Many people enjoy the haunting strains of the bagpipes, but the music has been used to chase away thousands of bats in south-east Queensland.

North Burnett deputy mayor Faye Whelan resorted to blaring bagpipes to move on thousands of bats in Mundubbera.

She says the community had been using smoke and lights to deter the animals, but she discovered the new tactic last week.

"The only noise I had available to me was my CD with bagpipes, so I put the volume up as high as I can with the bagpipes and beeped the horn and they certainly didn't like that; they moved further up," she said.

"It was on daybreak and I'm sure the rest of Mundubbera appreciated it. I'm sure they did - some of them did anyway, probably not all of them."