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Do Essential Oils Keep Bats Away? (Read This First!)

Many animals share their habitat with us around our house, living in harmony with us. Homes in rural or suburban areas will commonly find nature and its inhabitants around us. However, often these inhabitants might interfere with our lives or simply trespass into our private spaces.

In that case, you can follow along to know how to deal with such situations.

Do essential oils keep bats away?

Essential oils are a natural and safe method of repelling bats away. Essential oils contain strong scents which are quite disliked by bats and some of them even irritate their skin and eyes. Essential oils do not affect other humans or pets around and keep bats away without harming them.

Bats are nocturnal creatures that are vital for maintaining our ecosystem but also are notorious for carrying several dangerous diseases.

Due to this, you might be tempted to get rid of bats who have invaded your vicinity but in most states of the USA, harming a bat is illegal and a criminal offense.

Since bats are active during the night, you will need to stay up late till night or choose a passive method of repelling away the bats from a location. There are several ways of repelling bats such as using artificial lights or supersonic repellers.

However, they require you to either actively seek out bats, or sometimes they do not work at all.

Essential oils work pretty effectively because bats are sensitive to strong smells. Some of these oils not only have strong smells that bats dislike but also are pleasant to humans and do not harm pets or other animals. Therefore, essential oils are one of the best remedies to keep bats away.

What essential oils repel bats?

Homemade or store-bought essential oils could be used to get rid of bats. But not all essential oils are effective at repelling bats and some work exceptionally well. You can learn about them by following along:

Cinnamon Essential Oil:

A cinnamon essential oil can be used as a repellent for bats. You may apply the cinnamon essential oil by spraying a decent amount on wooden walls or frames that would soak the spray.

Or if you use soaked cotton balls, press them into the gaps around the location through which bats might enter.

Eucalyptus Essential Oil:

The smell of eucalyptus is also disliked by bats, so you can use their essential oils as a spray to keep them away. Mix water and eucalyptus essential oil in equal parts and then spray it around the active areas.

Spearmint Essential Oil:

Spearmint oil belongs to the mint family and will effectively repel any bats nearby. You can use its essential oil similar to cinnamon essential oil or you could choose to use a tiny container for long-term effect.

Store the oil in a tiny bottle with a perforated lid and place it in the corner of the infested area to push away the bats.

How to get rid of bats?

If you have bats invading your house, you might want to drive them out since they are carriers of dangerous diseases. Follow the steps below if you wish to get rid of bats effectively:

Inspect your doors, windows, and cracks around the house:

It takes at least 1 to 2 inches of gaps in walls, roofs, or any other places around the house to allow bat entry. To find the exact gaps through which the bats enter, you could wait in the evening to observe the entry points the bats use.

Seal the gaps with mesh:

Use copper mesh or any type of netting to temporarily seal the gaps. However, keep one exit point for each location for the bats to escape out of. This will ensure the bat’s exit through the designated exit point or use another gap you weren’t aware of.

Use any of the most effective repellents available:

Use essential oil sprays in the bat-infested area to discourage them from coming in. Also use a strong flashlight to drive the existing bats away from the area.

Permanently seal the entry points:

Once the area is clear of bats, you should use a permanent sealant or repair the cracks that the bats used. This will prevent any bats from entering the area again.

Do bats like the smell of eucalyptus?

Similar to many other animals, bats dislike the smell of eucalyptus whether it is the tree or their essential oils. Therefore, if you particularly want to keep bats away from the radius of your house then you can plant a couple of eucalyptus trees in your yard.

This will discourage bats from coming near your house.

However, if you do not like the idea of planting eucalyptus trees around your yard, you can take an alternative approach of using eucalyptus essential oils. Eucalyptus essential oils have a particularly strong scent and can be used as a room fragrance.

Since bats dislike the smell of eucalyptus, you can install automatic air fresheners with eucalyptus essential oil refills. Similarly, you can manually spray the essential oils yourself or place cotton balls soaked with them in the corners around the house.

How do you use eucalyptus oil to get rid of bats?

There are several notable ways to use eucalyptus oils to get rid of bats or discourage them from coming, which are listed below:

Oil and Water spray Mixture:

While other methods are slow, spraying a mixture of eucalyptus oil into the bat’s roosting ground will definitely drive them away. You should take a teaspoon of alcohol and mix it with a teaspoon of eucalyptus oil to allow the oil to become soluble in water.

Afterward, add the mixture to a spray bottle and add a pint of water then spray in the designated areas.

As an Air Fragrant:

If you’re already using an air fragrant device, you can simply head over to a local health store to buy the essential oil. If you manage to find the oil as an air fragrance refill then buy it, else you have to fill it in an empty container manually before installing.

Placing Cotton Balls:

Using cotton balls can serve two purposes at once. If you have cracks in your walls or around the house, you can get cotton balls of matching colors as a clog that would prevent bat entry.

If you pour a few drops of essential oil into the cotton ball as well, it will not only prevent entry but also repel bats.

How to make a cinnamon spray for bats?

Cinnamon is one of the most commonly found ingredients in our kitchen which has some distinct properties that make them useful outside the culinary world. Cinnamon can be processed into a spray that can repel bats. Follow along to learn the making process:

Grind the cinnamon into powder:

Collect around 4-5 pieces of fresh cinnamon sticks with a strong scent, the ones with faded scent will not be effective. Next, break the stick with your hand and use a manual grinder or an electric blender (capable of grounding the sticks) to turn the sticks into powdery form.

Mix the powder with water:

Take a few teaspoons of powdered cinnamon and mix them with water, you may use boiling water to extract the cinnamon essence into the water. Let the water sit for a day and then filter out the powder, keeping the cinnamon essence water. 

Spray at the infested areas:

Once the mixture is ready, look for the infested areas and spray the mixture thoroughly all around including the walls. You can also scatter some of the cinnamon powder that you have prepared earlier in the corners for a stronger effect.

You should properly dispose of the cinnamon powder after a week or if it comes in contact with a bat since it could be contaminated with diseases.

What smell will keep bats away?

Bats are sensitive to the smells of many items and actively avoid them. These items are generally harmless and can be useful in terms of keeping bats away without bringing any harm to them.

Some essential oils are very effective at keeping away bats such as:

  • Peppermint Oil
  • Spearmint Oil
  • Cinnamon Oil
  • Eucalyptus Oil
  • Rosemary Oil

Bats also avoid several strong scented plants, a few of which are listed below:

  • Rosemary Plants
  • Thyme Plants
  • Eucalyptus Plants

Besides these, dried barks from several trees can directly keep away bats or can be processed into essential oils as well, such as:

  • Cinnamon sticks
  • Cedarwood
  • Eucalyptus

Final Thoughts

Essential oils can be used as a natural and safe bat repellent. These oils contain strong scents which discourage bats from entering and can also irritate their skin and eyes without harming them. Essential oils are safe for humans or pets so they can be used without any unwanted consequences.