Exterminate Bat Pest Control

Bats & The Law In Ireland

bat pest Control

Exterminate Pest Controls Advice On Bats. Bats Are Common & They Can Enter Your Shed, Attic Or Parts Of Your Property.

Exterminate Pest Control receives lots of calls about bats in attics, sheds or around properties throughout the year. Our advice is always that it is not permissible by law to remove, disturb or eliminate bats from your property. All Irish bats are protected under national and EU legislation. Both the animals themselves and their roosts are protected and it is an offence to disturb or interfere with them without a licence.

Even if a builder or homeowner is conducting repairs to a roof or utilising the attic space, bats cannot be disturbed or harmed. It is also not permissible or possible to block their access points to your property. In fact, you must keep access for the bats if they are resident. Bats can come and go at different points of the year depending on the species and behaviour. However, they may return to regular roosts year after year.  

This does not mean, for example, that essential roof repairs cannot be carried out because bats are present in an attic. In general it would mean that roof repair works should be carried out outside the active season for bats while they are not present, and using materials that are suitable for use in a bat roost. Roost entrances/exits also need to be retained. It is important to discuss any plans for work on a bat roost prior to commencement with the statutory authority responsible for bat conservation. In the Republic this is the National Parks and Wildlife Service who can be contacted on 01 888 3200 or by visiting their website, while in Northern Ireland this is the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.

There are nine species of bats established in Ireland. Several of them, like the common and soprano pipistrelles, are widespread and common; others, like the lesser horseshoe bat, are relatively rare and restricted in distribution. 

Bats are protected by law in the Republic of Ireland under the Wildlife Act 1976 and subsequent amendments. In Northern Ireland, bats are protected under the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985. In both jurisdictions there is a similar level of protection; it is an offence to intentionally disturb, injure or kill a bat or disturb its resting place and any work on a roost must be carried out with the advice of the National Parks and Wildlife Service in the Republic who can be contacted on 01 888 3200, or the Northern Ireland Environment Agency in Northern Ireland.