Hundreds of access points? Wow. Show us a pic.

It would be a LOT of pics. The eaves and soffits are rotted and need complete replacement

Where do you live?
And is it a migrating species or one that will want to hibernate in your house?

Netting that you can attach from the eaves and chimneys to block entrances would work until you can get to them. You go up in the daytime and attach it, leaving it rolled up on the roof, then wait until they have left the roost and unroll it and anchor it.

Talk to your local bat preservation society about getting some 'bat houses" installed, and then do the netting thing. The bats will give up and move to the houses to roost.

Try a couple of bat houses.

I agree bat houses might help, but they may already be used to getting in the house, so screening or plugging the access points is still essential.

Lights,lots of lights including multi colored and a couple strobes. Bat houses can usually be had for the asking and would give them a place to move into.

Exclusion is the answer. I would call my extension county agent and ask for advice.

screen is cheap...buy a roll and start stapling

other than that...as long as you have holes, you'll have bats

After trying everything advised, we finally got rid of the raccoons living in our fireplace by playing heavy medal music on a boom box.

I think bats dislike classical music ;-)

I am betting country music would dissuade them, I know it does me.

State law protects bats and their habitats in several states, including West Virginia ! Oklahoma and Maryland. Others , like Connenticut and Florida, include regulations that are limited to federally listed species.

California and Colorado , for example , have laws regarding bats and public health. Whilethe risk of rabies is low, states such as Illionois report bats as the no. One carrier. Guano , or bat waste, also carries a significant health risk.

Some states , like Nevada and Rhode Island,don't have laws in place regarding bat removal. But federal law still prevails.

There are 6protected species, including the Indiana and the grey bat.

Luckily, the mating season is in the spring, when temps are warmer. Protected bats cannot be disturbed during mating season.

You will need professional help to clean the attic spaces and other roosting areas.

" California and Colorado , for example , have laws regarding bats and public health. "

California and Colorado also have laws regarding left hand cigarettes and public health. (:

You need to get rid of the bats and their access areas. Bats can carry rabies and their bite is no greater than that of a mosquito. One may not even know one has been bitten. Once rabies symptoms start, it is almost always fatal and a horrible death as well. If one is bitten and knows it or suspects they might have been, the person immediately need to contact a doctor who can give them the recommended series of anti-rabies shots. These take about 21 days from start to finish. Insurance will cover the shots most of the time. If not, be prepared for an ENORMOUS expense - it was over $4500 15 years ago.

I know this as we lived in a dorm in Maine. There was storage for us and for the boys in the attic. We were going to drive down to NY to my husband's parents home and would be bringing back some breakables. So my husband went up to the attic and brought down a box filled with styrofoam pellets etc.

The next morning, when I woke up, I saw what looked like leave on the floor next to my bed. Since it was March and there was still 3 ft of snow on the ground, a leaf seemed unlikely. I went and got a sheet of computer printer paper, scooped under the thing (it was not moving), and took it to the bathroom where there was better light. To my horror, it was a small, dead bat! It was hibernating in the packing materials in the cold attic and work up in the warm apartment. Since this was a dorm apt, the toilet was like those in public restrooms - they'll flush anything. Stupidly, I flushed the critter down the toilet. I should have kept it to be checked for rabies. Since it was found in a room where we slept, and since it was most likely killed by one of our cats, we ALL - all dogs, all cats (who were already fully vaccinated, but this is what the State Epidemiologist and the vet recommended), had to be vaccinated. The animals just got boosters of their rabies shots; we got the 21 day regime.

One must always assume that a bat is rabid. The state may help you figure out how to get rid of them - they would have done so in Maine but the school wasn't interested (can anyone say "lawsuit"?).

You simply must take this very seriously.

Bat lover here. Excluding them from your living areas is a good thing to do anytime -- I hope you were successful doing so. If you are super-worried you can get mosquito netting for over any beds. That accomplished, excluding them from your attic can safely be put off until cold weather arrives and any remaining bats have departed. (Check with a local expert -- do any bats in your area hibernate in attics?)

How much guano do you have in your attic? I only had a few bats and was able to clean it up myself. Large piles could require hazmat procedures.

Bats are such an important part of our ecosystem, and with white-nose syndrome and general habitat degradation, they need all the help they can get.

I'm no lover of any animal that has a strong chance of carrying and transmitting rabies. I would be VERY leary of removing their droppings. Do consult the CDC for advice how to safely do this.

This IS your number one priority.

Call an exterminator.

Install floodlights everywhere there is a hole. Leave them on 24-7 till the exterminator is finished.