If you have a colony of bats in your attic give us a call at 443-417-3137 or 202-557-1443 or 240-599-6815 to schedule an inspection with a bat expert. Our Wildlife Control Technicians can humanly evict the bats and seal up any existing or potential entry points to prevent bats from re-entering your home.
LITTLE BROWN BAT (Myotis lucifugus)
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
- forearm — 1.34 to 1.61 inches (3.4 to 4.1 cm)
- forearm — 1.34 to 1.61 inches (3.4 to 4.1 cm)
- ears — 0.55 to 0.63 inches (1.4 to 1.6 cm)
- Weight – approximately ¼ oz.
The Little Brown Bat looks identical to the Big Brown Bat except for the difference in size. The Little Brown Bat has blackish brown fur on the back and a grayish fur on the under belly. Typically Little Brown Bats live 7 to 10 years in the wild but have been noted to live up to 31 years in captivity. They are the most populated of all bat species in Maryland. They have average eye sight despite popular belief that they are nearly blind. They do not have night vision like some other nocturnal animals so they rely on echolocation to find food as they take flight several times through the night.
HABITAT and HABITS of the LITTLE BROWN BAT
Little Brown Bats hibernate during the cold winter months from September or October through to April or May; the temperature during that time period will determine how soon they go into hibernation and how soon they emerge from hibernation. During mid-fall they leave their summer roosting site and fly from a few miles to a few hundred miles to their hibernation site. The hibernation site must be cool but remain above freezing. Often they are found roosting and hibernating with the Big Brown Bat.
As Little Brown Bats emerge from their day time roost around dusk they seek out a body of water and skim the top for a drink. They also like to roost close to water because water attracts a wide variety of flying insects such as mosquitoes, flies, beetles, and moths. Each night the Little Brown Bat leaves their roost and makes several feeding flights. Just like most mammal including other bat species and humans, the Little Brown Bat will eat until it is full and then a few hours later it will be hungry again, it’s kind of like having breakfast, lunch and dinner.
REPRODUCTION AND MATING HABITS OF THE LITTLE BROWN BAT
Females reach sexual maturity at 8 months old, while males do not reach sexual maturity until their second summer. Little Brown Bats mate in the fall during the journey to their hibernating roost. However, the females do not become pregnant until the following spring when they leave the hibernation roost and fly back to their summer roosting site. During mid to late spring and early summer females gather in nursery colonies that can range from a few bats to thousands of bats. Females give birth to one pup in June or July. The pup stays with mom for about 4 weeks at which time the pups are able to fly and feed on their own. Males are solitary when females gather in maternity colonies and during the time period when females are raising their pups. Males will roost in hollow trees, under loose shingles and siding, or any other structure that is suitable for roosting.
WHERE DOES THE LITTLE BROWN BAT LIVE?
The Little Brown Bat lives in a variety of manmade and natural structures like hollow trees, under bridges, behind shutters, in attics, chimneys, slate roofs, loose shingles, barns, behind loose siding, and any other areas it can squeeze into that is suitable for roosting.
The Little Brown Bat has a vast range throughout most of North America. It is found from western Alaska southward through most of California, central Arizona, across the Rocky Mountains and the mid-west and along most of the east coast. This bat is not found in most of the southern states along the Gulf of Mexico, southern Great Plains and much of the southeastern Coastal Plain.
REPRODUCTION AND MATING HABITS OF THE LITTLE BROWN BAT
Females reach sexual maturity at 8 months old, while males do not reach sexual maturity until their second summer. Little Brown Bats mate in the fall during the journey to their hibernating roost. However, the females do not become pregnant until the following spring when they leave the hibernation roost and fly back to their summer roosting site. During mid to late spring and early summer females gather in nursery colonies that can range from a few bats to thousands of bats. Females give birth to one pup in June or July. The pup stays with mom for about 4 weeks at which time the pups are able to fly and feed on their own. Males are solitary when females gather in maternity colonies and during the time period when females are raising their pups. Males will roost in hollow trees, under loose shingles and siding, or any other structure that is suitable for roosting.
WHAT DOES THE LITTLE BROWN BAT EAT
These impressive little bats can eat up to 1,200 insects a night including mosquitoes, midges, spiders, moths, hoppers, small beetles, and dragonflies. They will leave the roost several times per night to feed. It is very common to find the Little Brown Bat roosting close to a body of water where insect populations are high.
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