Contrary to popular belief, bats are not blind. If they were, then shining lights on them would have no effect one way or another. As nocturnal creatures, bats do not like the light and try to avoid it specifically by seeking out dark places to make roosts, such as unused attics. If bats don’t like lights, then it may seem logical to use artificial lights to deter them from your property. In practice, however, this has many more disadvantages than advantages.

Why Don’t Bats Like Light?

Unlike many nocturnal animals, bats do not have visual adaptations to help them see better in the dark. They don’t really need their eyes for hunting and navigating because they use echolocation. This is a natural ability that works similar to sonar. Bats can find food and identify obstacles in their flight path by making high-pitched noises and listening for the sound to be reflected back at them.

Because bats’ eyes aren’t adapted to see better at night, they don’t really like light. If you have ever had someone shine a bright light in your eyes when you were in a dark room, you know that it can be painful and disorienting. The same is true for bats. The brighter the light is, the more the bats dislike it, although they don’t really like dull lights either.

Are There Advantages of Trying To Use Light as a Bat Deterrent?

Using lights to deter bats from your property may have a few potential advantages. One of the most significant is that using lights as a bat deterrent doesn’t do them any long-term harm. This is important because bats are endangered species protected by law. Another potential advantage is that, if effective, deterring bats with lights doesn’t require you to handle them or come into physical contact with them at all. Bats may bite in self-defence if handled, and they can carry and spread diseases such as rabies.

What Are the Disadvantages of Trying To Use Lights as a Bat Deterrent?

Despite the fact that bats do not like light, trying to use light as a deterrent against them is highly inefficient with a low chance of success. In fact, installing lights in your attic to get bats to leave may have the opposite of the intended effect. Instead of flying outside to avoid the lights, the bats may retreat further into the darkest recesses of your attic. Shining lights on your property may draw more insects to your property, which in turn may draw more bats, making it more likely that they will end up in your attic instead of less.

Using lights as a bat deterrent can be very expensive. You first have to purchase the lights and then you have to pay for the electricity to keep them running all night, every night. You could save money and energy by hooking them up to a motion sensor so that they only go on when a bat gets near, but this may not be an effective deterrent. Plus, the lights going on and off all night may disturb you while you are trying to sleep.

Shining bright lights on your property could also disturb your neighbours. If they lodge a complaint, you could get into legal trouble over your attempts to deter bats from your property.

Why Should You Hire Skedaddle for Bat Removal in Hamilton?

Professional bat removal is much more efficient and effective than using lights as a deterrent and costs less money in the long run. We are well versed in the laws protecting bats, so you can be assured that our methods are not only humane but compliant. Our process includes cleaning and decontamination of bat feces and the dangerous pathogens they can spread. Find out more about the services we offer in Hamilton.