Bundle of Bats: Maternity season for Florida’s nocturnal mammal

Love or hate them, Florida’s bat population is set to grow as the approaching maternity season nears.

From April 16 to Aug. 14, bats give birth to and raise their offspring, typically in trees, caves or other natural spaces.

Records have shown that bats are attracted to human-made structures, often settling inside buildings undergoing construction.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, blocking bats from their roosts during mating season is illegal.

Doing so will prevent the flightless young from being trapped inside structures.

If a bat is discovered in a house or building, the FWC advises using exclusion devices. These devices allow bats to safely exit a structure but block them from returning to their roosts.

The caveat with this method is that exclusion devices are permitted outside of the maternity season, from Aug.15 until April 15.

If you encounter a roosting mammal within a building and want to remove it safely, click here.

Nearly 13 species of the winged nocturnal mamals can be spotted throughout Florida, eight of which call the southwest region home.

According to the Florida Bat Conservatory, the following species can be found in the Southwest Florida area:

• Brazilian free-tailed
• Eastern pipistrelle
• Big brown
• Seminole
• Evening bat
• Southeastern myotis
• Eastern red
• Northern yellow

According to the conservatory, seven of the 13 recorded species are called “accidental species,” meaning that while records have been found in Florida, they are not typically native to the area.

Contrary to popular belief, bats are relatively harmless to people, and very few are affected by the rabies virus.

The FWC records roughly only one among every few hundred bats across all of the bat populations in Florida being diagnosed with the virus.

The flying mammals are insectivores, meaning that the species consumes insects, including beetles, mosquitoes, moths and other agriculture and garden pests as part of their diet.

Nearly 100 insects are consumed nightly per bat, according to the FWC.

Under Florida Administrative Code rule 68A-4.001, harming or killing bats is illegal, as the species is partially vulnerable to harm while roosting in buildings.

Want to help the conservation of the species? The FWC suggests several methods to help out our winged friends:

• Preserve natural roost sites, including trees with cavities or peeling bark.
• Leave dead fronds on palm trees to provide roosting spots.
• Report unusual behavior and sick or dead animals here