FLORIDA — Monday, April 15, is the last day people can legally exclude bats from buildings without a permit before their maternity season begins, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
What You Need To Know
- April 15 is the last day people can legally exclude bats from buildings without a permit
- Bat maternity season begins April 16
- It is illegal in Florida to kill or harm bats, and the only legal method to remove roosting bats from structures is the use of exclusion devices
- FWC offers tips on how to help with bat conservation (below)
Bat maternity season begins April 16, and according to wildlife officials, Florida’s 13 bat species may be drawn to human-made structures, including buildings under construction. However, bats typically roost in trees, caves or other natural spaces.
During bat maternity season, FWC said it is illegal to block bats from their roosts, which helps keep flightless young from being trapped inside structures.
It is illegal in Florida to kill or harm bats, and the only legal method to remove roosting bats from structures is the use of exclusion devices, which allow bats to exit a structure safely but block them from returning to their roosts.
Bat exclusion is a multistep process that begins by identifying all potential bat entry and exit points in a building. FWC say to legally exclude bats, exclusion devices must be installed on key exit points, left up for a minimum of four nights and the exclusion must be conducted when the overnight temperature is forecast to be 50ºF or above.
Worldwide, bats serve critical functions because of their roles in insect pest control, and as pollinators and seed dispersers, and their guano can be a valuable fertilizer, according to FWC.
Bats can eat hundreds of insects a night, including mosquitoes and other pests, wildlife officials say, which makes them beneficial ecologically and economically.
Florida’s native bat populations include endangered species, including the Florida bonneted bat.
FWC offers tips on how to help with bat conservation:
- Preserve natural roost sites, including trees with cavities or peeling bark
- Leave dead fronds on palm trees to provide roosting spots for bats
- Install a bat house on your property
- Report unusual bat behavior, as well as sick or dead bats: MyFWC.com/BatMortality
For more information about how to properly exclude bats, as well as other tips to bat-proof your home, visit MyFWC.com/Bats and click “Bats in Buildings.”
