If you have discovered bats living in your attic in Louisville, your first instinct might be to call someone to “trap” them or to seal up the hole immediately. Stop right there.

Bats are unique among nuisance wildlife. Unlike raccoons or squirrels, bats are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act and state laws managed by the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources. Mishandling a bat infestation can lead to massive fines, legal trouble, and a house full of rotting animal carcasses.

Here is everything Louisville homeowners need to know about the legal, humane process of bat exclusion.

Why Are Bats Protected?

Kentucky is home to several bat species, including the Little Brown Bat and the Indiana Bat. Populations have been decimated by White-Nose Syndrome, a fungal disease that has killed millions of bats. Because bats are critical for insect control (eating thousands of mosquitoes per night), the government strictly protects them to help populations recover.

It is illegal to:

• Kill, poison, or injure bats.

• Trap bats (they have a homing instinct and will return if released).

• Evict bats during maternity season.

The “Blackout Dates”: Maternity Season

This is the most important rule for homeowners. In Kentucky, bat maternity season typically runs from May 1st to August 15th.

During these summer months, female bats form maternity colonies in hot attics to give birth and raise their pups. Baby bats are born hairless and flightless. They cannot leave the roost.

If you seal your home during this time:

1. The mother bats fly out at night to feed and are locked out.

2. The flightless babies are trapped inside your attic.

3. The babies starve to death.

4. The mothers frantically try to get back in, often ending up in your living quarters.

5. You are left with dozens (or hundreds) of rotting carcasses in your walls, creating an unbearable stench and a fly infestation that no amount of air freshener can hide.

Because of this, we cannot perform bat exclusions during maternity season. No reputable company will.

The Legal Exclusion Process

Since we can’t kill or trap them, how do we get them out? We use a process called exclusion.

Step 1: Inspection (Anytime)

We can inspect your home year-round. We identify the species, locate the entry points (often ridge vents, gable vents, or gaps in brick), and determine the colony size.

Step 2: Sealing the “Secondary” Points

Bats often have one main door and several backup doors. We seal up all the backup holes first, leaving only the main entry/exit point open.

Step 3: Installing One-Way Devices (August 15 - April 30)

Once maternity season ends (or before it begins), we install one-way exclusion devices on the main entry points. These are specialized tubes or netting valves.

• Bats can fly out of the tube to feed at night.

• When they return, they cannot figure out how to fly back in.

• They are forced to find a new roost elsewhere.

Step 4: The Final Seal

We leave the devices up for a minimum of 5-7 days (weather permitting) to ensure every single bat has left. Once the attic is empty, we remove the devices and permanently seal the final holes with steel mesh or sealant.

What If I Find a Bat Inside During Maternity Season?

If a bat gets into your living space (bedroom, kitchen) during the summer blackout period, we can come remove that specific bat for safety and testing. We can also seal off the interior of your home (sealing attic hatches, light fixtures, and baseboards) to keep the colony in the attic and out of your bedroom.

However, the colony in the attic must stay until August 15th.

Planning Ahead

If you suspect you have bats, do not wait until May to call. The best time to handle a bat problem is late summer (August-September) or early spring (March-April). If you call us in June, we can prep your house, but we can’t pull the trigger on the eviction until late summer.

Protect your home and protect the bats by doing it the right way. Contact Critter Removal of Louisville for a legal, humane assessment.