Bats in Florida Need YOUR Help!
Bats in Florida are in decline for a variety of reasons including habitat loss, disease, and human disturbance, explore below to learn more about why they need our help and what you can do.
Little Brown Bat with White Nose Syndrome.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Florida’s bats are facing many challenges. A few of these include:
- Loss of natural roosting sites
Bats rely on roosting sites to sleep in during the day. There are many kinds of roosting sites. Commonly, these include live and dead trees, dead palm fronds, Spanish moss, old structures, and caves. When these sites are destroyed, bats must find new places to live and may have to travel far to do so. - Death due to disease
Outside of Florida, a disease called white-nose syndrome (WNS) has killed millions of cave-roosting bats and is spreading rapidly. WNS has not reached Florida, but the reduction of populations of some bats outside of Florida are negatively impacting populations within Florida. Learn more about WNS. - Disturbance in hibernation caves
Entering caves while bats are hibernating causes stress to bats. This increases the need to spend more energy finding food resources during the winter. This stress can cause death if compounded with WNS. Traveling between caves from out of state can also spread the fungus that causes WNS to Florida.
- Join the Florida Bat Force!
- Spread the word that bats help people by eating large amounts of mosquitoes and agricultural pests in Florida.
- Leave snags, Spanish moss and dead fronds in your yard and neighborhood if they don't create safety hazards. These natural materials make great homes for bats.
- Construct a bat house and garden for bats in your yard or neighborhood.
- Follow proper bat exclusion techniques if you have bats in your home or other structures.
- Do not enter Florida caves with shoes, clothing or equipment that has been used in caves outside of Florida.
- Report unusual bat behavior (a bat grounded or being aggressive) to the FWC.
What is the Florida Bat Force?
The Florida Bat Force is a state-wide program promoting bat education, conservation, and stewardship.
Who can be in the Florida Bat Force?
Anyone interested in bats in Florida that are willing to actively take steps towards bat conservation can join.
How Do I Join the Florida Bat Force?
- Be a Bat Supporter and let your friends, family, and neighbors know why bats are important.
- Be a part of participatory science by counting bats emerging from bat houses and reporting those numbers to the Florida Bat Working Group.
- You can be a Bat Host by building and installing a bat house or by preserving natural roost sites such as trees with cavities and/or peeling bark, or dead fronds on palms.
- You can be a Bat Champion by volunteering with FWC! To learn more about how you can volunteer for the Bat Force or other FWC statewide opportunities, fill out this contact form. For bat specific inquiries include, "Bat Force" in your message.
More opportunities will be posted here as they come available so be sure to check back!