Had bats removed from attic and chimney last year. Haven't noticed any in the attic and the chimney is sealed up where they were getting in.

When I had them removed, the guy who did it said there were a few dropping on some window sills and the ground below the eaves. He said the bats are just roosting in those places at night while hunting and it's not a big deal. Just don't want them IN the house (attic, garage, etc.).

I've notice a single bat right above the lights near my garage. It's a small nook over the lights it's hanging out in all day long. I've seen it pretty much every day the last few weeks. It's a single bat and not a colony. I thought they usually hung out in a colony but this one seems to be a loner. There are no other bats roosting anywhere I can find on the house outside during the day.

I know they eat a ton on insects so I don't have an issue with bats. I just don't know that I want this thing to start multiplying and suddenly I have a colony on the house right above where the wife parks her car!

Should I wait until if flies off to hunt one evening and put a few finish nails in the nook to make the location less desirable. Or just wait it out b/c it's going to be cold soon and I assume it will find a warmer place to hang out.

Not sure where you are located specifically, but starting about now and into November, most will be migrating south so I'd just wait it out and fix that area once it decides to move on. Here in SA, we do have some that are non-migratory (coconuts not needed), but your temporary resident should be leaving soon

Put up a dedicated bat house on the side of your house?

This is the house i have on mine.

WHITEHORSE 4-Chamber Bat House - A Premium Cedar Bat Box That is Built to Last - Enjoy a Healthier Yard with Fewer Mosquitos While Supporting Bats (Black) https://a.co/d/93ceVOk

Do bats just find a spot and occupy it? Similar to a bird and a birdhouse?

I have some bats in the neighborhood and always wanted to setup something to keep them around the house but wasn't sure the best method. Is putting up a bat house it and you hope for the best?

AtlAg05 said:

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Do bats just find a spot and occupy it? Similar to a bird and a birdhouse?

I have some bats in the neighborhood and always wanted to setup something to keep them around the house but wasn't sure the best method. Is putting up a bat house it and you hope for the best?

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There are bat attractant sprays you can buy as well. Some are guano based while others produce food smells they like. No idea if those all work too well though. Providing a house for them and making sure its facing south/SE side of house, well above the ground 10'+ and away from other ledges where predators can perch is your best bet of getting them to move in. It may take many seasons for them to find it. Its not an overnight process like birds can be.

Most of the bat species in Texas are solitary roosting bats. There are only a few species here that live in larger colonies. It is very likely that the bat is one that was in your house last year when it was excluded and has found a place it is comfortable roosting near the food source that attracted them in the first place. Or it could be a bat that was excluded from a neighbor's house and has decided your eaves work well enough. We also have bats that normally live behind loose tree bark or under dead palm fronds, so if any of your neighbors have had any tree work done recently, it may have lost its normal roost. Lastly, as was mentioned above, we have a lot of bats starting to migrate through right now, so it may just be one that has found your house and will stick around until the next cold front pushes it further south.

Unless it is down on the ground or acting sick, there is no reason to be concerned about it simply hanging around (pun intended). As for houses, there are lots of houses out there for sale, and a lot of them are poorly built and are unlikely to ever attract a bat. My advice is to go to Bat Conservation International's website. They have a great page with tips on attracting bats to your yard and how to build/buy a well made bat house and how to mount it for the best chance to have bats using it. https://www.batcon.org/about-bats/bat-gardens-houses/

Thanks all, I'll just keep an eye on it and see where it goes in the next month or so.

Located in KS so it's going to start getting kinda cold next month.