Now is the time to plan for bat maternity season
While Florida’s 13 native bat species are beneficial and typically roost in trees, caves or other natural spaces, they are sometimes attracted to human-made structures. Florida’s bat maternity season, when most of our state’s native bats give birth and raise their young, starts on April 16 and lasts until Aug. 14 each year. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reminds people to check homes and other buildings for roosting bats before maternity season starts.
It is illegal in Florida to kill or harm bats, so exclusion guidelines were developed to ensure bats are excluded safely and effectively from buildings outside of maternity season. During bat maternity season, preventing bats from returning to their roosts is illegal in order to prevent flightless young from being trapped inside structures — a bad situation for bats and people alike.
To legally remove bats outside of maternity season, exclusion devices — tools that allow bats to leave without allowing them to return — must be installed on key exit points, left up for a minimum of four nights, and exclusions must be conducted when the overnight temperatures are forecast to be 50ºF or above.
Bats are ecologically and economically beneficial, saving farmers billions in pest control. They serve critical functions worldwide due to their roles in insect pest control and as pollinators and seed dispersers. Their guano can also be a valuable fertilizer. Florida’s bats are all insectivores and a single bat can eat hundreds of insects, including mosquitoes and other garden and agricultural pests, each night.
Florida’s native bat populations include endangered species such as the Florida bonneted bat. There are several ways that Florida residents and visitors can help our bats:
- Preserve natural roost sites, including trees with cavities or peeling bark.
- Leave dead fronds on palm trees to provide roosting spots for bats.
- Add native plants when landscaping your property to attract native pollinators and benefit bats.
- Install a bat house on your property.
- Report unusual bat behavior and sick or dead bats to MyFWC.com/BatMortality.
- Volunteer with the Florida Bat Force!
For more information about how to properly exclude bats and other tips to bat-proof your home, visit MyFWC.com/Bats. If you have questions or need more assistance, contact your closest FWC Regional Office to speak with a wildlife assistance biologist.