
Bats mate in the late Summer and early Fall. The female bats have the ability to store the males sperm until the Spring
As to when the males sperm fertilizes the egg in the Spring may depend on when the outside temperatures warm up enough for bats to become active. The ideal situation would be for the babies to be born when the adult females are finding plenty of insects to feed on.
This past spring we experienced much colder Spring night temperatures, delaying when bats would normally start foraging. Therefore we would expect there to be a delay in when the baby bats would be born and subsequently their exit from the attic for the first time.
As a rule, the maternity season of both Little and Big Brown Bats is from June 1st to August 15th. To be sure that the baby bats are capable of exiting the attics we typically wait until mid August before we install our one way doors. Installing one way doors before the babies can fly would separate the mothers from their young.
At this time of year look skyward at dusk and you may be able to see the young bats and their mothers flying around catching insects.
This particular bat was found inside the home of one of our customers. Gates Wildlife technician Blake responded to the call, was able to collect the bat in one of our bat jars and released it outside.
By Brad Gates, B.Sc.
Brad Gates is the owner and president of AAA Gates Wildlife Control. He has over 35 years experience in the humane wildlife removal and prevention industry.