Bat Week may be in flight, but most bats are either getting ready to hibernate or have flown off to buggier pastures.
Because Colorado’s insects (bats’ main food source) go into hibernation for the winter, bat sightings are rare this time of year. Many bats go into hibernation by late October, and others have migrated to neighboring states with more bug-friendly weather in winter. Bat Week (the week leading up to Halloween) may not be the best time to see bats in Colorado, but every week is a great time to learn about bats.
CPW has the perfect booklet to crack open in between ghost stories around the campfire this Halloween. In our award-winning “Bats of Colorado: Shadows in the Night,” you’ll learn about how bats find food and navigate in darkness, how they raise their young, and how CPW studies them. Call your local state park to ask about bat booklet availability. Here’s a sneak peak at what you’ll find in your copy!
Encourage bats to seek “other accommodations”
Once October rolls in, bats start winding down from the hustle and bustle of summer. In summer, bats busy themselves zipping through the air and catching insects every night. A bat’s heart rate can reach 1,000 beats per minute in flight. Flying may be hard work, but it comes with great benefits. Little brown bats can eat up to 150 mosquitos in 15 minutes. After hunting for bugs night after night for about seven months out of the year, a good hibernation is well deserved.
During the summer and early fall, mother bats are hard at work raising the next generation. They seek out warm roosts to raise their babies (or “pups”) in, usually high-above-ground spots likes trees, shallow rock crevices and even attics, chimneys and sheds. If you have bats on your property during summer, it’s important to wait until the pups are able to fly before shooing them away. See this graphic for guidelines on when to install one-way exits for bat-occupied buildings.
By late October, however, bats essentially disappear from the landscape (ironically, just in time for Bat Week). Hibernating species abandon summer roosts in favor of winter roosts. In winter, bats hibernate deep in rock crevices and areas that stay cool but above freezing; attics, chimneys and sheds can be too warm or cold. Because bats are no longer using buildings to rest or sleep, property owners have the perfect opportunity to seal up any holes or cracks that bats may use as roosts next summer. Permanent bat prevention is as simple as sealing up openings with silicone caulk, foam insulation or hardware cloth. Bats can squeeze into pretty tight spaces, so seal up all openings that your thumb can fit into. When they wake up from hibernation around May, these permanent seals are the best way to encourage bats seek other locations for the summer.”
By: John Anglin, CPW Communications Specialist
