How to Find & Catch a Wild Bat That Lives in My Attic or Garage

When a bat is spotted flying around and roosting in your attic or garage, it can be very hard to catch. Bats are not aggressive unless provoked or frightened, but they can be dangerous if they have contracted rabies, a deadly illness. If your local wildlife control operator is unavailable for the task of catching the bat, you should use a special kind of net called a mist net, which contains very small fibers that would be almost imperceptible to a bat flying into it.

Things You'll Need

Mist net
Leather gloves

Instructions

- 1
  Find evidence of a bat in your attic or garage if you are unsure a bat has been there. Small droppings, for example, can be indicative of a bat's presence. Bats commonly roost or regularly fly around right above where these droppings lay.
- 2
  File a permit with the Deparment of Natural Resources before acquiring a mist net. If the bat in question is endangered, contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for permission to capture it and free it in the wild.
- 3
  Wear leather gloves before installing the mist net. Hang up the net in a place where you regularly see the bat flying; by doing so, the bat will be caught in the net before it even realizes it's trapped. Also try hanging the mist net over attic vents, or any openings where bats enter.
- 4
  Gently detach the mist net when a bat gets caught. Note that when getting caught in the net, the bat will feel frightened and provoked, so it will likely try to bite you; wearing leather gloves will prevent bites. Wait for the bat to calm down before detangling the net. Detangle the net and let the bat go free in the wild.
- 5
  Perform a bat exclusion, which is a process of closing up any entry points through which bats enter your home. Find a wildlife control operator or local business that excels in bat exclusion. Make sure that all bats are gone before doing so; otherwise the bats will be trapped inside your home and become aggravated.