How Much Does Bat Removal Cost? (2024 Guide)
Typical cost range:
$250–$650
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Bat removal typically costs between $250 and $650, but prices could rise to more than $8,000* for severe infestations. Bats carry rabies, destroy parts of your home, and leave droppings that can contain an infectious fungus. However, many of these flying mammals are endangered and protected by federal and state laws. Hiring a professional pest control company ensures their safe and legal removal from your home. Below, we cover everything you need to know about bat removal methods and costs.
*Cost figures in this article were sourced from Fixr and HomeAdvisor data.
How Much Does Bat Removal Cost on Average?
Bat removal—referred to as exclusion or abatement—is more expensive than many other pest control services. This higher-than-average cost is due to the live catch-and-release methods pest control companies use when dealing with bats.
| Type of Service | Pricing (Low End) | Pricing (High End) |
|---|---|---|
|
Bat exclusion |
$250–$400 |
$1,500–$8,500 or more |
|
Inspection |
$75–$200 |
$250–$400 |
|
Guano removal |
$500 |
$8,400–$8,500 |
What Factors Affect Bat Removal Pricing?
Numerous factors impact the total cost of bat removal services. The home’s size and the infestation’s severity have the greatest effect on the final price tag. We outline the primary cost factors to consider below.
Inspection Costs
Before any company begins extracting bats from your property, it will assess the nature of the infestation. These inspections are typically charged as their own service and can cost between $75 and $400, depending on the size of your property and how difficult the bats are to locate.
Location of Bats
Bats hide in dark, damp, secluded areas with high elevations, making your attic prime real estate. Service costs will be more expensive if the bats’ nesting location is hard to access.
Severity of Infestation
An infestation’s severity (or the size of the bat colony) is the greatest determinant of bat exclusion costs. The more bats there are, the more dangerous and difficult the removal process will be.
The number of bats impacts the cost of removal more than other infestations because bats must be captured, safely transported, and kept alive. Doing so while extracting them from a property is difficult, making large infestations expensive. It can cost between $5,000 and $8,500 to remove a large colony of 200 bats or more.
Dead Bat Removal
The removal of deceased bats is another cost factor. Because bats are carriers of rabies and other diseases, handling their remains is a job best left to professionals. Removing their bodies is a difficult job that can add to your final bill.
Guano Removal
Guano (bat droppings) is a valuable industrial product with applications for fertilizer, gunpowder production, and explosives. However, its effectiveness as a fertilizer carries a major downside—it’s highly conducive to mold and fungal growth.
Bat feces carry a fungus called Histoplasma. When inhaled, this fungus can lead to histoplasmosis. Histoplasmosis symptoms include fever, coughing, and fatigue, and it can be a serious danger to the immunocompromised.
Due to these risks, have a professional cleanup crew remove guano immediately. Guano removal can cost as much as bat exclusion, ranging from $500 to $8,500.
Additional Costs and Services
A single bat may not cause significant damage, but even a small colony can tear up your attic. You may need the help of an attic restoration company, depending on how much damage was inflicted.
Should You DIY vs. Professional Bat Removal?
Bats are dangerous to remove yourself because the diseases they carry pose significant health risks. Attempting an at-home removal may be illegal, depending on the bat species. We recommend hiring a bat removal expert when dealing with an infestation.
How To DIY Bat Removal
Although we don’t recommend it, it is possible to remove a bat from your home without the help of a professional. Here is a quick overview of how to remove a single invading bat:
Identify the Bat Species
While keeping a safe distance from the bat, try to identify its species. Look into local laws to determine if it’s endangered or protected. If you suspect it’s a protected species, close off all entrances into and out of the room and contact a professional. Otherwise, proceed with the following steps.
Encourage the Bat to Leave
The best and safest way to get a bat out of your home is to isolate it and encourage it to leave on its own. Open a window in the room, then close all entry points from the room into the rest of your home. Turn off anything in the room that might attract the bat, including TVs, radios, heat sources, and other noise-making devices. Use a towel or sheet to seal off gaps between the room’s doors and the floor.
Capture It in a Box
If all else fails, attempt to capture the bat in a box or empty bucket. Before interacting with the bat, put on protective clothing, including heavy work gloves, a face mask, a long-sleeved shirt, and eye protection. Wait until the bat lands, and slowly approach it with an empty box or bucket. Place the container atop the bat, and carefully slide a thick piece of cardboard or a lid under the container to trap the bat.
Release the Bat or Send It to a Professional
Once you have the bat safely contained, release it or send it to a vet or wildlife control office. The bat should be tested for rabies if it was inside a room where people were sleeping, made direct contact with anyone, or was near children or pets. Otherwise, the bat can be released outside. Exposed individuals should immediately seek medical attention.
How To Hire an Animal Control Professional
Follow these steps to find a reliable pest or animal control company for bat removal and exclusion:
Search for Local Wildlife and Pest Control Companies
Not all pest control companies handle bat removal. Look for those that specialize in bat control.
Check Company Background
Research a pest control company’s background, customer reviews, and history of complaints. We recommend using websites such as the Better Business Bureau, Yelp, and Google My Business for reliable information.
Obtain Free Quotes
Inspections aren’t typically free for pest control. Depending on the company, a full inspection will cost $75 to $400. Some companies, such as Orkin, offer free quotes over the phone. We recommend calling several companies and attempting to obtain as many free quotes as possible before scheduling an official inspection.
Schedule an Inspection and Bat Removal
Schedule an inspection. The technician will investigate the infestation and advise the best approach. The technician may generate an updated quote after the inspection, outlining the exact method and costs for removal. If you agree with the new quote, the technician will follow through with the outlined services. Depending on the infestation level, this process may take multiple days, especially if additional services such as guano or dead bat removal are needed.
What Are Laws That Affect Bat Removal?
Bats are protected under the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1956, and various state laws. According to the ESA, it’s illegal to “harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct” toward an endangered or threatened species. Not all bat species are considered threatened and privy to these protections, but many are. The current bat species recognized by the federal government as threatened or endangered are as follows:
- Bulmer’s fruit bat
- Bumblebee bat
- Florida bonneted bat
- Gray bat
- Hawaiian hoary bat
- Virginia big-eared bat
- Indiana bat
- Little Mariana fruit bat
- Mariana fruit bat
- Mexican long-nosed bat
- Northern long-eared bat
- Ozark big-eared bat
- Pacific sheath-tailed bat
- Rodrigues fruit bat
- Singapore roundleaf horseshoe bat
You cannot hire an exterminator to eliminate an endangered bat colony. Instead, you need to hire a company that offers bat exclusion. If you encounter a bat in your home, err on the side of caution and hire a professional. A professional can identify the inhabiting bat species and safely relocate them to a new nesting area.
Is Bat Removal Worth It?
Yes, in most cases, removing bats safely and effectively is worth it. Bats are an invaluable part of our natural ecosystem. They help reduce mosquito populations and other troublesome flying pests. However, they can carry diseases, destroy homes, and become a nuisance.
Many pest control companies offer a wide range of wildlife control, including bat removal and exclusion. The typical cost ranges from $250–$650. We recommend Terminix because bat removal is a core part of its animal control offerings. Orkin is another solid option; however, its bat control options are regional and not available at every branch.
FAQ About Bat Removal Cost
What is bat exclusion?
Bat exclusion is the process of humanely removing existing bats and taking preventive measures to keep them out. A pest control or wildlife removal specialist will use a series of one-way exit traps (typically tubes with a one-way door in the center) to get the roosting bats out. They can employ a harmless gas to flush out large colonies. After removing the bats and sealing potential entry points, they may use repellent sprays to dissuade new bats from entering.
Why is it so expensive to get rid of bats?
It is expensive to get rid of bats because many bat species are endangered and protected by federal and state laws. These laws make removing bats difficult, as they must be captured alive and relocated. These difficulties and the risks involved result in higher service fees.
Can you remove bats yourself?
We don’t recommend removing bats yourself. Bats can carry harmful diseases such as rabies, and depending on the species, improperly removing them may be illegal. It’s best to hire a professional for a bat infestation.
What should you do if you find a bat in your house?
If you find a bat in your house, immediately vacate the room containing it, contact a wildlife control or pest control representative, and have them remove it. Then, seek medical attention. Not all bats have rabies, but they’re considered a major vector for the disease. Bat bites can be small and difficult to detect. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends checking with a medical professional if you encounter a bat in your home.
Does homeowners insurance cover bat removal and damage?
Homeowners insurance does not cover bat removal. However, homeowners insurance may cover the damage caused by bats. Your insurance may not cover damage repair if the bats were left to roost for an unreasonably long time, so address infestations quickly.
Are all bats protected?
Not all bat species are protected, but many are. Bat species can be difficult to identify, even up close. We recommend contacting a professional to assess the danger and bat species.
Our Rating Methodology
We back up our pest control recommendations with a detailed rating methodology that we use to objectively score each provider. We review pest control plans, navigate the provider website, speak with customer service representatives by phone and online chat (if available), request quotes, and analyze customer reviews for each provider. We then score the provider against our review standards for plans and services, reputation and customer responses, customer service offerings, workmanship guarantees, financing, and availability to arrive at a final score on a 5-point rating scale.
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