The Official Bat Mating Season

Now is the time to get rid of bats that may have a home inside your attic spaces, eaves, or chimney. From April 15th to August 15th is the official bats mating season. Before this time frame starts, you need to complete all bat colony exclusions.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reports that bats normally get together to procreate and then raise their young during bat mating season. Once newborn bats begin to fly and feed, the season ends independently. The experts continue to state that for most bat species, this season starts in the middle of April and through the middle of August.

It Is Illegal To Remove And Exclude Bats During Bat Mating Season

Bat exclusions are not allowed throughout the mating time frame to prevent young bats from becoming trapped inside structures, where most likely they will die.

Including the endangered species called the Florida bonneted bat, there are about 13 different species of bats that live in Florida. Manmade structures, like houses and other types of buildings, are a favorite roosting spot for bats. Outside of the mating season, it is permitted to exclude bats under Florida law. However, it is illegal to harm or kill these animals in the state.

Bats are an important part of the environment and benefit humans. Since eat bat eats hundreds of insects every night, the local bat population in Florida helps manage the number of insects. Bats benefit agriculture in the United States by billions of dollars by helping to keep the insect populations to manageable levels. They also keep mosquitoes under control so that residents can enjoy being outside.

There are several different ways that Florida residents can help bats, as described below:

• Protect trees that have peeling cavities and barks, along with other bat roosting areas 
• Leave dead fronds on palm trees to provide alternative roosting spots
• Build a bat house
• You should immediately report any bat behavior that is out of the ordinary.

How Did Coronavirus Begin?

The Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 came from bats like several other zoonotic diseases such as rabies that are common among bats. Anyone can be bitten by infected bats who try to handle them. However, they usually do not become as aggressive when infected as other animals do. If you see any wild animals, avoid them, whether or not it is acting unusually. For more information from Florida’s state health department, go to FloridaHealth.gov.

The best method for bat invasions is prevention. This goal can be achieved by using bat exclusion methods. A great example of this is to install caps to prevent bats from being able to access buildings. These caps can be used to cover external entry points like chimneys. While it is not possible to use caps with vents, you can use a mesh material to cover them without restricted operation.

Whenever bats are inside a building structure, exclusions are not allowed. First of all, all bats need to be humanely removed. Because bats normally get inside buildings during the winter season, the best thing to do is install the necessary barriers before this season starts. When dealing with bats humanely and safely, especially during the fall season when the mating season is in full swing, your best option is to get help from professional bat control specialists.