August 15th BEGINS BAT Exclusions (One month from today)

Bats are a protected species in Florida and can occasionally roost in your multi-family buildings. Read this article to learn about the differences of bats in Florida. Also, learn why August 15th is when WellTech can begin exclusion services at your property.

There are over 1,400 known bat species, but only three of them are vampire bats. The differences between vampire bats and most other bats are quite significant, mainly due to their specialized diets and the adaptations that come with them:

1. Diet:

• Vampire Bats: Exclusively feed on blood (sanguivorous). The common vampire bat primarily targets mammals (like livestock and occasionally humans), while others feed on birds. They don’t “suck” blood but rather make a small incision with specialized teeth and then lap up the flowing blood.
• Regular Bats: The vast majority of bats are insectivores, meaning they eat insects. Other common diets include fruit (frugivores), nectar and pollen (nectarivores/pollinivores), and some larger species are carnivorous, preying on small vertebrates like frogs, lizards, or even other small mammals.

2. Teeth:

• Vampire Bats: Have razor-sharp upper incisor teeth specialized for making precise cuts in skin, and their back teeth are much smaller than in other bats. Their incisors lack enamel, which helps keep them permanently sharp.
• Regular Bats: Have teeth adapted to their specific diets, such as sharp, pointed teeth for crushing insect exoskeletons, or flatter, blunt teeth for mashing fruit.

3. Locomotion (Movement on land):

• Vampire Bats: Are highly agile on the ground. They can walk, run, and even jump using their strong hind limbs and specially adapted long thumbs on their wings. This allows them to approach sleeping prey without disturbing them and to take off from the ground even after a heavy meal.
• Regular Bats: Most bats are not adept at terrestrial movement. They typically roost by hanging upside down and launch into flight by dropping from their perch.

4. Sensory Adaptations:

• Vampire Bats: Possess specialized heat-sensing “pit organs” on their noses that allow them to detect areas of their prey where blood flows close to the skin. They also have an inferior colliculus (part of the brain that processes sound) highly adapted to detecting the breathing sounds of sleeping animals.
• Regular Bats: Many insectivorous bats heavily rely on echolocation (emitting high-frequency sounds and interpreting the echoes) to navigate and locate prey in the dark. While vampire bats also use echolocation, their specialized heat-sensing and sound detection for prey are unique.

5. Saliva:

• Vampire Bats: Their saliva contains powerful anticoagulants (like “Draculin”) that prevent the blood from clotting, allowing it to flow freely while they feed.
• Regular Bats: Do not have these anticoagulants in their saliva.

6. Size and Appearance:

• Vampire Bats: Are relatively small, with a body length of about 2-3.5 inches and a wingspan of 7-16 inches. They often have a short, conical muzzle and lack a prominent nose leaf, instead having naked pads with U-shaped grooves at the tip.
• Regular Bats: Exhibit a wide range of sizes, from the tiny bumblebee bat (weighing less than a penny) to large flying foxes with wingspans of up to 6 feet. Their facial features, ear shapes, and nose structures vary greatly depending on the species and their specialized needs (e.g., large ears for echolocation, prominent nose leaves for directing echolocation calls).

Most Common Bats in Florida

The most commonly encountered bat species in Florida, especially in urban areas and residential buildings, include:

• Brazilian Free-tailed Bat (Tadarida brasiliensis): This is by far the most abundant bat in Florida’s urban areas and is often found in large colonies in man-made structures like buildings and under bridges.
• Southeastern Bat (Myotis austroriparius): Also found in structures, though they often prefer caves for maternity colonies.
• Evening Bat (Nycticeius humeralis): Commonly found in hollow trees and behind loose bark, but also frequently roosts in buildings and attics.
• Seminole Bat (Lasiurus seminolus): Similar in appearance to the Eastern Red Bat, they are often found in trees with Spanish moss but can also be found in buildings.
• Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis): Solitary bats that typically roost in trees, but can occasionally be found in buildings.
• Northern Yellow Bat (Lasiurus intermedius): Another solitary bat that prefers roosting in dead palm fronds but may also be found in structures.
• Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus): A larger colonial bat that frequently roosts in attics, barns, and other buildings.

When Can a Pest Control Company Begin Bat Exclusions in Buildings?

Florida has strict regulations regarding bat exclusions to protect bat populations, especially during their maternity season.

The legal window for bat exclusion in Florida is from August 15th to April 15th.

It is illegal to exclude bats during bat maternity season, which runs from April 16th to August 14th.

Here’s why and what it means for pest control companies:

• Maternity Season (April 16th – August 14th): During this period, female bats give birth and raise their young (pups). Bat pups are flightless for several weeks. If exclusion devices are installed during this time, the flightless pups can be trapped inside the building and die, which is illegal and inhumane.
• Exclusion Process: Bat exclusion involves identifying all entry and exit points bats are using, installing one-way devices (like netting or tubes) that allow bats to leave but prevent them from re-entering, and then, once all bats are confirmed to be out, permanently sealing those entry points..

Therefore, as of today, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, pest control companies in Florida cannot legally begin bat exclusion in buildings without a special permit. They would need to wait until August 15, 2025, at the earliest, to start the exclusion process.

Source; https://myfwc.com/conservation/you-conserve/wildlife/bats