It is estimated that a single bat may consume 1000 mosquito-sized insects per night!

More information about Bats in the Cayman Islands can be found here:

Winter is here and it is now the ideal time to get those bats out of your roof. By late November baby bats are able to fly out every night with their parents to eat mosquitoes, beetles, moths and crop pests. They are also able to follow their parents to a new home - preferably one of the bat houses the Bat Conservation Programme is erecting with the generous assistance of CUC.

While bats will not chew wood or wiring, and do not pose a threat to humans, the droppings of a large colony roosting in a roof space may eventually cause an odour problem and can stain the ceilings of the rooms inside. For these reasons, the National Trust Bat Conservation Programme will assist the public by undertaking proper, humane bat exclusions during the months of December through May. We are happy to provide free home visits and detailed instructions for removing bats safely and permanently.

It is important to understand that Cayman’s nine bat species are as different from each other as different types of birds are. Each species has completely different dietary and habitat needs. The bats that damage fruit like neeseberries do not live in roof spaces or bat houses. Bats that live in roofs and bat houses are insect-eaters, but they are often mistakenly blamed for fruit damage, and tend to be very unpopular as a result. Killing insect-eating bats actually promotes greater fruit losses, because pest numbers increase in the absence of these hungry predators (it is estimated that a single bat may consume 1000 mosquito-sized insects per night!)

A new method of removing Velvety Free-tailed bats from roof spaces, that has been working very well, incorporates the use of a one-foot length of 1” diameter PVC pipe as a one-way tunnel. The pipe is secured over the main exit hole and all the edges are sealed. Make sure to also seal any other holes in the roof that bats could use to re-enter the building! The bats will slide out the pipe, but can’t land on the end of it or climb back in. The PVC pipe can also be set into a small square of plywood and fastened over the opening where a vent has fallen from a soffit for an easy, fast and permanent bat exclusion device. It should be flush with the wood on the inside, so the bats can exit through it easily.

Homeowners who are not “do-it-yourselfers” may call Truly Nolan, Bug Busters, Bug Masters or Myries Pest Control Services for reliable, environmentally sound bat removal.
Bat removal is only permanent if all holes are sealed after the bats are removed and the roof is properly maintained. Ultra-sonic devices, mothballs, burning sulfur, sprays, loud radios and other methods of driving bats away do not provide long-term solutions to the problem. All openings in, on and around the roof must be repaired. Any opening not sealed will allow bats to re-enter the building. Be very sure that all bats are gone before sealing the holes. While bats will not chew their way in to a building, they will attempt to chew their way out if they are trapped, sometimes ending up inside the house. This is generally considered undesirable from both a human’s and a bat’s point of view. If bats do enter the living space of a home, simply open a door or a window and shoo them out.

The long-term answer to the problem of bats in the roofs of Cayman Islands’ homes is to build and erect enough bat houses. Besides providing valuable alternative habitat, and helping to keep bats out of roof spaces, bat houses are interesting, educational, provide a source of excellent fertilizer and help keep mosquitoes away.

Anyone interested in finding out if a property is suitable for a bat house, or in need of more information about safe and humane bat exclusions, should contact the Lois Blumenthal, Bat Conservation Coordinator, Tel: 947-2248 / e-mail bats@candw.ky or The National Trust office, Tel: 949-0121.

There's a Bat in My Roof! - What Am I Going To Do?

What is a Bat House - and Why You Should Have One

How and Where to mount a Bat House Links to Bat Sites

Bat Species of Cayman

Fruit Bats - The Real Story

Bat Glossary

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