Authors: Brooke King, Aaron Ashbrook, Christine Gambino, and Teague O'Mara

Why support bat conservation?

Bats play a vital role in keeping ecosystems healthy, but with natural habitats disappearing, they need our support more than ever. By offering food, water, and shelter, you can create bat-friendly habitat right in your own backyard. In return, insectivorous bats will eat many of your unwanted yard and garden pests.

How to support bat conservation:

• Reduce excessive artificial night ligh
• Plant or maintain trees such as oaks, pines, or maples that house bats.
• If not a safety hazard, leave decaying trees standing for bats to use for nesting.
• Maintain or plant shrubs that encourage beetle and moth populations. This helps to provide a stable source of prey for traveling or local bats.
• Clear vegetation around bodies of water, to allow bats access to drinking water while in flight.

White Nose Syndrome:

White-Nose Syndrome (WNS), caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, is a serious disease that originated in Europe and has spread rapidly in North America in recent years. The fungus disrupts bats during hibernation by waking them prematurely, interfering with their ability to regulate body temperature. Once active, bats burn through their stored energy reserves in search of food that is unavailable during winter. This often leads to exhaustion, starvation, and death.

Protecting bats from White-Nose Syndrome is critical not only for preventing species decline but also for preserving the many ecological services bats provide. From controlling insect populations to supporting healthy ecosystems, bats play an essential role in maintaining environmental balance.

Bats help to:

• Provide biological control or agricultural pests.
• Assist with pollinating native flowers and gardens.
• Control mosquito populations. Little brown bats are a top predator of mosquitoes, yet they are most affected by white nose syndrome.

Life Cycle of Bats:

A broad summary of a bat’s life cycle can be seen on the timeline below. Starting as pups, bats take 4-6 weeks to develop the ability to fly. Bats will enter structures using existing gaps they can find. This includes cavities in structures, which causes unwanted human and bat interactions.

How to Build a Bat House

1. Cut out panels of wood to create a cavity with 1 to 1.5inch spacing for the bats to reside.
2. Seal cracks with resin or caulk between the wood to prevent water or wind from disturbing the bats.
3. Add mesh or nodules on the interior panel of wood for the bats to cling onto when they sleep.
4. Hang the box 12 to 15 feet off of the ground to allow bats to glide into their flight take flight.

How to Safely Remove Bats from the Home:

If you find a bat inside of your home, put on personal protection equipment such as gloves and a mask. To remove the bat, cover the bat with a box and slide another piece of cardboard between the box and the wall to safely secure the bat without direct contact.

Take the container outside and release the bat from a height of 6 feet or higher. Bats take off flying by gliding, so do not put them on the ground. If multiple bats are roosting in your house, seek professional assistance to help remove the bats.

Disease Risk:

Bats are capable of vectoring disease to humans. If bitten by a bat, wash out the wound and seek immediate medical attention. If you suspect that a bat has rabies, contact the LSU’s Veterinary Clinic or Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

Remember that all bats are protected in Louisiana, do not harm or kill any bats.

Resources

LSU Department of Entomology Insect Identification Services
404 Life Sciences Building Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, LA 70803
LaHouse Research and Education Center
3622 Gourrier Ave, Baton Rouge, LA 70820
225-578-7913
Bat Fact Sheet Publication
Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries
Teague O'Mara
Director of Conservation Evidence at Bat Conservation International
tomara@batcon.org