Hi and welcome, Rosieposie! my hubby suggested a high pitched sound. Maybe keep a whistle out there and use it, or get those pest control units that use sound to chase pests. We have a few bats around in the early evenings, but they've never been a problem. Good luck!

Where do you people live? Why don't I have any?
milos

Not into the "bat cave" look, huh? I'll admit, I'd think twice about soliciting at your house - better than a barking dog, any day. And you know bat guano - poop - is like a great fertilizer, right? Still not sold?

The only thing I can think of is to buy (or construct) a bat house, and then make it uncomfortable for them - like ddiver said, noise, plenty of traffic, light, maybe some incense or other smoke?, etc. - there's a bunch of info about them on the web. The only place I found a house here in town is at a bird feed store, next to Changing Hands in Tempe.

HTH, good luck! Hope they don't drive you.... well, nuts!

Pagancat has the right idea. I think that Petsmart has bat houses, otherwise contact Fish and Game, they have a department that can help you. If you get a bat house, hang it near where they currently roost, then move it away a little every other day or so, until it is in a place that you can tolerate their 'litter'. Start with it right where they roost now, so they will be forced to use it and once they get used to it and like it, they will follow it when you move it. Otherwise, paper streamers hung from the ceiling so that they are against the wall and then every inch or so out, forming multiple 'hanging walls' will hamper their radar as they attempt to land. This may also help to gently encourage them to use the new bat house. Let us know what happens, many of us, as you can tell, would enjoy hearing what happens!

Susie

bat problem = oxymoron
Geez!
Sorry, *low* tolerance for those who want to live in rural/desert/natural places but can't adapt to the package deal. The bats already have a place to roost, right? You near some rocks/mountains? Probably! I have bats @ 7th St. & Thunderbird. Wish there were more. Call Southwest Wildlife @ 480 471-9109 for bat info --not a pest control company. They are not pests!

I attached a thread from the SCM forum about a similar situation. You may want to read it.

I concur with winter_plumage. They are not pests and bat guano is one of the greatest fertilizers you can ever get. You just need to discourage them from your patio.

HTH

Here is a link that might be useful: Bat Thread

From your post I gather they are eating there. If this is the case either turn off your patio light for a few nights, or get one of those yellow lights that attract less bugs. No bugs no bats.
If the problem is that they are roosting there, then I would go with the bat house idea.
Scoop up the poo. pound for pound, one of the best fertilizer out there.

Thanks for all the ideas. I'm actually on the far eastside of Tucson and respectfully enjoy all the wildlife that comes down from the mountains. I wholeheartedly agree!-the bats are not pests! That is why I've put up with their mess (which is more than just guano) for three years now. I like the idea of "gently encouraging" them to munch/rest/hang-out elsewhere so I'll be checking with Petsmart in the morning for a bat house. That seems like the most advantageous solution for all of us. The paper streamers might work also.... Thanks AzDesertRat for the link, that was an interesting thread. I'll let you all know. Thanks so much for sharing your ideas!

We used to have bats here in central Phx, but they left. Don't know why, but I sure miss them. It was so much fun to stand outside at dusk and watch them swoop through the air catching insects. I'd like to know how to get the bats back. Any thoughts there?

That is a great thread, ADR! I wonder if I build a bat house if bats would come to live there. There must be some around here somewhere.

Excerpt from AZ G&F Dept's ArizonaÂs Nongame News October 2003:

Bats Galore!
The next time youÂre in Phoenix take a walk on the wild side to see one of ArizonaÂs 28 native bat species! ItÂs estimated that more than 5,000 Mexican free-tailed bats live in the Arizona Canal Diversion Channel at 40th Street, just north of Camelback Road. Bats occupy this "tunnel" during their maternity season, from spring through late summer. These bats sleep during the day, and become active at dusk, exiting several minutes before sunset to forage for insects. If you observe from the footpath by the canal, you will be able to watch them exit and fly off to the east.
The Flood Control District of Maricopa County is happy to host this colony of bats, and is committed to being a steward of their environment in cooperation with the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Exit counts conducted in September found over 5,000 bats at this tunnel. You may be able to hear them inside the tunnel  and you may even be able to smell them! Mexican free-tailed bats have a distinctive odor that comes from the same compound that gives beer and taco shells their smell.
If you would like more information on ArizonaÂs bats, ways to safely welcome or exclude bats from your home, or how to help bats in your area, please contact the DepartmentÂs Bat Project at bats@gf.state.az.us or 602-789-3529.

Here is a link that might be useful: Arizona/Phoenix bat info