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Bat — species photo
Daniel Brady · NH-Licensed Pesticide Applicator · License #782664

How to Get Rid of Bats

Pro recommended
You should not attempt DIY bat exclusion. New Hampshire lists four of its five hibernating bat species as state Endangered due to white-nose syndrome, and state rules prohibit sealing bats out between May 15 and August 15 to protect flightless pups still in the roost — sealing during that window traps and kills them, and it's illegal. Bats are also the species most commonly linked to human rabies deaths in the U.S., and CDC guidance treats a bat found in a bedroom, near a sleeping person, or near an unattended child as a potential rabies exposure requiring medical evaluation, even without a confirmed bite. The homeowner-appropriate steps are identifying entry points (staining or droppings at gaps), never sealing during maternity season, and calling a licensed wildlife control professional for legal, correctly-timed one-way exclusion.

At a glance

  • Difficulty: Pro only
  • Time: Professional exclusion typically runs days to a few weeks, timed to the legal window
  • Cost: Varies by structure — get a professional inspection and quote
  • Success: Low and legally risky for unsupervised DIY; high when done professionally, in-window, with confirmed exclusion points
The honest answer

Can you DIY Bat?

The verdict on Bat DIY

Pro recommendedPro only

Not a DIY job — bats are legally protected in NH and a real rabies-exposure risk.

New Hampshire is home to eight bat species, all of conservation concern, and four of the five species that hibernate here — little brown bat, northern long-eared bat, eastern small-footed bat, and tricolored bat — are state-listed as Endangered after catastrophic white-nose syndrome losses (the northern long-eared bat is also federally endangered). NH law prohibits bat exclusion from May 15 through August 15 to protect flightless maternity-roost pups, and DIY sealing without confirming every entry point traps bats inside rather than keeping them out. Bats are also the leading U.S. rabies-vector species. This combination — protected-species law, a legal timing window, and a real disease-exposure pathway — is exactly why this page teaches identification and avoidance, not DIY removal.

The playbook

The 5 DIY methods — honestly graded

Every approach graded for this species, in IPM order — prevention first, chemistry late. Pick a method to see how it works, the steps, and what it actually takes.

Prevention / Exclusion

Works well

Highly effective long-term — but only when executed by a professional in the legal window, after confirming no dependent pups remain.

One-way exclusion devices let bats leave a roost through primary entry points but not return; once all bats have exited, the openings are permanently sealed. Bats can use gaps as small as 3/8 inch, so identifying every entry point matters as much as the timing.

Best for: Long-term exclusion — but only as a professional job

  1. Identify entry points — don't seal them

    Look for brown staining or accumulated droppings (guano) below gaps at rooflines, soffits, and chimneys. Note the locations for a professional; do not seal them yourself.

    Caution
    Sealing any suspected entry point between May 15 and August 15 can trap flightless pups inside, where they die — and it violates NH's maternity-season exclusion rule.

  2. Call a professional for exclusion

    A licensed wildlife control operator installs one-way exclusion devices in the legal window (roughly mid-August through mid-May), confirms all bats have exited, then permanently seals the structure.

Tools & materials

Flashlight (for entry-point inspection only)Notepad/camera to document locations
Before you start
DIY sealing outside the legal window, or without confirming every entry point, is both illegal and likely to trap bats inside your home.
Reality check

Why DIY falls short here

Not scare tactics — the specific, proportionate reasons a home attempt can stall for this species.

Maternity-season exclusion is illegal and lethal to pups

New Hampshire prohibits bat exclusion from May 15 through August 15; sealing entry points during this window traps flightless young inside, where they die, and violates state wildlife rules.

Unrecognized rabies exposure

Bat bites can be small and painless enough to go unnoticed. A bat found in a room with a sleeping person or unattended child is treated by CDC and NH DHHS as a potential exposure requiring medical evaluation, whether or not a bite is confirmed.

Protected-species legal status

Four of New Hampshire's five hibernating bat species are state-listed Endangered after white-nose syndrome losses; killing or improperly handling them carries legal penalties under RSA 212-A.

Guano cleanup hazard

Accumulated bat droppings are a genuine histoplasmosis risk during disturbance/cleanup, requiring precautions most homeowners aren't equipped for.

Straight talk

How risky is it, really?

An honest read — most nuisance species are genuinely low risk, and we say so.

High risk

Bats carry a uniquely high risk rating in this hub — not because a bat encounter is statistically common, but because the combination of protected-species law, a strict legal timing window, and rabies exposure means mistakes carry real legal and medical consequences. A single bat in a bedroom without recognized contact is a low-probability rabies event, but because untreated rabies is nearly always fatal, medical evaluation is the correct response every time contact can't be ruled out.

  • Rabies exposure from bites, scratches, or unrecognized contactRare

    Bats surpassed raccoons in 2015 as the most commonly reported rabid animal in the U.S. and are linked to roughly 7 in 10 U.S. rabies deaths; bat bites can be tiny and painless, so any bat found in a room with a sleeping person or unattended child should prompt medical evaluation

    CDC Vital Signs (2019)

  • Histoplasmosis from disturbing accumulated guanoOccasional

    A cleanup-context risk from long-term droppings buildup in attics — not from casual proximity to a flying bat

    CDC

  • Legal penalties for harming a state-endangered speciesRare

    Four of NH's five hibernating bat species are state-listed Endangered; mishandling carries penalties under RSA 212-A

    NH Fish & Game

When to call a pro

Bats Need a Professional, Not a DIY Fix

Protected-species law, a strict maternity-season timing window, and real rabies-exposure risk make bat exclusion a licensed job. Anchor Pest Services handles legal, humane exclusion across southern and central New Hampshire. Family-owned since 2017, NH license #782664.

Call a pro when…

  • Any confirmed or suspected bat roost in your structure
  • A bat found loose in a living space, especially near a sleeping person or unattended child
  • Guano accumulation in an attic or wall void needing cleanup

General Pest Control

Bats are the one species in this hub where the honest answer is simply: call a professional. Legal, correctly-timed, one-way exclusion — done outside the May 15–August 15 maternity season, after confirming every entry point and that no pups remain — is a licensed wildlife control job, not a weekend project.

Get a Free inspection(603) 785-0118

Keep them out

  • Note staining or droppings at suspected entry points, but don't seal them yourself
  • Never attempt exclusion between May 15 and August 15 (NH maternity-season ban)
  • Contact NH DHHS immediately if a bat may have contacted a sleeping person, child, or pet
New Hampshire context

Bats in New Hampshire

New Hampshire is home to eight bat species, all of conservation concern, and white-nose syndrome has devastated the state's hibernating populations — NH Fish & Game reports hibernacula mortality rates of 79 to 100% since the disease was first documented in New Hampshire in the winter of 2008-09, with the four largest surveyed hibernacula holding just 16 bats in 2011, down from 3,230 in 2009. That population collapse is exactly why the maternity-season exclusion ban (May 15–August 15) and state Endangered listings exist, and why DIY exclusion isn't just risky — for most of the year, it's illegal.

Peak season

Maternity roosts May–August (exclusion prohibited); legal exclusion window roughly mid-August through mid-May

Before you treat

Make sure it's a Bat

Two quick detours worth taking — confirm the ID, then learn what drew it in so it doesn't come back.

Not sure it's this?

Identify Bat in the Pest Library

Why is it here?

What actually attracts Bat

Common questions

Frequently asked

Sources & further reading(5)
  1. [1]
    NH Fish & Game — White-Nose Syndrome

    Hibernacula mortality data, state-endangered bat species

    govverified 2026-07-13
  2. [2]
    NH Fish & Game — Bats of New Hampshire

    NH bat species list, conservation status

    govverified 2026-07-13
  3. [3]
    UNH Cooperative Extension — Bats in New Hampshire

    NH-specific bat exclusion and biology guidance

    extensionverified 2026-07-13
  4. [4]
    CDC — Rabies and Bats

    Bat rabies-vector status, exposure-evaluation guidance

    govverified 2026-07-13
  5. [5]
    NH DHHS — Zoonotic Diseases

    NH-specific rabies exposure and reporting guidance

    govverified 2026-07-13

Written & reviewed by

Verified

Daniel Brady

NH-Licensed Pesticide Applicator · License #782664 (NHDAMF, RSA 430)

Daniel Brady is the New Hampshire–licensed applicator behind Anchor Pest Services, a family-owned pest control company serving the Manchester area since 2017.

Verify license

Last updated July 2026

More in Wildlife & Birds

Other species you can tackle

Same category — the dot shows each one's DIY verdict at a glance (green = friendly, amber = doable with care, red = call a pro).

Professional Wildlife Exclusion

Bats Need a Professional, Not a DIY Fix

Protected-species law, a strict maternity-season timing window, and real rabies-exposure risk make bat exclusion a licensed job. Anchor Pest Services handles legal, humane exclusion across southern and central New Hampshire. Family-owned since 2017, NH license #782664.

Get a Free inspection(603) 785-0118
  • Legally timed, one-way exclusion
  • NH-licensed applicators (#782664)
  • Free inspection — same-day service across southern NH

NH License #782664 · No obligation · We answer in person

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