Bats do provide us some major benefits. They make good neighbors. The reason is bats outsized appetites for insects, like mosquito, worm etc., that irritate us. Farmers save almost $1 billion every year. All the credit goes to bats for saving such a huge amount. How? Because they act as nontoxic pest control that eat corn earworm moths. Bats have other benefits for people except farmers as well.

Bats eat mosquitoes and other insects which are harmful for our health as well. Mosquitos spread deadly diseases such as Zika virus, West Nile virus, Chikungunya virus, dengue, and malaria. Zika virus has been found in America. The virus has triggered widespread alarm. A search for mosquito control remedies started immediately. The Zika virus is carried by mosquitoes belonging to the genus Aedes that appear to be active both night and day. As in the control of other mosquitoes, a variety of options should be considered.

Getting rid of mosquitos is very important. Chemical mosquito killers typically cause more problems than they solve. Also these problems can affect you for a longer time. Bats are a natural mosquito controller and can be used for this purpose. Some species of bats consume large numbers of mosquitos which is actually a good thing for us. For this reason the goal is always to repel bats but not kill them. Else the situation will be difficult for us to handle. Then how to use bats against mosquitos without getting infected by bats?

This is why you are here and we will be discussing all the pros and cons of having bats in our environment and how to strategically direct bats to eat mosquito around us and not come inside our home. Also we will be guiding you about the solution that is safe and secure for you and your loved ones. But first let’s have a look at how mosquitoes are not good for our environment and health.

How are mosquitoes harmful?

Mosquitoes have irritated humans for centuries. They spread diseases which causes death to millions. The latest plague they bring is the Zika virus. Mosquitos are the reason for major human diseases such as yellow fever, malaria, and dengue fever, which together infect hundreds of millions of humans worldwide and kill millions each year. WHO reports that more than 50% of the world’s population is presently at risk from mosquito-borne diseases. This means we are at a high risk. Zika and other insect-borne diseases are spreading quickly with new reports every week.

We see millions of dengue fever cases all over the world every year. The number of deaths because of this fever is quite high. They bite people to consume blood. By feeding blood allows the mosquito to produce eggs. They feed by piercing the skin like a needle. Then they inject saliva into a person’s skin. This allows deadly diseases or viruses such as Zika virus to transfer in the human body. As mosquitoes fly, they can also spread a disease more quickly than an illness. Such as Ebola, which is transmitted from person to person,

Mosquitos are tough to fight. They cannot be killed easily and they can hide in very small spaces. Let’s take a deeper look into the things which make it tough to kill mosquitos.

Why is it tough to kill mosquitos?

Mosquitoes are immune to bug spray. They develop resistance to sprays. Humans are always bothered by mosquitos. The real problem is how well they adapt and shrug off these bug sprays like armor. Spraying more to eradicate them does not help. It can only cause breathing issues for humans and pets. Apart from sprays these annoying insects are tricky and some can even pass through the mosquito net.

So, how are we gonna kill the mosquitos? How many methods are available to get rid of mosquitos and which one is best and safe?

Methods to get rid of mosquitos

There are many natural and chemical methods and home remedies available to kill mosquitos. Some of them are discussed below.

1. Chemical sprays

   There are many kinds of chemical sprays available in the market. They may work for some, but over the time mosquitos get immune to them. Chemical poisons kill natural mosquito predators more effectively than mosquitoes.  Also, if they do not come in direct contact with the spray, it may be difficult to kill them. The chemical sprays also have a bad effect on your health. They can cause breathing issues for you.

2. Using a garlic spray

   If you don’t want to go for a chemical spray, a simple garlic spray would work great for a mosquito-free home. How to make it? Crush or mince a few cloves of garlic and boil it in water for some time. Pour the solution into a spray bottle and spray it around the house to control. This can help to control the mosquitos. The drawback is garlic has a smell which may be unbearable for some people. People don’t find it pleasant.

3. Dish of soapy water

   A dish of soapy water can act as an indoor mosquito repellent. To repel the mosquitoes, you can place a wide dish of soapy water where the mosquitos are present. Make sure the dish is soapy enough to be covered in bubbles. You can use any soap for this purpose. Whether it is a dishwashing soap or detergent.

   Mosquitoes are generally attracted to water. But once they sit on this dish of soapy water, they will get trapped in the bubbles and eventually they will be die. But this method can be a little messy specially when you are having toddlers around.

4. Lemon Eucalyptus

   While shopping for a natural mosquito repellent, try to go for something having oil of lemon eucalyptus. It’s extremely effective in repelling the bats away.

5. Peppermint

   Are you looking for an effective and natural way to get rid of mosquitos? Give peppermint a chance. Combine a few drops of peppermint essential oil with one cup of water in a spray bottle, shake well, and spray onto skin. It also smells minty fresh.

6. Egg Cartons and Coffee Trays

   Mosquitoes are a thing we all worry about each summer. You can use cardboard egg cartons and coffee trays. Light them on fire. Then blow them out and let them smolder in a fire-safe location. The burning smell will keep the mosquitos away.

These are some methods which may help you in getting rid of bats. These methods are not 100% effective. The effects of these methods may fadeout overtime. But you can decrease their population around your home. How? By having a bat population nearby. Let’s read more.

How bats decrease the population of mosquitos

Approximately 100 species of bats are present on earth. Not every specie of bats has the same diet. Bats will eat different things according to their nature. Some bats love to eat ripe fruits. While some bats enjoy love to eat moths and mosquitoes .
Apart from the benefits that bats help in fertilization and in distribution of pollen, they help in decreasing insect population.

Specifically talking about bats eating mosquitoes, some species live by eating them. 70% of bats eat insects and mosquitoes. If you have bats around, the population of mosquitos will be much less than the areas not having bats. Our goal is to attract bats near our home. But how to attract them so that they start living around our home? What are the ways which can help us with this?

If you already have bats around or inside your home, just skip the next step. and jump onto “How to keep the bats around?”

How to attract bats

To have bats around, you need to create suitable conditions. Conditions in which they would love to live. Conditions are made according to their nature. Bats eat mosquitoes, but only when they’re around. So, you need to get them around your home first. This means you need to attract bats. Below are some tips on How to attract bats. 

1. Offer a water source

   Bats can lose 50% of body weight in water in a single day. If you have a pond or water feature on your property, chances are high that bats can get attracted. What if you don’t find a natural water source nearby? Try to install a birdbath or fountain to attract more bats to your backyard.

2. Let your garden be the magnet

   Have a garden? Great. Don’t have it? Plant them nearby. Fragrant flowers, herbs, and night-blooming plants, these are the things which make your home look very attractive to insects and bats. How? The more insects, the better it is. Bats feed on insects and more flowers means more insects. Try planting dahlia, French marigold, nicotiana, evening primrose, thyme, or honeysuckle. Pale-colored blooms also bring in bugs.

3. Small dark places

   Try to make small dark places near your home. They only live at places that are dark. This will be a suitable condition for them to live. Try to provide them comfort.

Follow these simple steps, if you don’t have bats around your home. Once you have attracted bats the next step is how to keep them around?

How to keep the bats around?

What is the trick to keep these flying mammals around? The answer to this question is setting up the bat house. Also, make sure there are enough insects around for all of the bats to eat. It is an essential thing to set up the bat house properly to attract bats and to keep them around. To do this, you have to consider a few things.

1. The bat house should be 15-20 feet off the ground. Bats don’t like to live close to the ground. They always go for higher places. Make sure that the bat house is away from any trees. Trees make it easy for predators to attack the bats.
2. We know they love dark places but this doesn’t mean they don’t want sunshine to survive. The location of your bat house should get 5-8 hours of sunshine each day. Mother bats are highly concerned with temperature. They want a warm area so that they can nest their bat babies. So, you will need your bat house to get some sun and stay hot.
3. The last trick is to keep planting. So that the insects roam around all day. Bats would love to live at such a place.

Also if you keep the bats around, there are high chances that they may get into your home. For sure, you don’t want your family to get scared at night or any bat droppings and wall stains and chirping noises at night inside your home, which are a cause of having bats in your home. The solution to this problem is also a bat house.

You might be wondering what is a bat house and how to install it? Discover more about Bat House below.

How to install a bat house

To get bats around your home, you need to get a place which they can call home. The name of that home is a Bat House. You can get these premade in the market or you can build one yourself. You just have to place the bat house at the right place considering all the conditions if you buy one. If you want to build it yourself, you can also do that by doing some research and watching tutorials.

Now that you have got a bat house in your hands, it’s time to install it and to make it comfortable for bats. Below are the ways to make a home fit for bats.

1. Choose the right location

   Install the bat house on a pole or on the side of a building. Choosing trees to install a bat house is a no. The reason is they’re easily accessible to predators. Also the trees offer a lot of shade and bats need sunlight to maintain temperature. Bats need to jump down before they catch flight. So, the bat house should not be close to the ground. It must be high enough. At least 15 feet above the ground for them to fly away without running into a predator on their downward journey.

2. Keep the area small

   Bats like small spaces to call home as mentioned earlier. They don’t need any nesting material like birds. Just ensure the surface inside the place is slightly rough, making it easy for them to claw up.

3. Maintain the temperature

   Maintain the temperature of the bat house between 85°F and 100°F. Bats like warm places to live. Position the bat home facing south to southeast. This way the bat house will catch the heat and warms up when the sun rises.

4. Keep a check on the bat house regularly.

   Inspect it regularly from spring to early fall. Make sure no bees or wasps have taken up. If you see droppings beneath the bat house, know that your bat home is a success and the bats have taken up residence.

How to guard your home? If they have suitable conditions they can also start living in your home. This is not a good thing as they can bring diseases. It is necessary to stop them from entering your house.

How to guard your own home

Before you create suitable conditions for them, make sure your own house is safe. You should not accidentally invite them to your own home. Bats and humans are more compatible when they aren’t living in the same residency.

Since bats can pass through a small hole, you need to close all the openings. To close all of the openings there are many methods available in the market. The main and mostly used is netting. By netting you can close all the entry points, Just make sure you don’t miss any point. The net is specially designed for bats. It is so strong that the bats cannot tear it apart. Except netting, you can also use any foam or something like that to fill up the holes.

For extra precautions it is important to not make bats feel comfortable in your home. So that they don’t even try to come near. How to do that? The easiest solution for this is “electronic bat repellent”.

Electronic bat repellent

Electronic bat repellent won’t let the bats come inside your home. They emit ultrasonic sound variable frequencies. As the bats depend on their sense of hearing. The technology used in electronic bat repellent uses the same way to repel them. It sends high pitch frequencies which makes them feel uncomfortable. The plus point is these frequencies do not disturb humans or pets around the repellent. These frequencies are outside the audible range of humans and pets. This is a must if you don’t want bats inside your home by any chance. Take precautionary measures before you invite bats to start living nearby.

There are many electronic bat repellents available in the market. Everyone has different features than others. For the same purpose, we have designed an electronic bat repellent named “ET Bat Control”.

ET Bat Control

This is an electronic bat repellent which emits ultrasonic sound variable frequencies. The range of this repellent device is 500 sq ft. This device is reliable and safe to use. The frequencies emitted by this device won’t even disturb the humans and pets. Also, this device is very affordable in comparison to other options out there. How? It will only cost you around $50.00. Also the plus point is it uses only 5 watts. This device is light on your pocket. Also works very efficiently. The consumer reviews are also good related to this product.

Conclusion

Mosquitos bring so many diseases with them. Some of the viruses are even fatal. Also these small creatures are irritating. We need to reduce their population around us to be safe. There are many methods to kill mosquitos but the natural pest controllers are bats. They feed on mosquitoes and help us in saving ourselves.

To kill mosquito, we need to keep the bats around our home. How? We need to create suitable conditions and install a bat house. Before doing this, make sure your own house is safe and secure. Close all the entry points and install an electrical bat repellent like ET Bat Control. So that by any chance they don’t come inside your home. And voila, you are good to go.