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Species: Bats
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To help identify the species of bat you may have use the county
occurrence map for each species. The county occurrence maps represent
counties that have been documented to contain that particular
species. The occurrence maps do not indicate the only areas that
a particular species may be found but they are a good way to identify
the species that you are likely to have. Pay particular attention
to the threatened and endangered species, management options may
be limited due to federal and state laws. The Big Brown Bat, Evening
Bat, and Little Brown Bat are the three bat species in Virginia
that are most likely to take residence in a building. |
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Virginia
Big-eared Bat |
 [© Kent Woodruff] |
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Eastern Big-eared Bat Corynorhinus rafinesquii macrotis |
 [© Steve Shively] |
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Eastern
Red Bat |
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Indiana
Bat |
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Evening
Bat |
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Eastern
Pipistrelle |
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Eastern
Small-footed Myotis |
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Gray
Bat |
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Hoary
Bat |
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Little
Brown Bat
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Northern
Myotis |
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Northern
Yellow Bat |
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Silver-haired
Bat |
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Southeastern
Myotis |
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Seminole
Bat |
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Big
Brown Bat |
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Rafinesque’s
Big-eared Bat |
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In Virginia bats are not considered a game species or a fur-bearing species. This means that a bat may be killed if it is deemed as being a nuisance to a homeowner. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) defines nuisance as “species found committing or about to commit depredation upon ornamental or shade trees, agricultural crops, wildlife, livestock or other property or when concentrated in numbers and manners as to constitute a health hazard or other nuisance. However, the term nuisance does not include animals designated as endangered or threatened. The mere presence of a bat does not constitute it as a nuisance. There are three species of bats in Virginia that are Federally endangered and are therefore protected under the Endangered Species Act which explicitly prohibits anyone from attempting to “harass , harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct” any endangered or threatened species. The three endangered species of bat in Virginia are Gray, Indiana, and Virginia Big-Eared. Before implementing any control technique, ensure that your problem bat is not one of these three endangered species. Other legal aspects that the homeowner needs to know is that
it is illegal to poison any animal (including bats) with the exception
of mice and rats found in a dwelling 4VAC15-40-50.
It is also illegal to transport any bat species therefore making
it is illegal to relocate any species of bat other than on the
property that it was caught 4VAC15-30-50. In Virginia it is illegal to
It is a Federal offense to
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Management
Options The best and only good way to remove bats from a structure is to exclude the bats from the building. If bats are found in a building their access point can be located by viewing the structure in the evenings when the bats vacate to feed. Once the source of entrance is located the access point can be sealed off to prevent the bats from reentering the structure. It is very important to ensure that all bats have left the structure before closing it off. Listed in the links below are directions for excluding bats from an entrance by creating one-way exit. Using this technique ensures that all bats have vacated the structure before sealing up the access point. Another benefit of this technique is that it allows for removal without the homeowner coming in contact with the animal. There are other myths for removal such as mothballs but these techniques have proved to be useless. Other Sources Bats, Purdue Cooperative Extension Bat Conservation International Best Practices for Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators in New York State Controlling Bats Texas A&M Cooperative Extension Dealing with Nuisance Wildlife, Maryland Cooperative Extension (need to scroll to appropriate species) Got Bugs? Get Bats. Maryland Cooperative Extension Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage-1994
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Life History Life History information can be found at the Virginia Fish and Wildlife Information Service Web page. Big
Brown Bat |
Disease There are many diseases that wildlife species are capable of carrying and transferring to humans (zoonotic diseases). While all zoonotic diseases are a serious threat to humans this website will only address those that are a concern for Virginia residents. Histoplasmosis - A lung infection caught by inhaling mold spores that grow on bird and bat droppings.
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All map images © Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, from their VAFWIS website.
All species images © USDA Forest Service or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service unless otherwise noted.
This website was funded by:
