by Silva Payne

Created on: June 15, 2008   Last Updated: January 06, 2010

Not everyone wants to get rid of any bats that might share their home. However, many people find the thought of living with bats as frightening, or scary. Stories of bats sucking blood and getting caught in women's hair have given these fury creatures a bad press over the years. Knowing the right steps to take if you find that bats have moved in may save you from being prosecuted for disturbing them.

If you live in the UK and bats are not your ideal housemates, it is illegal for you to interfere in any way with the roost or the bats themselves. You should contact the Bat Conservation Trust, DEFRA, or Natural England for advice on how to live with bats. A bat worker will either give you advice over the phone or will arrange to visit the property, and will suggest ways in which you can co-exist with the bats sharing your home. The bat worker will then notify the appropriate nature conservation body by sending in a roost report form, and can advise you on how to apply for a bat licence in order to carry out exclusion work once the bats have left the property to the satisfaction of the authorities.

All British bats are protected species under UK (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981) and European law. Only licenced operators can legally touch a bat or disturb a roost, and it is also illegal to block or obstruct access for the bats to and from their roosting site. Disturbing a roost also covers using timber treatments in close proximity to the roost. Bats are mammals and the two species most likely to be found in houses are the Pipistrelle and Brown Long-Eared bat.

There are 17 species of bat altogether in the UK; in 1991 the Mouse-Eared bat was declared extinct, and many other species are showing a steep decline in numbers, although the Natterer's bat and Daubenton's bat are relatively common. Each bat gives off a ticking noise as it flies, at a different frequency that can be heard through a receiver box, which enables identification without actually touching the bat. The main objective for bats flying is to catch the insects they eat. Pipistrelle bats can consume up to 3000 mosquitoes in a night!

Bats are not that picky when it comes to old or new buildings. What they look for is good access to feeding sites and a cool roosting space. Different types of bat prefer different types of roost; some will crawl into spaces in cavity walls or under roof tiles, while others will hang from rafters and joists. May and August is the most common time to find bats inside buildings in the UK, when the mothers are giving birth and nursing. Bats have only one baby a year and mothers roost in groups; once the baby is old enough to fly and feed itself, the bats move away from the indoor roost. Most will be gone by September. Bats roost individually for the rest of the year, and are less likely to be detected.

In the UK there is no known health risk associated with bat droppings. The droppings are easy to crumble, unlike rodent droppings which are very hard and waxy. There have been only two cases of bat-related rabies infection in the UK over the past 100 years, and the likelihood of anyone contracting the disease is minuscule. All licenced bat workers have rabies vaccinations as art of their work.

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