When controlling rats and mice in a bat roost, you should be careful to plan the works in a way that is least likely to harm or disturb bats.
This advice is designed for rat and mice control in dwellings. If you need to control rodents in any other scenario, or you cannot follow the guidance, you should seek personalised advice.
Please note that sticky traps of any kind (e.g rodent glue traps, etc.), must never be used where bats are known or suspected. The volunteers on our UK Bat Care Network have dealt with many sad cases of bats getting stuck to these traps.
Ultrasonic pest control
Ultrasonic pest control devices have been around for roughly 20 years and have recently started becoming more popular. These devices emit sounds that are beyond the detectable range in humans but are audible to other animals such as some insects, bats, dogs and rodents. Birds have a similar hearing range to humans and so are not likely to be affected by these devices. Despite the length of time these devices have been on the market there has been relatively little research into their effectiveness and as a result they are largely untested. Many experts believe they are completely ineffective at controlling insect or rodent pests. The effect of these devices on bats is unknown. We would therefore strongly advise using alternative forms of pest control, as using an ultrasonic device may lead to the law being broken if bats are disturbed.
