Tag Archives: bats hibernation

Do Bats Go into Hibernation Soon?

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Here in Virginia, we are home to several species of Microchiroptera bats. Also known as microbats, Microchiroptera are insectivores, eating nothing but mosquitoes, gnats, moths, flies, and several other types of flying insects. So, it makes sense that microbats might not want to stick around here for the winter season when the quantity of flying insects are much lower than they are compared to spring and summer.

Now that fall is here, are bats preparing for hibernation? Do bats in Virginia hibernate at all? If they do hibernate, where they go? You may be asking all of these questions and more. If you are, you are in the right place.

Continue reading to learn more about Virginia bats, including their hibernation practices, where they go for winter, and what you can expect this fall from the local bat populations in your Old Dominion communities.

Richmond Bat Removal Services 804-729-9097
Richmond Bat Removal Services 804-729-9097

Bats and Hibernation

So, do bats hibernate? Yes! Beginning in October or November, microbats will begin their hibernation schedule, which typically ends in March. Also known as torpor, bat hibernation serves the purpose of reducing the rate at which the body burns fat reserves. Torpor is a state of decreased metabolic activity in which the heart rate and body temperature drop significantly. During this time, bats might only take one breath per hour. It is also recorded that a bat’s heartbeat can drop to as low as 10 beats per minute (BPM) during torpor.

Since the number of flying insects substantially drops beginning in the fall and through the winter, hibernating during this time of year is a means of survival for bats in Virginia. It is suggested that 97% of the world’s microbat species hibernate.

Common Hibernation Locations for Microbats

Microbats, especially the ones here in Virginia, prefer to hibernate in areas that are safely distant from predators. Hollowed trees, caves, mines, large rock crevices, tunnels, cellars, crypts, church bell towers, and similar locations are prime target areas for bats.

In more suburban and Metropolitan areas, bats can be a nuisance to home and business owners. Oftentimes, bats choose to hibernate within residential and commercial settings. In fact, it is common for bat roosts and infestations to be found after the winter season in areas like attics, roofing systems, chimneys, vaults, wine cellars, basements, crawlspaces, and even in wall voids.

How to Get Rid of Bats in the Attic

if you suspect or have already discovered about infestation in your house or building, it is important to act fast. Bats are highly destructive, and they can also be known carriers of several infectious diseases. Contact a local and trusted Virginia bat removal and control company for emergency bat extraction services and cleanup solutions.

Licensed and experienced critter control professionals will have the proper resources and technologies to safely remove bats and sanitize/restore any area that bats have infested. The sooner you resolve a nuisance that problem, the more time and money you save in the long run.

Are you concerned that nuisance bats are to be a problem to your home or building? Contact Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 for prompt and professional bat removal and control you can afford. We serve residential and commercial clients.

You Might Also Enjoy:

4 Areas of a Home You Might Find a Bat
Why You Should Never Try to Remove Bats Yourself
The Difference Between a Wild Bat and a Nuisance Bat

Virginia Bat Removal and Control
Virginia Bat Removal and Control 804-729-9097

Where Do Bats Go in the Winter?

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Now that the snow is here, all the local Virginia wildlife are carrying out their winter plans; bats included. Many people assume that all bats migrate just as birds do, but this is not entirely true. Some bats may migrate to warmer climates, but several others will remain right here in Old Dominion. Continue reading to learn more about bat habitats in winter, and what to do if your house winds up being one of them.

Virginia Bat Removal and Control 804-729-9097
Eastern Red bats migrate south for the winter.

Bats and Migration

In the winter, Virginia insects diminish in accessibility, making it difficult for bats to thrive through the season. For this reason, many bat species migrate to warmer climates, sometimes thousands of miles away. Here in Virginia, there are around 15 different species of bat, including the Gray bat, Indiana Bat, Rafinesque’s Big-Eared bat (also known as the Southeastern Big-eared bat), Eastern Small-footed bat, Northern Long-eared bat, Eastern Pipistrelle bat, Silver-Haired bat, Eastern Red bat, Hoary bat, Seminole bat, American Long-Eared bat, Lump-Nosed bat, Ozark Big-Eared bat, Townsend’s Big-Eared bat, Northern Myotis, and of course our state bat, the Virginia Big-Eared bat.

Of these species, the ones that migrate in the fall are Eastern Red bats, Silver-Haired bats, and Hoary bats. These migrating species take shelter in trees, which go bare in the winter, making them quite undesirable. So as a solution, they take flight to Southern regions, like Mexico and the Caribbean. Some stop as near as Arizona and Texas.

Bats That Do Not Migrate

As for the species of bat that do not migrate, well they just find some adequate shelter to keep them warm and protect them from predators, and then slip right into torpor for the remainder of the season. Winter bat roosts often wind up being hollowed trees, abandoned mines, caves, and of course, our very own houses and buildings. Here, bats will enter into hibernation, also known as hibernacula or torpor. This period generally begins around mid-October, but can sometimes be delayed until the temperatures begin to remain under 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Once in hibernacula, bats remain in a torpor-like state until spring emerges with warmer weather.

Bats in the Attic

As a result of land over-development and additional environmental impacts, many local bat populations have been forced to seek shelter in our very own buildings, homes, and structures. It is quite common to find roosting bats in attics, roofs, gutters, downspouts, garages, crawl spaces, wall voids, sheds, barns, pool houses, and even children’s tree houses.

How to Get Rid of Bats on Your Property

Although bats are vital parts of the surrounding ecosystem and highly beneficial to our local economies, we do not want to find them in our house or building. When this happens, trust a licensed and insured Virginia bat removal company for safe and humane bat abatement service at an affordable price. Wish to help the local bat populations through the winter season but don’t want to put your property at risk of damage? See our blog, “How to Safely Support Local Bat Colonies” to learn your options.

Safe and Humane Bat Control Service in Virginia

Call Virginia Bat Pros at 804-729-9097 when you need prompt and professional Virginia bat removal and control you can afford. We use safe and humane methods to deliver effective 24 hour bat control for residential and commercial properties throughout Virginia. We serve all of Virginia, including Richmond, Petersburg, Short Pump, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Newport News, Virginia Beach, and all of their surrounding areas.