North York Wildlife: How Long Do Bats Stay Out at Night?

  It is no secret that bats love the night and are more comfortable in dark spaces. It is perhaps this trait that has caused the entertainment industry to persistently paint a picture of sinister evil when portraying these winged mammals. This, along with some traditional folklore, has led to a common misconception (among people all over the world) that bats are evil and dangerous. But the truth is that bats are far from evil and the more we learn about them, the more we’ll realize just how harmless, important and in some cases, how vulnerable they are. This is why wildlife experts advise the use of humane wildlife prevention is the best option to keep bats from your North York premises.

Bats and the Night Life

We know that bats rule the night skies but many people do not know exactly what they do at night.  To demystify bats’ nocturnal activities, scientists have dedicated their time to observe the flying mammals and record some of their behaviours at night. They discovered that the peak hours of activity for bats takes place between dusk and dawn.  But that doesn’t mean you’ll always see a lot of bats flying around as soon as dusk arrives because bat activity starts at nightfall and gradually increases as the night progresses. While you are sleeping at night, bats are busy hunting for food and mating (when it is the right season) and most of their nightly activities are beneficial to human beings. Using their built-in sonar detectors, bats navigate the night skies to find water sources as well as insects, such as mosquitoes, moths, and beetles. Their consumption of insects reduces the population and helps to reduce the annoyance and discomfort people feel when insects bite them or ruin their gardens. But bats don’t spend the whole night eating. They typically feed for about two hours and usually have two bouts of feeding for the night. The remainder of the night is spent sleeping (or mating and sleeping during mating season). Most bats are nocturnal (which makes sense for them as the darkness of the night offers protection from predators) but this does not mean you won’t see bats around during the day. In fact, the ability to tolerate light varies among bat species. This is why even though, for the most part, bright lights will keep bats away, you’ll notice that sometimes a few will still fly around the light snagging tasty insect snacks as they soar.

Preventing Bat Intrusion

So bats are not the evil incarnate that folklore and pop culture have made them out to be. But that still doesn’t mean you’d want them in your home. In addition to making the place uncomfortable through unpleasant sounds and smells, they carry diseases like rabies that pose a threat to you, your family and pets. It is, therefore, best to keep bats out of the home. A good bat prevention protocol must include caps that cover vents and other external openings such as chimneys. Many times when bats find themselves inside homes, it is accidental. Some bats have developed a penchant for hibernating inside buildings and these bats often head for areas such as the attic. If you suspect that you already have a bat intrusion, it is too late for prevention. What you need in this case is expert removal after which you can move to prevention. A true understanding of how bats live their lives, especially at night when people are sleeping, will help to dispel many of the negative myths and rumours surrounding these animals. This will open the way for the use of humane wildlife prevention to keep bats away from North York properties.