Bat Removal Kitchener-Waterloo & Cambridge | Bat Control Specialists
We Bat-Proof House.
Large gaps where soffits meet siding and trim are common bat entry points. These openings are being professionally sealed as part of a permanent bat-proofing project.
We Humanely Exclude The Bats.
Kitchener-Waterloo & Cambridge Bat Control & Bat Removal
Humane, guaranteed bat removal across the Kitchener-Waterloo & Cambridge and surrounding areas — over 30 years of bat specialist experience.
Bat Control is 1% Exclusion & 99 % Prevention Work.
Complete bat control requires detailed exterior work. We seal the openings bats could use, then install one-way excluders over the active entry points.
A Bat Control Specialists technician sealing a potential bat entry point above a window where the brick wall, soffit, and trim meet.The upper edge of the saddle flashing behind the chimney was caulked to close gaps and help prevent bat or mouse entry.The gutter had to be moved temporarily so this difficult-to-reach bat and mouse entry gap could be sealed properly with roof silicone.
The completed flashing repair closes the soffit-shingle gap while following the shape of the roof.One of our custom shorty bat excluders before installation on a Thornhill, Ontario home. This model is used for specific tight bat entry points where a full-size excluder is not the best fit.
This photo shows the hidden gap behind the electrical meter being sealed with foam before final caulking. Proper bat-proofing closes the deeper void first, then seals the exterior joint.
Custom metal flashing can be installed over rotted fascia, soffits, or siding to close bat entry gaps and help keep rain out of damaged areas.
A bat excluder has been installed at the base of the chimney over an active bat entry point. The surrounding flashing and chimney base were then secured to prevent bats from re-entering once they exited.
The custom bat excluder was positioned over the principal entry point before the surrounding gaps were permanently sealed.
After photo showing a ridge vent fitted with custom bat-proof screens. Ridge vents are common bat entry points when they are left unprotected or start to lift, warp, or separate from the shingles.
Custom aluminum flashing and bat-proof screening installed beneath a decorative metal ridge cap to permanently prevent bats from entering through the ridge vent while maintaining proper attic ventilation.
After photo of a repaired chimney with broken tiles and bricks removed and a custom metal pan installed over the top. This seals the chimney area and helps keep out bats, birds, squirrels, raccoons, and other wildlife.
This after photo shows a chimney liner cap that has been screened to keep bats out, with the flashing properly caulked around the outer edges and around the collar for a clean, secure seal.
Belleville, Trenton & Quinte West Bat RemovalBig Brown Bat Removal in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge
Bat Control Specialists provides humane big brown bat removal and complete bat-proofing throughout Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and the surrounding Waterloo Region.
We do not simply close the hole where bats appear to be entering. We inspect and bat-proof the entire exterior of the house, close the secondary openings first, and then install one-way bat excluders over the remaining active entry points.
After the excluder was installed, the surrounding soffit-to-brick gaps were carefully caulked so the bats could leave only through the one-way device.
Our custom aluminum bat excluder was properly installed over a gap below this window where bats were getting into the house.
The bats leave safely. They cannot get back inside. Your house stays protected.
Have Bats Been Getting Inside Your House?
A bat found inside a bedroom, basement, hallway or living space usually did not simply fly through an open door or window. It normally came from somewhere within the structure.
In Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, the bats we encounter in houses are overwhelmingly big brown bats.
They commonly live inside wall cavities, soffits, rooflines, attics and other concealed areas of a building.
The solution is complete exterior bat-proofing combined with humane one-way exclusion.
Where Big Brown Bats Get Into Houses
Big brown bats do not need an obvious hole. They can use narrow construction gaps hidden around roof edges, soffits, chimneys, siding and flashing.
A homeowner may identify one active opening, but the average house has many other gaps that bats can use once that opening is closed.
The average house has hundreds of places where bats can get in.
Common entry areas
Soffit-to-brick intersections
Soffit-to-shingle intersections
Gable peaks and fascia edges
Chimney flashing
Gaps in chimney mortar
Dormer side junctions
Roof-to-wall flashing
Ridge vents
Siding corners and J-channels
Porch and addition roof intersections
Common bat entry areas on a Kitchener-Waterloo home include soffit gaps, chimney flashing, dormer junctions, ridge vents, roof intersections and openings around additions.
These openings are often distributed across several elevations and roof levels. That is why sealing one or two visible holes rarely provides lasting control.
What Bat Entry Gaps Actually Look Like
Openings frequently occur where aluminum soffits terminate against brick walls, chimneys or raised roof sections.
This large gap between brick wall sections was the main active entry point where bats were going in and out of the Omemee home, with mice also using the same opening.
Urine staining and discoloration on the stone peak below an active bat entry area. Bats were getting in where the aluminum soffit met the brick and stone wall near the upper roofline.
This opening at the brick wall was the main entry point used by both bats and mice.A massive gap between the chimney flashing, brick chimney, shingles.
This long opening where the brickwork meets the soffit created a potential bat and mouse entry route.A clear gap at the dormer soffit and roof shingle intersection that could allow a bat to enter a house, highlighted with an arrow and a realistic big brown bat.
This piece of siding has slipped out of the corner channel, leaving a hidden opening behind the exterior finish. Gaps like this can allow bats to get behind the siding and into the wall, soffit, or roofline.
How We Fix It
How Complete Bat-Proofing Works
Professor Ben explains the first step in proper bat removal: bat-proof the house before excluding the bats.
After the house is bat-proofed, the active entry points are fitted with excluders so bats can leave safely without getting back in.
1. Inspect the Entire Exterior
We examine the roofline, soffits, fascia, brickwork, chimneys, flashing, siding, vents and every intersecting section of the house.
2. Close Secondary Openings
Potential entry points are sealed with professional exterior caulking, custom metal flashing, screening and other building-specific materials.
3. Install One-Way Excluders
The remaining active openings are fitted with one-way bat excluders that allow the bats to leave but prevent them from returning.
The order matters.
Closing the active opening first can force bats deeper into the house or cause them to begin using another unsealed gap. The secondary openings should be secured before the final exits are fitted with excluders.
Before-and-After Work
What Professional Bat-Proofing Looks Like
A visible opening beneath the aluminum fascia provided bats and mice with access behind the roofline.
The gutter had to be moved temporarily so this difficult-to-reach bat and mouse entry gap could be sealed properly with roof silicone.
The flashing around this solar-tube skylight was loose enough to fit several fingers underneath, creating a possible entry point for bats and mice.
The loose base flashing around this solar skylight was screwed down securely to eliminate gaps that bats and mice could use.
Unprotected roof vents can leave openings that bats use to enter attics.
This roof vent has been protected with a properly fitted bat-proof screen. Roof vents can be easy entry points for bats if the openings are not screened with the right material.
Before photo of a ridge vent area with no bat-proof protection. Unprotected ridge vents can allow bats to enter beneath the vent and access the attic or roof system.
After photo showing a ridge vent fitted with custom bat-proof screens. Ridge vents are common bat entry points when they are left unprotected or start to lift, warp, or separate from the shingles.
This chimney-top flashing was loose enough to be lifted by hand, leaving an opening beneath it.
The top flashing around the gas liner was repaired and sealed to close gaps and improve the chimney-top protection.
The gas-liner cap and chimney-top flashing were completed and bat-proofed.
A narrow construction gap where the dormer soffit meets the roof shingles can give bats access behind the soffit and into the attic or wall system.
A custom bat excluder installed over metal flashing at a roof and soffit intersection, allowing bats to leave while the surrounding gaps are permanently bat-proofed.
Bat droppings found under a gas liner cap on a chimney, showing bat activity around the cap and chimney top.Bat droppings found on top of an exterior gas fireplace vent. Gaps around vents can allow bats to enter walls, fireplaces, or hidden cavities in the home.
Quarter-inch mesh has been screwed and caulked into place on this standard B-vent chimney cap to prevent bats from squeezing through the openings and travelling down the metal vent into the basement.Custom half-inch wildlife screen installed over a gas fireplace vent. The screening prevents bats from accessing the vent while maintaining proper airflow and safe fireplace operation.
Large bat entry point.
Foam backer being inserted into a large gap between the brick and soffit before the final caulking is applied. Large openings like this need proper backing so the sealant can bond correctly and close the gap.
A wide bead of exterior sealant was applied along the soffit-to-brick intersection to close a gap that bats could use.
The finished work should follow the lines and colours of the building as closely as practical. Our objective is not merely to cover openings. It is to secure the structure carefully and permanently.
Big Brown Bats in Waterloo Region
Big brown bats emerging from an active entry point between the shingles and soffit of an Ontario home. Roofline gaps are one of the most common ways bats gain access to attics.
A big brown bat clinging to a window screen inside a home. Bats that appear indoors are usually coming from hidden wall, ceiling, attic, or roofline spaces — not randomly flying in through an open door or window.
Big Brown Bats Are the Primary House-Dwelling Bat Here
The residential bat problems we encounter in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge primarily involve big brown bats.
Big brown bats may use houses throughout the year. Their colonies are generally smaller and more transient than the large little brown bat colonies historically associated with cottages, lakes and rural properties.
A household may therefore experience:
One bat appearing inside and then nothing for weeks
Several bats appearing at different times
Activity returning in late summer
Bats showing up during warm winter periods
Little visible activity outside despite bats living within the structure
A bat appearing in a bedroom or basement has normally travelled from a concealed part of the building into the living space.
Big brown bats can move through:
Wall cavities
Openings around plumbing and wiring
Unfinished furnace rooms
Gaps around dropped ceilings
Open chases and plenums
Spaces beneath interior doors
Attic hatches and ceiling openings
This diagram shows the most common places bats enter a house, including gaps at the gable end, dormer rooflines, fascia and shingle edges, and where the soffit meets the chimney.
This cutaway image shows how bats travel from attic entry points down through wall cavities and framing gaps beside chimneys, pipes, wires, and ductwork, eventually reaching the basement and living areas.
This image shows the final stage of indoor bat movement, with bats coming up from the basement, traveling under the basement door, and ending up loose in the living space of the house.
The bat seen inside may be only the visible symptom of a larger structural problem.
There is no such thing as a fluke bat through an open door or window.
When a bat has appeared indoors, the house should be evaluated as a possible bat roost.
Why Sealing a Few Holes Does Not Work
A Few Tubes of Caulking Will Not Bat-Proof a House
Sealing a single gap where bats may be getting in will not solve a bat problem if the rest of the house has not been fully inspected and bat-proofed.
Before sealing any bat entry point, you need a proper plan to let the bats leave safely and prevent them from becoming trapped inside the house.
The average house has far too many possible bat entry points for a few sealed holes to solve the problem.
Common bat entry points on houses include soffit gaps, flashing details, dormer junctions, ridge vents, chimney mortar joints and roof intersections.
A successful bat-control job requires both parts of the solution: the house must be comprehensively bat-proofed, and the bats already inside must be given a safe one-way exit. Doing only one part does not solve the problem.
Why Hire Bat Control Specialists?
We Are Not A Wildlife Control Company. Bat Control Is All We Do
Bat Control Specialists has worked exclusively with bats for more than 38 years.
We do not rely on sonic devices, sprays, mothballs, repellents or temporary patchwork.
Common cheap cures homeowners try for bat problems, including mothballs, sonic repellers, bat repellent sprays, and bat houses. These products do not remove bats from a house.
Bat houses, mothballs, spray repellents, and sonic noisemakers belong in the garbage, not in your bat control plan. None of them solve a structural bat problem.
We do not try to convince bats to leave. We prevent them from getting back inside.
Service Area
Bat Removal Across Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge
We provide professional bat control throughout:
Kitchener: Downtown Kitchener, Forest Heights, Doon, Chicopee, Stanley Park, Huron Park, Laurentian Hills and surrounding neighbourhoods.
Waterloo: Uptown Waterloo, Westmount, Beechwood, Laurelwood, Lakeshore, Lincoln Village, Eastbridge and surrounding areas.
Cambridge: Galt, Preston, Hespeler, Blair and surrounding neighbourhoods.
We also serve nearby communities and rural properties throughout Waterloo Region, including North Dumfries, Wilmot, Wellesley and Woolwich.
FAQ Section
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of bats live in houses in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge?
The residential bat problems we encounter in these cities primarily involve big brown bats. They can live in wall cavities, soffits, rooflines and attics and may remain associated with a house throughout the year.
A big brown bat found inside an Ontario home. When a bat appears in the living space, it usually came from somewhere inside the structure, not through an open door or window.
Two bats remain outside their former opening after a humane exclusion prevents them from getting back into the structure.
Does one bat inside mean there are more?
One bat indoors is enough to justify investigating the structure. It indicates that bats are living in the walls and attic of the structure and getting access to the building interior usually via the basement.
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Can I seal the hole after the bat leaves?
Sealing only the visible opening is not a complete solution. Bats may still be inside, and they may use other gaps elsewhere on the house. Secondary openings should be secured before one-way excluders are placed over the active exits.
How do you remove bats without harming them?
We install one-way excluders over the remaining active openings after the rest of the house has been bat-proofed. The bats leave naturally but cannot return through the same openings.
Do ultrasonic devices get rid of bats?
No. Sonic and ultrasonic devices are scam devices and do not address the openings bats are using or remove their access to the structure.
Can bat problems be permanently fixed?
Yes, provided the complete exterior is properly inspected, secondary openings are sealed and the active entry points are handled with correctly installed one-way excluders.
Do you remove a single bat from a house?
No.
We specialize in complete structural bat control and bat-proofing rather than emergency removal of individual bats from living spaces.
Stop Bats from Getting Back Into Your House
If bats have appeared inside your Kitchener, Waterloo or Cambridge home, the problem is unlikely to be solved by closing one visible hole.
We identify the openings, bat-proof the exterior and humanely exclude the bats already inside.
Send us photographs of the house and tell us where bats have been seen. We can review the situation and discuss the likely scope of work before arranging service
Send Us House Photos For A Detailed Quote
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Fast, humane, guaranteed bat removal. Serving Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo and the surrounding area
