Bats are an integral part of every ecosystem, especially in a coastal city like Tampa. Bats provide a natural way to keep the insect population down, which is great news for Floridians, as they’re always dealing with pesky mosquitos. But no matter how helpful bats are to our world, you’ll never want a bat in your homes. Since most bats are protected animals, there are very specific rules you must follow to get rid of bats on your property.
When Is Bat Mating Season?
Bats are in the midst of their mating season during the months of June, July, and August. It is legally prohibited to remove or exclude bats from homes or businesses during these months. This is because bats are a protected species. While you may encounter removal companies who will exclude or remove bats during bat mating season, doing so is illegal and should never be done.
The Trouble with Attempting DIY Bat Removal
It is important that untrained homeowners never attempt DIY bat removal methods to get rid of bats on their own, as they can inadvertently:
- Frighten the bats, causing them to retreat further into the home or business, increasing the chance that they will die.
- Damage the home while attempting to capture them.
- Be attacked by the bats while trying to remove them, risking exposure to dangerous diseases like rabies.
Attempting to exclude or remove a family of bats during mating season can also easily result in the accidental death of a bat pup as bat babies may get separated from their mothers during an attempted unprofessional bat exclusion, confusing them and eventually leading to their death. Since bats only have one pup a year, a death can have a devastating effect on the local bat population. Such incidents can result in steep legal penalties such as fines, fees, and even jail time.
Legal and Professional Bat Exclusion Techniques
The most popular way to remove bats from your home is with one-way exit devices. When you hire a professional bat removal service, one-way bat exclusion devices will be installed in specific locations to allow the bats to exit the building, but not reenter.
To make sure all involved parties stay safe during a bat infestation, you should hire a professional bat removal service. If you’ve discovered signs of invasive bat activity on your property, call the bat exclusion professionals at Critter Control® of Tampa.
Safe and Effective Bat Removal Services
At Critter Control® of Tampa, we care for both you and the critters in your home, which is why we will always use our state of the art tools and over three decades of knowledge to humanely and legally remove bats from your home or business. For more tips on how to deal with bats during the mating season or to schedule an inspection and receive a free bat exclusion estimate, call our experts today at (813) 948-0870.
