If you have bats in your attic, you might notice them flying out of your attic at dusk. Observe from a distance! Watch where the bats are exiting from but avoid close contact. Bats are nocturnal, so you’ll typically see them leaving your home around dusk as they go out to forage for insects. Look for small openings around your roofline, eaves, vents, or chimney. Bats can squeeze through gaps as small as 3/8 of an inch.
Watch Bats Leaving Attics
Video from Houston and The Woodlands.
There are thirteen species of bats in Florida. The big brown bat and little brown bat are two of the most common bat species to roost in your attic.
Bats are found in nearly every geographic region in Florida. Favorite environments include tropical forests, woodlands, open fields, both suburban and urban communities, and even deserts. Roosting requirements usually depend on the species, but caves, trees, hollowed logs, rock crevices, and human dwellings serve as excellent habitats.
Should I Call an Exterminator for Bat Control?
You should call a wildlife control operator like the professionals at Critter Control. Exterminators are trained to handle pests using chemicals. At Critter Control, we have decades of experience and training to safely remove bats from your attic, repair the damage, and seal your house to prevent future infestations.
Florida Administrative Code rule 68A-4.001 on General Prohibitions and 68A-9.010 on Taking Nuisance Wildlife says it is illegal to kill any bat. In addition, you can’t take, transport, store, buy, sell, or possess a bat at any time. Bats have additional protections during the maternity season. They cannot be harassed or encouraged to leave their roost in any way. In Florida, bats cannot be taken as nuisance wildlife, even if they are causing a nuisance.
Some small bats can consume up to 1000 small insects in a single hour. A nursing female bat can consume more than 4000 insects a night. It is estimated bats save U.S. farmers roughly $23 billion each year by reducing crop damage and limiting the need for pesticides.
Bat Populations in Florida Threatened
Despite the benefits bats provide, the bat populations are threatened.
- White-nose syndrome is a fungal disease that spreads through bat colonies and has almost eliminated the Northern long-eared, little brown, and tri-colored bats.
- Bats do not reproduce as quickly as other wildlife. The females typically give birth to one or two pups a year. Slow reproduction puts the species at risk for population decline.
- Pesticides used by farmers reduce the number of bugs available for bats to eat.
- Wind turbines kill hundreds of thousands of migrating bats around the world.
Roosting Bat Concerns in Tallahassee
Bats provide tremendous value; however, you do not want bats roosting in your house. Bats pose very little direct danger to people, but they can spread diseases and damage your property.
Bats defecate where they roost. Bat droppings, or guano, can accumulate within walls and attics as well as on the ground and roof tiles. The nutrient-rich droppings cultivate the growth of histoplasmosis fungus, which causes severe respiratory problems in humans.
Bats are indeed capable of contracting and transmitting the rabies virus. Rabies is transmitted via scratch, bite, or when infected saliva comes into contact with human eyes, mouths, or open wounds. So if you find bats in your house, avoid contact!
Bats also harbor ticks and fleas. Those parasites can find new hosts like your family and pets.
Bat Removal in Tallahassee, Florida
To get rid of bats in Tallahassee, you need to use exclusion, not an exterminator.
Bat Exclusion Restrictions in Florida
Bat maternity colonies begin to form in early April. These roosts are frequently near areas prone to insect swarms such as fields, ponds, or neighborhoods. In the late spring or summer, homeowners who see bats leaving an attic or overhang at twilight may need to check for an infestation.
If you need bat removal between April 15 and August 15, you need a special permit to install bat exclusions.
Spring is ideal for bat removal as it coincides with their return from hibernation or migration but before maternity season starts. After maternity season, the bat colony disperses. Some bats return to the same roost year after year. If you want to prevent bats from entering your home, preventative exclusion is the best precaution you can take.
How to Get Rid of Bats
The most effective and humane way to remove bats is by utilizing a bat valve in conjunction with a full home exclusion. A bat valve allows for bats to exit your home but not re-enter. Since every bat removal service in Tallahassee is unique, our specialist will use or create a bat valve specifically for your home.
Once the bat valve is installed, all other entry points will be sealed, allowing for bats to exit only through the valve. The removal process typically takes 3-7 days. Our specialist will perform a final attic inspection before removing the valve. After removing the valve, the final entry point will be sealed, leaving your home bat-free.