Summer isn’t just the season for Florida fun; it’s also the season for serious wildlife protection. A bat infestation, like any other wildlife issue, can not only be a burden on your commercial building, but they are a little bit trickier to deal with during bat maternity season. Running from April 15 to August 15, bat maternity season is the time of year in which Florida law prohibits bat exclusions from both residential and commercial buildings.
It might seem like an unfair burden to place on business owners, but the laws of bat maternity season are essential to regulating the Florida environment and conserving the surrounding ecosystem. You can’t have bats removed from your building until the season ends, but there are some steps you can take to deter them from nesting or safely exclude them once the season passes.
What Is Bat Maternity Season?
Although intrusive bats might be bad news for your commercial building, they play an important role in the local ecosystem. There are 13 native Florida bat species, including the nearly endangered Florida bonneted bat, that regulate the overwhelming amount of Florida insects by feeding on bugs like mosquitos and flies.
The laws of bat maternity season protect bats by prohibiting exclusion practices. Excluding a female bat from her roost would inhibit her from providing food to her newborn pup, which puts the bat population at even more risk. These laws also prevent business and commercial building owners from taking pest control into their own hands, which can be potentially dangerous and unsafe for both the pests and people involved.
How Can I Keep Bats from Entering?
Bat maternity season is almost over. But, if you want to start taking early steps to build a better future for your building and nearby wildlife, here are some bat prevention tips.
- Installing bat houses or other enclosed nesting sites
- Conserving natural sites for bats to roost and raise their young
- Respecting and following the laws of bat maternity season
- Sealing all entryways, gaps, or holes in your commercial building
- Having your commercial building inspected by wildlife professionals
Commercial Wildlife Experts of Tampa
If you see, hear, or suspect any bat activity in your commercial building, call the wildlife experts at Critter Control® of Tampa. Our pest technicians can’t install any bat exclusion systems until bat maternity season passes, but we can still inspect your property and create an effective plan for removal. And, once the season ends, our team of wildlife experts can safely remove nesting bats and their newborn pups. For more information or to schedule your complimentary consultation for bat maternity season, call us today.
