Lakeland, Fla. — The aftermath of bat mating season has officially hit Polk County.
What You Need To Know
- Specialist has seen 5,000 bats in 60 days in Polk County
- It is illegal to harm or kill bats in Florida
- There are 13 species of bat that live in Florida
“In the last 60 days I’ve seen over 5,000 bats,” said animal trapper, Dustin Hooper.
Dustin Hopper of All Creatures Wildlife was hired to remove over 2,000 bats from a south lakeland apartment complex.
“The problem is the nets which is what the law says we have to use,” explained Hopper. “The nets don’t actually solve the bat problem, it just moves the bats from the current location and they end up flying into the neighbors roof.”
Bats are protected year-round under Florida law which says it is illegal to harm or kill them. In addition, during mating season you are not allowed to move the bats at all.
Which means, if 1,000 bats are pregnant in your attic, you’ll have to wait until after mating season for animal control to do anything about it, according to Hopper.
“It’s just not as effective,” said Hopper. “I know of a large piece of land that someone in the community has donated to wildlife. It’d be better to relocate them”
Hopper told Bay News 9 that he is drafting up a letter to our state representative to ask that she revise the law surrounding bats in the state of Florida.
There are 13 different bat species in Florida. If you see one of them you are asked to call animal control.
MORE INFORMATION
Bat exclusion video https://myfwc.com/conservation/you-conserve/wildlife/bats/bats-in-buildings/