Louisville, KY — The Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife’s restricted season for bat removal ends tomorrow, August 15th. For the past three months, it has been illegal to evict bats due to the presence of flightless pups in the roosts.

Now that the young bats are flying, we can resume installing one-way exclusion devices. We have a backlog of inspections for homes in St. Matthews and Old Louisville, where bat colonies are most prevalent.

If you have been hearing scratching in your walls or seeing guano on your porch this summer, now is the time to act. You have a window from now until cold weather sets in (typically November) to safely evict the colony before they hibernate.

Why the Restriction?

Bats are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act. During the maternity season (May 1st - August 15th), female bats gather in colonies to give birth and raise their young. The pups are born hairless and unable to fly. They rely entirely on their mothers for milk.

If a homeowner or pest control company seals the entry points during this time:

1. The mothers fly out at night to feed and are locked out.
2. The pups are trapped inside and starve to death.
3. The homeowner is left with a house full of rotting carcasses and a potential legal violation.

The Exclusion Process

Now that the season is open, we can perform humane exclusions. This involves:

1. Inspection: Identifying all entry points, no matter how small (bats can fit through a 3/8” gap).
2. Sealing: Closing off all secondary entry points.
3. One-Way Doors: Installing specialized devices on the main entry points. These allow bats to leave but prevent them from re-entering.
4. Removal: After a week or so, once all bats have left, we remove the devices and seal the final holes.

Don’t Wait for Winter

It is crucial to address bat problems now. Once temperatures drop consistently below 50°F, bats will enter hibernation (torpor). If they are still in your attic when they hibernate, they will not fly out, and exclusion devices will not work. You will be stuck with them until spring.

Contact Critter Removal of Louisville today to schedule your bat exclusion inspection.