Family in eastern France struggles with hundreds of bats living in their home

A family living in Meyzieu, near Lyon, says their home has also become impossible to live in after more than 400 bats settled inside their roof. 

The issue reportedly started a few years ago when bats first appeared in the house. The family contacted a specialist organisation to report the problem but were told the colony was small and unlikely to grow significantly, according to France 3.

There are around 36 species of bats in France and they are all protected, meaning they cannot be killed, removed or have their nests destroyed. One of the reasons they are protected is their slow reproduction, and perhaps the reason specialists did not expect their numbers to grow, as each female gives birth to only one young per year. 

However, by summer 2025, the family estimated that more than 400 bats were living in the roof and walls.

As a result, the noise became a daily struggle for the family, prompting them to spend around €20,000 on building works trying to resolve the issue but to no avail. 

"It was noisy seven days a week, 24 hours a day. We had the impression that it was scratching, that it was banging like someone knocking on the door, and I'm not talking about the smell, which escaped from the electrical sockets," homeowner Benjamin told France 3. 

Why bats are protected 

Bats are not only protected for their slow reproduction but they are also the only mammals capable of flight and play an important role in ecosystems. 

They provide important ecological benefits as their colonies can control insect populations including mosquitoes, and their droppings can be used as a natural fertiliser. 

Unlike rodents, bats do not gnaw on electrical cables or insulation and do not cause structural damage to buildings. However, large colonies can create challenges through noise, smell and the accumulation of droppings. 

Alexia Etlin, conservation manager at the Groupe Chiroptères de Provence, explained that some species are naturally adapted to living close to humans.

“Some species are called anthropophilic, meaning they live near humans, and that is completely normal,” she told The Connexion. “It has happened because we are facing a reduction in the natural spaces available to them.”

Some bats normally live in caves, trees or rock crevices, but when those habitats disappear, buildings can become suitable alternatives.

“Bats have a serious housing crisis,” she said. “Because they no longer have many places to roost, they have become used to living alongside humans, but as they are very discreet animals often people do not realise they are there.”

She said that having bats nearby can actually be a positive sign.

“It can be a benefit to have bats close to your home because they contribute to regulating insects,” Ms Etlin explained. “A single small bat weighing six grams can eat between 2,000 and 3,000 mosquitoes per night.”

"They are allies of agriculture," she said. "If bats can no longer regulate insect populations, the impacts on farming are significant." 

She added that bats are peaceful animals and do not pose the danger often associated with them.

“There are far more benefits than disadvantages to living alongside them,” she said. “When a bat is frightened, it freezes. It does not become aggressive.”

What does the law say 

Their protection comes from French environmental law which prohibits the intentional destruction, capture, removal, or disturbance of protected mammals. It also protects the places they use for breeding and resting, meaning that destroying or blocking access can be illegal. 

The rules also prohibit possessing, transporting or selling protected animals and breaking them could result in criminal penalties, including imprisonment and heavy fines.

This means that homeowners cannot simply trap bats, seal them inside a roof space or remove a colony without approval. 

What to do if bats move into your home 

If you find bats in your home, specialists advise not to try to remove them yourself. The first step is to avoid blocking access points.

Closing holes or sealing gaps while bats are still inside can trap the animals and may also destroy a protected resting or breeding site.

Instead, homeowners should contact a specialist organisation or their local SOS Chauves-souris network.

Specialists can visit the property, identify the species present and assess how the building is being used by the bats.

“They will carry out a diagnosis of the building and the way it is used by bats,” Ms Etlin said. “They can then propose measures for cohabitation, which generally work.”

Possible solutions can include creating alternative shelters, installing suitable bat boxes or adapting parts of a building so bats have a dedicated space without disturbing residents.

However, these measures must be carefully planned.

“Bat boxes cannot just be installed anywhere,” Etlin warned. “They need to be placed correctly so they are effective and do not become traps for bats, for example because of predators such as cats or because they are exposed to too much sunlight.”

She also stressed that people should never handle bats directly.

“In all cases, we do not touch them,” she said. “Like all wild animals, they should not be handled because we can hurt them.”

The timing of any work is also important. Summer, when females raise their young, and winter, when many bats hibernate, are particularly sensitive periods.

When bats are absent, adaptations can be made to prepare suitable spaces for the following year.

Which animals can you remove from your home and which are protected?

The same protections and rules apply to a wide range of native mammals that people may encounter in their home or their garden. 

Protected species include the European hedgehog, red squirrel, European beaver, hazel dormouse, European water vole, otter, European mink, wildcat, common hamster, Eurasian lynx and brown bear, among others. A full list can be found here.

These animals cannot be killed, captured or disturbed without authorisation. 

On the other hand, common household pests such as rats, mice, cockroaches, bed bugs, ants, fleas, and silverfish are not protected in the same way and can generally be controlled through pest-management methods. 

Some birds that nest around homes, including swallows, swifts and house martins, are also protected, and their active nests cannot be destroyed. 

How bats are viewed 

Ms Etlin says many fears surrounding bats come from myths rather than reality.

One common belief is that they become trapped in people’s hair, but she says this is impossible.

“The idea that bats get stuck in people’s hair is a myth,” she said. “A bat can detect a thread as thin as a hair from hundreds of metres away.” 

“They are mammals,” she concluded. “They are raised by their mothers, they have complex behaviours and they are much closer to us than people imagine.”