Southwest Florida homeowners dealing with bats in an attic have a safe, legal opportunity for bat exclusions in fall, according to Florida wildlife officials.
An exclusion device allows bats to leave a structure on their own while preventing them from returning. Rhonda LaTour told WINK News that exclusions should remain in place for at least four nights, with forecast nighttime temperatures above 50 degrees.
Fall is outside the bat maternity season, which runs from mid-April through mid-August. Exclusions are illegal during that period. In Southwest Florida, temperatures typically do not regularly fall below the recommended threshold until winter.
Officials also encouraged homeowners to inspect a home’s exterior, particularly along the roofline, for openings. Bats can enter crevices about three-quarters of an inch or larger, LaTour said, so sealing cracks before they widen can help prevent bats from getting inside.
Once excluded from a home, bats may use natural roosting places such as palm fronds or a bat house. Keeping bats out of living spaces can coexist with protecting an animal that helps control mosquitoes; officials said most bats can eat up to half their body weight in mosquitoes each night.
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation is also scheduled to host a bat walk from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Bailey Homestead Preserve on Sanibel, where participants may have an opportunity to watch bats emerge from a roost around twilight.
