MONTPELIER, Vt. – The onset of fall sends Vermont’s bats into motion, which makes it an important time for conservation-minded Vermonters to learn about, and help conserve, our nine native bat species.

If you have noticed bats roosting in your attic, barn or office over the summer, fall and spring are the perfect times to safely evict these uninvited guests from your property.  Bats migrate between winter and summer roosts during the fall and spring and do not have vulnerable young at these times.  You can learn how to safely evict bats from your building at the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s best management practices page.

You can also help bat conservation efforts by reporting large colonies of bats living in structures to the department’s website.  Locations with rare colonies of endangered little brown bats are eligible for free bat houses from Vermont Fish and Wildlife.  Through this successful program, 158 free bat houses have been placed since 2014, with over half already occupied.  More than 1,700 endangered bats have been counted exiting these alternative roost structures.

Bat houses provide an alternative location for safely evicted bats to remain in your yard and continue eating huge quantities of insects that may be forest, agricultural or human pests.  Bats need a variety of roost conditions to raise young successfully, so homeowners should put up two bat houses — one receiving sun all day in the summer and the other only partial sun.  Bat houses do best on buildings or poles but should not be placed on trees, where they are rarely used by bats.  Information on successful bat house design and placement can be found on the Vermont Fish and Wildlife website.

Bat houses can be put up any time of year but do require some simple maintenance.  Late fall or winter is the time to look up inside your bat house and make sure all the bats have left before cleaning out any abandoned wasp nests and planning any needed caulking or repainting.

“Fall also means Halloween, and scary images of bats, but this presents an opportunity to bring positive attention to bats as well,” said Vermont Fish and Wildlife Small Mammals Biologist Alyssa Bennett.  “We celebrate ‘Bat Week’ in the days leading up to Halloween.”  Bat Week takes place October 24-31 and aims to raise awareness about the vital ecological functions of bats and to dispel the many myths and misinformation about them.

Anyone interested in learning more can visit the official Bat Week website at www.BatWeek.org, or email Alyssa.Bennett@vermont.gov for more information about what they can do right here in Vermont to promote bat conservation.