Bats do not always sleep in the same place every night. While highly loyal to familiar roosting sites (like attics, barns, and caves), they regularly rotate between a network of different daytime roosts, alternate "night roosts" for midday digestion, and seasonally migrate or hibernate in specialized structures.
Yes, most bats are highly loyal to their roosts and will return to the exact same location every morning after hunting. Because they require safe, familiar, and dark shelters, they rely on strong "homing" instincts to return to the same cave, tree cavity, or attic day after day.
Bats are incredibly sensitive to their environment. In a house, they are afraid of bright lights, loud or high-frequency noises, strong scents, and enclosed spaces where they cannot freely navigate using echolocation.
For bats, this can only be done when pups are volant (flying). Exclusion should never be done during hibernation which is generally mid-October through early April (there is also no animal waste being produced during this time).
Bats go to bed, or return to their roosts to sleep, in the early morning hours, typically just before or at sunrise. As nocturnal creatures, they spend the day resting in dark, sheltered places like caves, trees, or attics, after a night of hunting that ends with the dawn.
Yes, bright artificial light can temporarily discourage bats and make them uncomfortable, as they are nocturnal and prefer dark spaces. However, light alone is rarely a permanent or effective deterrent. Bats are highly adaptable; they may simply relocate to a darker corner of your attic or crawlspace to avoid the light.
Yes, bats can hear human voices. While their famous echolocation uses ultra-high frequencies that are beyond human perception, bat hearing covers a broad range. Their hearing stretches from as low as 700 Hz to over 200,000 Hz.
Bats hibernate when the temperature drops to between 30- and 40-degrees F. They will move into caves to stay warm. Their breathing slows down, and their body temperature drops. Occasionally a bat will be found outside in the winter.
WNS is the number one threat to bats, killing more than a million bats each year and causing mortality rates that approach 100% at some sites.
To get rid of bats permanently, you must perform exclusion, which involves letting the bats out safely and completely sealing off their access points. Because many bat species are legally protected and they can carry diseases, exclusion must be done carefully.
Bats primarily roost in houses during the summer months (May through September). During this time window, female bats form "maternity colonies" in warm attics, eaves, and wall voids to give birth and raise their pups.
To lure a hiding bat safely into the open, darken the room and shine a bright flashlight out an open window or door. Bats are drawn to light beams and escaping air currents. Block off the rest of the house, be patient, and let the bat naturally follow the light to exit.
Donaldson Farms Bat Repellent Spray – Indoor and Outdoor Deterrent to Drive Bats Away from Nesting – Easy Application, Compatible with Any Outdoor Area – Suitable for Attic, Homes, and Barns – 16oz.
Bats use hibernation to reduce their energy consumption during difficult, colder periods, when insect prey is limited. Generally, British bats will enter hibernation around early October; emerging anytime from March to late April and into May.
High-Pitched Sounds: Why Bats Steer Clear
When exposed to unexpected high-pitched noises, especially at varying frequencies, it disrupts their natural ability to orient themselves. This interference makes the environment uncomfortable, encouraging them to leave the area.
Once the cold weather breaks, the colony will leave your home naturally at the first opportune time.
Bats, like any wild animal, can carry a number of different viruses and bacteria, some of which can cause illness in people. One of these diseases is rabies, which can be passed on to humans through a bat bite, scratch or contact with the bat's saliva.
Bats make noise at night primarily to navigate, catch prey, and communicate with each other. While their sharp, high-frequency chirps are often used for echolocation, louder screeches and chatters serve as social calls to claim territory, defend food, or interact with other bats.
Bats do not have a single apex predator. Instead, they face different threats depending on their size, species, and habitat. Their biggest predators include owls, hawks, falcons, snakes, and domestic cats.
Yes, bright artificial light can temporarily discourage bats and make them uncomfortable, as they are nocturnal and prefer dark spaces. However, light alone is rarely a permanent or effective deterrent. Bats are highly adaptable; they may simply relocate to a darker corner of your attic or crawlspace to avoid the light.
For living bats, temperatures consistently dropping below freezing (32∘F or 0∘C) can be dangerous. While they use hibernation and torpor to survive the cold, prolonged exposure to freezing weather or sudden deep freezes can lead to starvation or fatal freezing.
Bats evolved to be nocturnal primarily to avoid daytime predators (like birds of prey) and to escape the intense heat of the sun, which can cause their thin, delicate wings to overheat. By hunting at night, they also face less competition for food.
The Bible mentions bats only three times, explicitly classifying them as "unclean" flying creatures in the Old Testament dietary laws.
Bats are among the biggest sleepyheads in the animal kingdom! They can sleep up to 20 hours a day, often hanging upside down to conserve energy and stay protected. Nature shows us that rest isn't optional—it's essential for survival, balance, and overall health.
Case study: Grey headed flying Foxes
This eastern Australian bat species lives in large groups but are segregated by sex outside of breeding season. As such, many bats are likely 'seasonally bisexual'. Males and females have been observed in sexual and affectionate same-sex behaviour.