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In Florida, there are 13 native bat species, and 7 “accidental” species that only have a few records of occurrence in the northern or southern extremes of the state (Marks and Marks 2006). Bats are ecologically and economically beneficial. They serve critical roles worldwide as insect pest controllers, pollinators, seed-dispersers and fertilizers.

Florida’s bats are insectivorous, meaning they eat insects, including beetles, mosquitoes, moths and other agriculture and garden pests. A single bat can eat hundreds of insects in a night!

Florida’s bats are facing many challenges, including loss of natural roosting sites in trees and caves. Outside of Florida, a disease called white-nose syndrome (WNS) has also killed millions of cave-roosting bats and is spreading rapidly. As of early 2018, WNS has not reached Florida, but it remains a serious threat.

Although bats are facing these challenges, there are things people can do to help.

• Spread the word that bats help people by eating large amounts of mosquitoes and agricultural pests.
• Preserve natural roost sites such as trees with cavities and peeling bark, and dead fronds on palms.
• Put up a bat house.
• Report unusual bat behavior.
• Do not enter Florida caves with shoes, clothing or equipment that has been used in caves outside of Florida.

Bats are beneficial mammals that are of little threat to people. Rabies, a virus usually transmitted from a bite, affects a very small portion of bats — perhaps only one among every few hundred bats across all of the bat populations in Florida. However, people should not handle bats, whether they are sick, injured or dead. For more information about bats and disease, including what to do if a person makes contact with a bat, contact your county health department, the Florida Department of Health, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

It is illegal to kill bats in Florida in accordance with Florida Administrative Code rule 68A-4.001 General Prohibitions. Since bats are particularly vulnerable to disturbance and harm when they are roosting in buildings and other man-made structures, protections for bats in structures are also included in rule 68A-9.010 Taking Nuisance Wildlife. This rule does not allow the use of pesticides or poisons for the purpose of harming, killing, or deterring bats. This nuisance wildlife rule also states the minimum requirements that need to be followed if someone is going to remove bats from buildings and other structures. If you think you have a bat or bat colony roosting in your home or other structure, 

While Florida’s 13 native bat species typically roost in trees, caves or other natural spaces, they may also be attracted to man-made structures. Fall is the best time to exclude bats from your home or other structures because maternity season, which occurs from April 15 to August 15, has ended. During maternity season, it is illegal to install exclusion devices, which allow bats to exit, but block them from returning to their roosts. During the Fall, no young are present, making it the ideal time to evict any bats that may be occupying a structure on your property and to bat-proof your home.

In order to legally exclude bats, any exclusion device must be left up for a minimum of four nights and must be conducted when the overnight temperature is forecast to be at least 50ºF.

Information and photos are provided by: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.  

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