Delaware News

DNREC advises: Prepare your home and outbuildings now to prevent unwanted bat residents

Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control | Division of Fish and Wildlife | Date Posted: Wednesday, May 3, 2017



DOVER – Delaware is home to nine species of bats, several of which have begun their annual move from winter hibernation sites to summer maternity colonies. Female bats return to their colonies pregnant and congregate to give birth and raise their pups. In Delaware, these colonies can often take up residence in barns, garages, attics and homes.

Even though bats play an important role in our ecosystem, DNREC notes that they are often unwanted visitors to residents’ homes and outbuildings. If bats are roosting in such a location where they are not welcome, you can help divert them to a more hospitable roosting spot by installation of a bat exclusion.

DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife notes that in the spring, it is crucial that bat exclusions be completed before May 15 – to prevent trapping flightless newborn bats inside buildings and permanently separating mothers from their pups, which cannot survive on their own.

For a list of Division of Fish & Wildlife-permitted wildlife control operators who can install bat exclusions, use the Wildlife Control Operators search tool. To review best management practices for excluding bats, visit the Bat Program webpage for information on “Bats in Buildings.”

Bats feed at night on insects, including many pest species such as mosquitoes, as well as moths and beetles that damage crops. A study published in Science magazine suggests that bats could be one of the most economically-valuable groups of wildlife to North American farmers, saving farmers at least $3.7 billion annually by reducing the amount of pesticides needed.

“Bats provide us with a valuable and free service, so it’s to our great benefit to have them around,” said Wildlife Biologist Holly Niederriter of DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

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DNREC advises: Prepare your home and outbuildings now to prevent unwanted bat residents

Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control | Division of Fish and Wildlife | Date Posted: Wednesday, May 3, 2017



DOVER – Delaware is home to nine species of bats, several of which have begun their annual move from winter hibernation sites to summer maternity colonies. Female bats return to their colonies pregnant and congregate to give birth and raise their pups. In Delaware, these colonies can often take up residence in barns, garages, attics and homes.

Even though bats play an important role in our ecosystem, DNREC notes that they are often unwanted visitors to residents’ homes and outbuildings. If bats are roosting in such a location where they are not welcome, you can help divert them to a more hospitable roosting spot by installation of a bat exclusion.

DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife notes that in the spring, it is crucial that bat exclusions be completed before May 15 – to prevent trapping flightless newborn bats inside buildings and permanently separating mothers from their pups, which cannot survive on their own.

For a list of Division of Fish & Wildlife-permitted wildlife control operators who can install bat exclusions, use the Wildlife Control Operators search tool. To review best management practices for excluding bats, visit the Bat Program webpage for information on “Bats in Buildings.”

Bats feed at night on insects, including many pest species such as mosquitoes, as well as moths and beetles that damage crops. A study published in Science magazine suggests that bats could be one of the most economically-valuable groups of wildlife to North American farmers, saving farmers at least $3.7 billion annually by reducing the amount of pesticides needed.

“Bats provide us with a valuable and free service, so it’s to our great benefit to have them around,” said Wildlife Biologist Holly Niederriter of DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

image_printPrint

Related Topics:  , ,


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.