Our commitment: we never recommend lethal control.
In almost every conflict situation, a humane solution exists. Exclusion – not extermination – is the only ethical and often the only legal approach. We have never encountered a situation where killing bats was the right answer, and we won’t recommend it.
Who We Help
Our conflict resolution services are tailored to the unique needs of different clients. Select your situation below.
Bats in Your Home
Bats in attics, walls, and crawlspaces are a common issue in Central Texas, where our climate makes residential structures attractive roost sites. We’ve helped hundreds of families resolve these situations humanely and permanently.
The most important thing to know: bats are not trapped in your home. They enter and exit nightly through entry points. A proper exclusion seals these entry points at the right time – after the bats have exited for the evening, preventing them from returning.
- Full structure assessment and entry point mapping
- Timing-sensitive exclusion (respecting maternity season)
- One-way exclusion device installation
- Permanent sealing after confirmed bat departure
- Cleanup guidance for guano accumulation
- Follow-up inspection and confirmation
Consultation Call
We discuss your situation, assess urgency, and explain the process. Most homeowner situations don’t require immediate emergency response.
On-Site Assessment
We inspect the structure, identify entry points, assess colony size, and determine if pups are present (important for timing).
Exclusion Installation
One-way exclusion devices are installed over entry points. Bats can exit but cannot return. Timing respects maternity season laws.
Permanent Sealing
After 7–14 days with no bat activity, all entry points are permanently sealed. The structure is now bat-free.
Bat Box Installation (Optional)
We can install bat boxes nearby so the displaced colony has an alternative roost – keeping them in your neighborhood as natural pest control.
Texas Law & Maternity Season
In Texas, excluding bats during maternity season (typically May 1 – August 1) is prohibited when young flightless pups are present. We strictly follow these regulations – excluding at the wrong time traps and kills pups. We’ll advise on the legal window for your situation.
Commercial & Business Properties
Bats in commercial buildings present unique challenges: liability concerns, employee relations, customer-facing spaces, and often larger-scale colonies than residential situations. We have extensive experience with commercial exclusions.
We work with property managers, building owners, HOAs, and businesses of all sizes to develop exclusion plans that minimize business disruption while ensuring humane, legal, and permanent resolution.
- Large-scale structure assessment
- Phased exclusion planning to minimize disruption
- Coordination with property managers and tenants
- Documentation for liability and insurance purposes
- Emergency response for acute situations
- Staff education and public communication support
Commercial Case Studies
500+ bat colony in masonry facade. Phased exclusion over 3 weeks during off-season. Zero bat casualties. Building fully sealed.
Pre-construction consultation identified three roost sites. Exclusion plan integrated into construction schedule. Bat boxes installed on adjacent green space.
Colony in utility room ventilation. Humane exclusion timed around facility hours. Staff training provided. Bat-friendly interpretive signage installed.
Local Governments & Public Agencies
Austin Bat Refuge works with city and county agencies, parks departments, school districts, and other government entities to develop bat-friendly policies and resolve conflicts in public spaces.
We offer the full range of exclusion services for government properties, plus policy consultation, staff training, and help developing bat-positive public communications that frame wildlife coexistence as a community asset rather than a liability.
- Government property assessment and exclusion
- Policy development for bat-related situations
- Staff and first-responder training
- Public communication and signage development
- Best practices for bat-friendly infrastructure
- Educational programming for public events
Austin as a Model City
Austin’s handling of the Congress Avenue Bridge bat colony is widely cited as the gold standard for urban wildlife coexistence. A colony that was once considered a nuisance became one of the city’s most beloved attractions – and a significant tourism driver. Austin Bat Refuge helped make that transformation possible.
We can help your jurisdiction achieve similar outcomes – turning wildlife challenges into opportunities for community connection and environmental leadership.
See Bat Exclusion in Action
A look at the humane exclusion process – how we safely help bats leave a structure without harm, and seal entry points permanently.
How Your Local Business Can Help Bats
It is a business’s duty, especially green businesses in Austin (aka Bat City), to acquaint themselves with Best Management Practices for peaceful coexistence with bats. They should know what questions to ask the companies they hire to manage bat intrusions. We plan to reach out to all businesses in Austin – developers, property managers, commercial tenants, realtor associations, apartment manager associations, owners, renters, and pest-control companies.
Each year we consult with scores of building owners and managers on minimizing bat/human conflict. We perform occasional exclusions in-house, but we normally recommend other professional excluders for most large jobs. Austin’s bats are an ecological treasure and when they need to be relocated, it is a conservation matter, not a pest-control issue. In addition to Austin Bat Refuge, there are many ecological consulting companies around Austin who could be called upon for advice about safely relocating bats. TXDOT routinely consults with such agencies about bats in bridges – developers and property managers could do the same for bats and buildings.
Bats find shelter in cold weather by following warm air leaking from buildings – performing free Energy-Auditing Services and adding to their long list of environmental benefits. Use of terms like “infestation” mischaracterizes animals trying to survive arctic outbreaks or avoid capture by what they assume is a predator.
We humans have been sharing our domiciles with bats since the days of the cave people, and bats have always been great neighbors if simply left alone. They have a great safety record living among humans – way better than that of our beloved household pets. That being said, we don’t want bats in our living or working space. They have been known to roost for years in the voids of buildings without causing any trouble. As long as the interior envelope of the living space is sealed, there is no danger to humans.
It is important to keep that interior envelope sealed – especially pipe and duct penetrations through ceilings – both for energy purposes and for unwanted intrusions. When relocation becomes necessary, sealing the interior envelope of the living space should be the first step in an exclusion.
Exclusion Best Practices
- Exclusions should never be performed during baby season – generally mid-May to mid-September in the Austin area – nor during winter. Non-flying pups would be trapped, and bats can remain dormant for an entire month without flying.
- Don’t seal entry points immediately after bats fly. Not all bats emerge nightly, so this method traps remaining bats inside, killing hundreds or thousands.
- Secure the interior envelope first by sealing wall and ceiling pipe penetrations, attic stairs, ductwork, and unfinished utility room walls.
- Close large entry sections while placing sufficient exclusion tubes to prevent bat panic. Small-meshed netting (OV-7822 from industrialnetting.com) works well for long crevice-like entry points.
- Any excessive restriction of normal exits will cause back pressure, making bats fly back into the structure to find an easier way out – a problem if the interior envelope is not sealed.
- Creativity is needed in odd-shaped areas. Stiff 1/4″ netting (OV-7822) can be shaped and combined with exclusion tubes using staples and water-based adhesive caulk. Large netting boxes around single exit points reduce back-pressure.
- Empty caulk tubes can be cleaned out and fashioned into more exclusion tubes.
- Get an early start when installing exclusion tubes – any caulk used around the openings must have plenty of time to dry before the bats fly.
- In unfinished areas, polyethylene sheeting can act as a dust barrier, confining bats near exits to redirect them through exclusion tubes.
- Leave exclusion tubes in place for at least two weeks of good weather to ensure all bats have been hungry enough to fly out to feed.
- After that time has elapsed, the entry/exits can be sealed using the same materials with which the building is constructed.
Bat Exclusions
Check out our Bats & Buildings brochure for helpful tips about safe and humane bat exclusion.
Let’s Solve This Together
Every conflict situation is unique. Call us or send a message and we’ll help you understand your options – no pressure, no judgment, just practical guidance from people who know bats.
Additional Resources
Education
- Bats Live – Prince William Network
- Bat Pack – Aussie Bat Resources – Bat Activities
- Bat Echolocation Research Handbook 2020 – A handbook for planning and conducting acoustic studies
- The Austin Environmental Directory – A comprehensive sourcebook of green organizations, issues, products, and services
- austinbats.org