Support bat conservation this Bat Week by learning about safe and proper bat exclusions

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It's the time of year when we celebrate bats! These unique flying mammals are not only interesting, they are also beneficial to people and important for healthy Florida ecosystems. While it's the time of year to recognize bats, it is also the right time to exclude them from your home or other structures.

Excluding bats is the process of using an exclusion device to allow bats to safely exit a structure without allowing reentry. These devices are the only legal and appropriate method to remove bats from your home or building. In Florida, killing or harming bats is illegal. Therefore, bats cannot be excluded during the maternity season which runs from April 15 - Aug.15.

Florida's native bats typically roost in trees, caves or other natural spaces, but they will also use human-made structures such as houses, sheds or garages. Now is the perfect time to use exclusion devices because maternity season has ended and young bats are able to safely leave the roost on their own. Waiting until fall to exclude bats from buildings protects bat populations by keeping them undisturbed while bats give birth and raise their young.

To legally exclude bats, identify bat entry and exit points in the building and install an exclusion device. The devices must be left up for a minimum of four nights and the low temperature must be forecasted to remain above 50 degrees during that time. It's best to hire an experienced professional to ensure proper methods are followed and all bats are safely excluded.

Florida boasts 13 native bat species, all of which are both ecologically and economically beneficial. All the state's bats are insectivores, with a single bat capable of eating thousands of insects, such as mosquitoes or garden pests, in a single night. Throughout the world, bats are important pollinators, seed dispersers and fertilizers.

There are a variety of ways you can help Florida's native bat populations:

• Preserve natural roost sites, including trees with cavities or peeling bark.
• Leave dead palm fronds and Spanish moss, which can provide roosting spots for bats.
• Install a bat house on your property.
• Report unusual bat behavior, as well as sick or dead bats: MyFWC.com/BatMortality.

For more information on proper exclusion techniques and ways you can help bats in Florida thrive, visit MyFWC.com/Bats.