MIAMI – Killing or harming bats is illegal in Florida, so using devices to prevent the flying nocturnal animal from entering a building will temporarily become illegal in a week -- when the mammal’s maternity season begins.
A bat infestation comes with a pungent odor and can be a health hazard. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease, Control, and Prevention, most fatal rabies cases in the U.S. involved a bat.
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The last day to legally bat-proof a Florida home is April 15, and experts recommend identifying and sealing holes as small as a human thumb, which bats can use to squeeze through.
Florida requires a permit for exclusion devices from April 16 to Aug. 14 when the maternity season ends. Blocking bats from their roosts is prohibited since pups that have yet to learn how to fly can get trapped inside and starve to death.
There are more than 1,400 known species of bats worldwide, including 13 that are native to Florida. While most give birth to a single pup, Florida’s eastern red bat can have four pups in late May or early June.
Bats play a vital role in controlling mosquitoes, which can transmit diseases such as malaria and dengue. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, bats mostly eat insects, and just one Florida bonneted bat is capable of eating hundreds in one night.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s list of the country’s endangered species includes the bonneted bat and lists construction development and agriculture as its biggest threats.
Here is how the FWC wants people to help bats:
- Preserve natural roost sites, including trees with cavities or peeling bark.
- Leave dead fronds on palm trees to provide roosting spots for bats.
- Install a bat house on your property.
- Add native plants when landscaping your property to attract native pollinators and benefit bats.
- Report unusual bat behavior and sick or dead bats to MyFWC.com/BatMortality.
- Volunteer with the Florida Bat Force