Baby bats and bat families are both unique circumstances when it comes to pest control

There’s no doubt that if you find or suspect bats are living in your home, you want to get them out as soon as possible.

“Whenever a bat is found within a living space, when possible, we rely on remove and release tactics, as bats are beneficial to your neighborhood.” Catseye Pest Control Wildlife Expert Paul Dube said. “Bats can cause major problems,” he continues, “but there are major risks involved with DIY bat removal.”

Depending on the time of year, however, you might not be able to do so. There are strict rules and regulations when it comes to removing bats during their maternity season, which protect Baby Bats and their mother.  

Bat maternity season varies depending on the type of climate the bats live in. The season generally begins from mid-April to early June and ends in mid to late August. Warmer regions have an earlier start to bat maternity season, with the colder areas beginning slightly later in the year. For areas such as New York and Massachusetts, maternity season for the commonly found little and big brown bats run from June 1 through August 15, typically.  

Paul Dube offers insight saying, “Massachusetts law protects bats and their young during their birthing and rearing season. The law states it is illegal to exclude (remove) bats from a structure during the months of June and July, as it would result in the inhumane death of young bats, which over time, will affect the local bat population.”

In addition to the tight regulations, there are many reasons why homeowners and/or tenants should refrain from removing bats from their homes and apartments during maternity season.

Primarily, it is illegal. Bats are a protected species; they benefit humans and ecosystems by eating insects and other pests. Infringing on these laws could result in being prosecuted and heavily fined. Only a special permit will allow you to remove baby bats from your property, and these are rarely granted.

Aside from being illegal, removing the bats is essentially a death sentence for the babies. These pups rely solely on their mother to feed them. Removing the bats would result in them starving to death.  

Dube says, “Juvenile bats will likely die if removed from a structure unless they are brought to a wildlife rehabilitation center. Most often the young are tucked away and out of reach so the state mandates that pest control companies wait until the birthing season is over, so the full colony can be excluded at one time.”

Creating even more problems, removing a baby bat will only confuse the mothers, who will begin relentlessly looking for another entry way in search of their pups. To avoid having a colony of mother bats swarming your house in search of pups, refrain from removing the baby bats.

If you need another reason to not remove the bats, this one is particularly sad, then gross. If you end up excluding the mother bats from your home, you will be leaving several pups inside. These baby bats will spread throughout the walls in your home in search of food. As they inevitably die from starvation, your house could end up smelling like dozens of dead animals, attracting even more pests that will feed on the rotting bodies.

Although you may feel leaving bats in your attic or basement might be a bad idea, the consequences are far worse if you remove the bats during maternity season. To avoid the potential fines and problems, contact us for a free inspection.  Our bat exclusion services will remove the bats quickly and prevent your home from future bat infestations.