It’s the time of year to get a refresher on preventing conflicts with bats around your home. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources shares that “groups of bats in homes are often maternity colonies of female bats and their babies. The females typically come out of hibernation and take up residence in a structure to give birth, usually in May or June. They then have their babies and begin to increase their activity to support lactation — this is typically when people begin to notice the bats. The young also start becoming more active and learn to fly then…June to August is the hardest time of year for dealing with bat nuisance issues…Preventing the mothers from returning to their roosting spot will kill the babies. Because bats are a protected wildlife species, it’s illegal to kill them. Poorly timed removals can also lead to bats inside attics suddenly finding their way inside someone’s home because the mothers are trying to reach their young. So, unless there is a human health and safety issue where bats are coming into close contact with people, we do not permit bat colony removal during this time of year…Although it may be inconvenient, you should wait until the young can fly, and then you can safely, humanely and permanently address the issue and prevent them from roosting on your property in the future.” Visit wildlife.utah.gov for everything you need to know about bats in Utah this time of year and how to prevent conflicts with them.
