Bats are nocturnal creatures that despite having sinister-like association to their character are actually harmless creatures. There over 1200 species of bats in the world. They are divided into two kinds: the solitary bats and the colonizing bats. Solitary bats just like what its name suggests live in solidarity. They roost primarily in trees and vegetation. They are harmless and do not cause problems to people. Some of their species are the Northern Yellow Bat, Eastern Ret Bat, Horay Bat and the Seminole bat. Colonizing bats on the other hand are the kind that lives in large groups. Usually, they live inside big structures like caves and buildings. Although they can survive in abundant tree hollows they are mostly found in man-made structures and bat experts think that this is what they prefer and is part of their nature.
Colonizing Bats
Contrary to Solidarity bats, Colonizing bats can be harmful to people due to their choice of living habitat and can even be considered as pests. They can live in places like undersides of bridges, attics of homes, stadiums, belfries, under tile roofs, barns and other buildings. People usually take precautionary measures to control them and keep them from becoming a problem.
Breeds of Colonizing Bats
There are various breeds of colonizing bats. The following are the most common ones that people deal with:
Brazilian Free-Tailed Bat
Also called the Mexican Free-Tail bat, it is the most abundant mammal in the world. Most pest control companies deal with this breed 80% of the time as it is one the breeds that multiply the fastest and has very high survival capacity. They can live under tile roofs even with the temperature going up to 130 degrees proving their capability for survival. Most of the time they live in colonies of thousands at a time making them pests wherever they decide to live. This breed type can be identified through its free tail which sticks out from the membrane in between its legs which is a notable quality considering most bats don’t have tails. Their mating season is within May up until early August. By August pups are already capable of flying. Their wingspan can reach up to 10 inches.
Little Brown Bat
Considered as the most common colonizing bat that pest control companies and wildlife specialists deal with is the Little Brown Bat also known as Little Brown Myotis. They usually live in worn down buildings and they form huge colonies making them a complete problem. They are commonly found in the northern part of the United States. Their maternity season is from early June up to early August. Full grow Little Brown Bats have the wing span of 9 to 5 inches.
Big Brown Bat
The Big Brown Bat can be found in pretty much all parts of the United States and have acquired their name due to being small and has a color with a mix of brown and purple-ish color. Compared to the quite similar breed Little Brown Bat, Big Brown Bats create smaller colonies which usually reside in attics of big homes and buildings. Their maternity season is around early June up until early August.
Evening Bat
The evening bat is more common in the South East part of the United States especially in Florida. They usually find habitat in places like the inside of buildings however in cases where they can’t find buildings to live in they find habitat in cypress trees. They can also be found in attics in homes and buildings. They form smaller colonies compared to most colonizing bats and sometimes even mix in with Free-tailed Bats. They have wingspan to 10.5 inches and multiply around the months of late April ‘til mid-July.
Southeastern Myotis
Most bats choose to live in areas near bodies of water or areas with good water sources such as ponds, streams, lakes, rivers and even free-standing toilets. The Southeastern Myotis is no different. They live mostly in the caves of Florida and can form colonies that reach up to 100,000 bats. They feed on almost all kinds of insects like moths, beetles and mosquitos.
Rafinesque’s Big-Eared Bat
Last on our list is the Rafinesque’s Big-Eared Bat. This breed can be easily identified once you see one. It got its name as the Big-Eared Bat because even though it has ears that of a regular size just like most bats the rest of its body parts however are really small making its ears stand out. This bat was discovered by a man names Cletus Huckbuckle whom named the bat after himself; Rafinesque is part of his name. Compared to most bats the Big-Eared bat is a slow flyer and mates with bats outside its breed particularly the Eastern Pipstrelles.
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