Winter Bats – Having Bats during the Winter?

During Ontario’s winter months, some people experience bats flying in their home. Unfortunately these homeowners have a colony of bats hibernating in their attic or walls. Contrary to popular belief not all bats hibernate in caves. There are 2 species of bats that colonize buildings in Ontario, Little Brown Bats and Big Brown Bats. The little brown bats are the ones who during the winter months hibernate in caves.
If you have bats flying in your house during the winter then definitely you have a Big brown colony infesting your house as these are the only bats who hibernate in buildings all year round.

 

If they are hibernating why are they flying in my house?

During hibernation Big Brown bats commonly wake up every couple weeks. During this period, they may move around or even fly short distances. During this time, they may accidentally exit a gap in a recessed light fixture, cold air return, open attic hatch or wall. People commonly report finding bats in basements. Another factor that forces the bats to wake up and move around are sudden temperature variations. If the temperature becomes really warm or cold compared to the season’s average, bats will wake up and try to find another location in the house where it is more suitable for them.

Can I exclude them during the winter?

Unfortunately, there is nothing to be done during the winter season to get the bats out of the house. Bat exclusion / bat proofing begins in the spring when the bats have woken up and they are actively going in and out of the building. As a homeowner the best thing you can do at the moment is contact us where we can give you some tips that will decrease the chances of a bat flying in again, and book us for a bat exclusion in the spring before we get overbooked and you will have to be in a waiting list.

 

More Info on Little Browns
More Info on Big Browns
Homestars
Winter Bats 1
Winter Bats 2

Interview about the recent rabbies case attributed to bats

Winter Bats 3
Winter Bats 4
3 signs to look for if you think you have bats

Bat Droppings

Bat Droppings can be found in the attic or around the house where bats either tend to roost or enter the house. If you see bat droppings in your attic then you definitely have a bat problem and your require bat removal. If you find them around your property then it is not exactly certain if they are using your building or just roosting there. For more information please visit our page Bat Droppings.

Bat Entry Holes

This is the most obvious way to see that you have a bat problem. If you can see bats leaving your home at dusk, that means you have a bat infestation. Bats will typically leave the home at dusk to feed and stay in your home during the course of the day. Bat entry holes have usually brown staining around them if they are heavily used and they are easy to identify even from the ground.

if you had a bat during the winter

If you had a bat show up in your home then you definitely have a bat problem. Bats hibernate during the winter in your home and a few times in their hibernation they tend to wake. Chances are a bat got lost after it woke up. Bats that hibernate in homes are the Big Brown Bats. For more information please visit our page Winter Bats.

Frequently Asked Questions