Critters in the News
- "Wild Pigs are becoming
larger and more
aggressive"-
DISCOVERY CHANNEL - "House Fire in
Altemonte Springs
caused by squirrels"-
ORLANDO SENTINEL - "Raccoons attack
woman in Lakeland"-
TAMPA SUN TIMES - "Rats overrun Orlando
International Airport
despite efforts to
erradicate them"-
LAKE MARY REPORTER - "New Orleans 2 Year Old
dies from blood loss
caused by rat bites"-
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Complete Critter Solutions
Bats
Out of the 13 species of bat that are known to inhabit Florida permanently or seasonally, only 8 can be found in Central
Florida. Of the 8 found in Central Florida, these 5 are known to gather and roost inside of man-made structures such as
bridges and buildings:
Habitat
Most bats in Florida are found elsewhere in the United States and are naturally drawn to caves. In Florida, the amount of
caves for bats to inhabit drops substantially and the majority of the bats listed above live inside of man-made structures.
They typically make their way inside of attics and line the walls of buildings or they make their roosts in cracks and crevices
in bridges, stadiums, statues and the like. Many individuals in Florida put up bat-houses on their properties as a way to
attract bats to the area without inviting them inside of the home, while this is a great way to keep the pest population
down, bat houses are best used when the buildings that they're nearest to are already sealed against bat entry.
Food Habits
All of the above-listed bats are insectivores, known for eating massive amounts of insects, including mosquitoes, each night.
They primarily capture flying insects in their jaws and eat them mid-flight but they will occasionally 'glean' insects off of
leaves, walls or the ground. In many cases homes and buildings with existing insect pest problems become cozy spots for bat
colonies as they provide a ready source of food. The bats' droppings and dead then become food for the insect prey and a
bat/bug food chain begins.
Reproduction and Development
These bats are all fairly similar in that each female usually only has one pup, once a year in the late Spring/early Summer.
The females become sexually mature at about a year while the males don't until into their second year. When in a colony
with a few hundred or more other bats, mothers will typically leave their pups in "nursing" roosts where hundreds of baby
bats are left to cling to a small area. The mother, however, has little problem finding her own baby when leaving and
returning to feed her pup. It is theorized that mother bats learn their pups' unique voice and they either leave their own
smell on the pup, or recognize the unique smell of their own pup in the midst of so many others. Pups are fed a few times a
day and reach their adult weights and begin to fly between 4 and 5 weeks old, while becoming completely weaned at 5-6
weeks.
Foraging Behavior
Bats are nocturnal and thus tend to leave the colony at dusk to begin their nights' hunt for food. The majority of food is
obtained in mid-flight and the entire is night is spent picking insects off one-by-one. Most of these bats will consume their
entire body weight in insects each night, while pregnant and nursing mothers will eat twice their own weight. Considering
the amount of bats in Central Florida, it is safe to say that bats consume tons of insects here each night.
Bat Senses
Signs of Bat Infestation
Diseases
Bats are most typically associated with rabies although less than 5% of bats studied have ever been found to be infected
with the disease. In some parts of the country, however, rabies transmission is considered highest through bats and since
bats are very likely to bite if handled, the transmission of the disease is very likely if the bat is infected. Histoplasmosis is a
disease commonly associated with bat droppings (or guano). Histoplasmosis actually a fungus found in fresh bat droppings
that, when inhaled, can cause influenza-like symptoms, or in severe cases, blood abnormalities, pneumonia or death. OHS or
ocular histoplasmosis syndrome is associated with the histoplasmosis fungus and can be potentially blinding.
Asides from disease, common parasites affect bats as well as other mammals here in Florida. Found on bats specifically,
though, is the bat bug, which is a parasitic relation of the bed bug that acts similarly.
Out of the 13 species of bat that are known to inhabit Florida permanently or seasonally, only 8 can be found in Central
Florida. Of the 8 found in Central Florida, these 5 are known to gather and roost inside of man-made structures such as
bridges and buildings:
- Big Brown Bat (eptesicus fuscus) – one of Florida's larger bats, measuring between 2.1 and 3.2 inches long with a 13
to 14 inch wingspan and weighing between .4 and . 8 oz. the fur is long and can be golden brown, reddish brown or
chocolate brown. the skin on the face and wings is dark, almost black. - Brazilian Free-tailed Bat (tadarida brasiliensis) – Florida's most common bat. usually 2.2-2.9 inches long with an 11 to 13
inch wingspan and weighs .4 to .5 oz. the fur is short and usually dark brown and they are characterized by their
hanging tails and musky odor. - Eastern Pipistrelle (perimyotis subflavus) – the smallest of Florida's bats, measuring 1.4 to 2 inches long with an 8 to 10
inch wingspan and weighing .2 to .3 oz. the fur can be silver, grey, yellow or light brown, they have long ears, black
skin on their wings and pink skin on their forearms. - Evening Bat (nycticeius humeralis) – the evening bat looks similar to the big brown bat but is smaller in size. usually
1.9 to 2.6 inches long with a 10 to 11 inch wingspan and weighs .2 to .4 oz. - Southeastern Myotis (myotis austroriparius) – typically living in caves, the Southeastern Myotis is occasionally found in
buildings. it's between 1.9 to 2.1 inches long with a 9 to 11 inch wingspan and weighs .2 to .3 oz. the fur can be
brown, gray or orange and each strand is typically bi-colored, darker at the base and lighter at the tip.
- (information taken from the Florida Bat Conservatory)
Habitat
Most bats in Florida are found elsewhere in the United States and are naturally drawn to caves. In Florida, the amount of
caves for bats to inhabit drops substantially and the majority of the bats listed above live inside of man-made structures.
They typically make their way inside of attics and line the walls of buildings or they make their roosts in cracks and crevices
in bridges, stadiums, statues and the like. Many individuals in Florida put up bat-houses on their properties as a way to
attract bats to the area without inviting them inside of the home, while this is a great way to keep the pest population
down, bat houses are best used when the buildings that they're nearest to are already sealed against bat entry.
Food Habits
All of the above-listed bats are insectivores, known for eating massive amounts of insects, including mosquitoes, each night.
They primarily capture flying insects in their jaws and eat them mid-flight but they will occasionally 'glean' insects off of
leaves, walls or the ground. In many cases homes and buildings with existing insect pest problems become cozy spots for bat
colonies as they provide a ready source of food. The bats' droppings and dead then become food for the insect prey and a
bat/bug food chain begins.
Reproduction and Development
These bats are all fairly similar in that each female usually only has one pup, once a year in the late Spring/early Summer.
The females become sexually mature at about a year while the males don't until into their second year. When in a colony
with a few hundred or more other bats, mothers will typically leave their pups in "nursing" roosts where hundreds of baby
bats are left to cling to a small area. The mother, however, has little problem finding her own baby when leaving and
returning to feed her pup. It is theorized that mother bats learn their pups' unique voice and they either leave their own
smell on the pup, or recognize the unique smell of their own pup in the midst of so many others. Pups are fed a few times a
day and reach their adult weights and begin to fly between 4 and 5 weeks old, while becoming completely weaned at 5-6
weeks.
Foraging Behavior
Bats are nocturnal and thus tend to leave the colony at dusk to begin their nights' hunt for food. The majority of food is
obtained in mid-flight and the entire is night is spent picking insects off one-by-one. Most of these bats will consume their
entire body weight in insects each night, while pregnant and nursing mothers will eat twice their own weight. Considering
the amount of bats in Central Florida, it is safe to say that bats consume tons of insects here each night.
Bat Senses
- sight – a bat's least developed sense. the phrase "as blind as a bat" was coined well in that a bats' sense of sight is
little to none. - smell – bats have a very defined sense of smell. as mentioned earlier, a mother bat can recognize the smell from her
own pup even when the pup is grouped amongst hundreds of others. - hearing – a bat's most keen sense. a bat's sense of hearing is so well-defined that in flight they use a process known
as echolocation. echolocation occurs when a bat emits a high pitched sound in one direction that bounces back to
the bat off of every object in that direction. the bat then uses the sound received to judge its spatial distance from
every object around it. this is the same process used in both SONAR imaging. whereas a bat's sense of sight is
downright terrible, its sense of hearing provides it with an as good or better view of the world around it. - touch – with the exception of the skin membrane of the wings, bats' sense of touch is fairly dull, allowing them to
streak through the air at very high speeds (some reaching up to 60 mph in flight). - taste – not necessarily a bat's strongest sense, it is strong enough to build a preference as to which insects each
species primarily feed upon.
Signs of Bat Infestation
- shuffling or squeaking noise in areas of the attic.
- dogs or cats paying undue attention to the attic, wall voids and crawl spaces
- musky odor coming from walls or attic
- flu and/or allergy like symptoms including asthma, bronchitis & other respiratory ailments.
- recurring parasitic infestations of the home or business (primarily fleas and ticks).
- viewing bats flying in to, out of, or around the home at dusk or dawn
Diseases
Bats are most typically associated with rabies although less than 5% of bats studied have ever been found to be infected
with the disease. In some parts of the country, however, rabies transmission is considered highest through bats and since
bats are very likely to bite if handled, the transmission of the disease is very likely if the bat is infected. Histoplasmosis is a
disease commonly associated with bat droppings (or guano). Histoplasmosis actually a fungus found in fresh bat droppings
that, when inhaled, can cause influenza-like symptoms, or in severe cases, blood abnormalities, pneumonia or death. OHS or
ocular histoplasmosis syndrome is associated with the histoplasmosis fungus and can be potentially blinding.
Asides from disease, common parasites affect bats as well as other mammals here in Florida. Found on bats specifically,
though, is the bat bug, which is a parasitic relation of the bed bug that acts similarly.
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