Urban Bats, Bats in Buildings and Bat Management
What are Nuisance Bats?
The loss of roosting habitat is a major threat to bat populations world wide. In the U.S. Over two dozen species successfully adapted to declines in natural sites by roosting in ‘man-made’ structures. Evidence of bat activity includes staining around exterior openings and gaps (1/2 inch or greater), guano accumulations on walls and surfaces below a roost entrance, strong musky odor, high pitched chirps or squeaks. A small colony (<100) may not be noticed, but larger colonies are often considered an unwanted nuisance. Unfortunately their successful adaptation has backfired in a major way and urban bat populations are extremely vulnerable.
It’s Bat Management, Not Pest Control
Bats are not PESTS that require Control. Bat management can be tricky and misinformation is abundant = so whether you plan to do it yourself or hire a professional, please do your research before the project begins. If you plan to hire a professional, get references, ask questions, and test THEIR knowledge (… see Management Guidelines).
Most exclusion related mortality is the result of 'ignorance and misinformation'; it is far too easy to make things a lot worse.
Education is the key — so please keep reading and spread the word.
Our long term research on urban bat populations began in 1993, when FBN founder, Laura Finn, was working toward her Master degree at UCF (thesis focused on bat houses and urban bats).. We were the first Florida organization, focused solely on the conservation and protection of native bats and the first to successfully use bat houses as a management tool.
WE are NOT a pest control or nuisance wildlife removal company — we are a 501c3 conservation organization and the only non profit organization
that actively provides bat management services - it is one of our most important conservation efforts. We provide management information for do-it-yourselfers and our management efforts are research and conservation based. Each project is incorporated into our long term research on urban bat populations. We view each project as an opportunity to educate the public and to protect / conserve urban bat populations.
FBN management projects are Guaranteed for life. We use only proven methods that ensure bats can leave the building safely (= eviction), but
they can’t get back in (exclusion). The process can sometimes take a considerable amount of time, every project is unique and we don’t cut corners. The
goal is to ensure the safety of people and bats with long-term ‘win-win’ solutions that keep everyone safe and in their own home
Since the displaced bats must move elsewhere, we strongly encourage the installation of Bat Houses to mitigate roost loss.