Florida’s native bat population is about to enter its most sensitive time of year, and state officials are reminding residents that the clock is ticking for anyone sharing their home with these winged guests.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the official start of the maternity season is April 16, a hard legal deadline for property owners.
While bats typically prefer the quiet of caves or hollowed-out trees, they are frequently drawn to human-made structures, including homes and buildings under construction. However, once maternity season begins, it becomes illegal to use exclusion devices to block bats from their roosts.
This restriction remains in place through August 14 to ensure that flightless “pups” aren’t trapped inside buildings without their mothers, a situation that the FWC warns is “detrimental to both humans and bats.”
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For those currently dealing with a colony, the only legal way to remove them is through the use of exclusion devices. These one-way doors allow bats to leave at night to hunt but prevent them from re-entering.
Under state law, these devices must be installed for at least four consecutive nights, and only when overnight temperatures are forecasted to stay above 50°F. If the April 15 deadline passes, residents must obtain a special permit to perform an exclusion.
The strict regulations are designed to protect Florida’s 13 native bat species, which include the endangered Florida bonneted bat.
These animals provide massive economic and ecological benefits to the state by acting as natural pest control. A single insectivorous bat can eat hundreds of bugs in one night, including mosquitoes and agricultural pests.
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Beyond following exclusion rules, the FWC suggests several ways the public can support bat conservation. Maintaining natural roosts by leaving dead fronds on palm trees or keeping hollow trees standing can give bats a place to go that isn’t an attic.
Property owners can also install bat houses or plant native vegetation to attract the insects that bats feed on. Officials also urge people to report any unusual behavior or sightings of sick or dead bats through the FWC’s mortality website.
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