence attics and such. That's unfortunate because who wants bat guano there? Who builds to prevent it so as to force the bats to find another place to sleep? IMO, it should be required; if not for the bats, for the homeowners.

I quite like bats. They bother no one (as long as a house is built correctly), and they eat insects that I despise and that make my life miserable. But they are a failing species locally and I no longer see them. What a shame; and I'm quite serious about that. I like having bats around, but I don't own the winter requirements that allow them to make it through the winter. I wish I did. They need our help. It's a beneficial animal in need of it.

Bats are protected due to their environmental impact. Losing them is almost as bad as losing the honey bees. Most are quite harmless. Obviously no one wants them in their house. Best to wait for them to fly out in the evening then just cover where their getting in.

Respectfully disagree as I find them to be disgusting creatures that pose a health threat to my family and my dogs.... As such I am having them dealt with accordingly and if one ever got into my house I wouldn't protect it I can tell you that....

Most bats eat their weight in insects each night, seriously one bat can eat 1000 mosquito every night.  I like having bats around.

If you want bats out of your house, try making them bat homes out of scrap wood and place them away from your house.  They don't have to be as fancy as this, but it'll give you the general idea of what they need:

http://www.nwf.org/Garden-For-Wildlife/C...House.aspx

We just moved but I put up bat houses at our last home. Austin has the largest urban bat population in North America in fact.

In and around our house they would feed in the evening, drinking from the pool. Very cool to have around and as nffclsr, they helped with our insects. Never had any issues with them getting in the house/attic.