Bats are common pest species in homes and businesses across North American and beyond. Although they do not deserve the bad reputation they have earned themselves — and are NOWHERE near as scary as horror films would lead you to believe — they can definitely be a menace to society. It's just not quite in the ways that you would think. The Little Brown Bat is one of the most common pest bat species, found in attics, barns, and abandoned buildings just as much as they are found in old mines and creepy caves, but knowing the actual species of bat you are up against is actually more important than you'd think. You can't deal with all bats the same. In some instances, you can't deal with bats yourself at all.



What does the Little Brown Bat look like?
This bat is teeny tiny — one blink and you might just miss it. Weighing no more than about half an ounce, if you were to grab yourself a tape measure, this little guy would sit no bigger than four inches in length. They usually sit somewhere between 2.5 and 3.5 inches. They get a little bigger if you were to lay them flat and stretch them out, but we do not recommend that you do this … obviously. The wing span can lie from 9 inches to 11 inches.

The technical name for the Little Brown Bat is Myotis lucifugus — Myotis meaning mouse-eared bats, and they are sometimes referred to as Little Brown Myotis. Just in case you hadn't guessed; the bat has ears that look the same as mouse ears. (Again, not that we recommend getting that close to them.)

Where does the Little Brown Bat live?
As previously mentioned, the Little Brown Bat is a common pest species, so you are actually just as likely to see the flying mammal in areas of high human activity as you are out ‘in the wild'. In more rural areas, this bat species prefers areas close to water, such as marsh and swamplands, but you can find them in almost every US state, including Alaska. They don't seem to like the warmer states much, such as Florida and Texas, and they also don't live in large numbers in Mexico either. This is quite bizarre — the climate is exactly what a Little Brown Bat would look for in a habitat, so we would expect to find large bat populations there.

In urban areas, bats would look for spots that offer the same things that caves and old mines would — dark, quiet, warm, dry, and safe spots. These make for great roosts; maternity roosts in the summer, and hibernation roosts in the winter. Attics, abandoned buildings or outbuildings, tree hollows in back gardens, sheds and garages, rundown or damaged buildings … The list is positively endless.

What does the Little Brown Bat eat?
Just like most other species of bat, the Little Brown Bat eats a serious amount of insects. In fact, bats eat so many insects that they save us a fortune in pesticides and insecticides each year. Without our bat-friends, crops would struggle to grow in amounts that are required to feed us, because bugs and insects would devour them in next to no time at all. We'd also get bitten and stung a lot, too. Oh, and our clothes would be covered in holes caused by moths.

Wasps and moths are actually two favorite foods for the Little Brown Bat, which should make you much happier. We all know how devastating moths can be when they get into your clothing and soft furnishings, and if you've ever had to chase a kid around the back garden because they're chasing away from a wasp, yo'll know that fewer wasps make the world a much more pleasant place. Each animal has their place in the food chain, yes … But some of them are definitely not as nice as others. Bats are GREAT creatures to have around. They're just not great to have in your back garden.

What is the life cycle of the Little Brown Bat?
Baby Little Brown Bats are born in the later part of summer usually, but the birthing season can change depending on which state you're in, the weather conditions at the time, and various other environmental factors. Spring and summer are birthing seasons for most bats. Mothers will have one or two babies at a time; although one youngster per litter is typical. They will come together as a group — without the males — called a maternity roost. Staying together in this way ensures that they have the best chance of survival, and is approach they take throughout the year. Maternity roosts pop up in the spring and summer, with hibernation roosts in the winter when the bats do not migrate somewhere warmer.

Females take care of the youngsters, teaching them how to fly, hunt, and be bats, until they are around six to nine months of age. Although it is quite rare for young females to mate at quite this young age, they can be sexually reproductive very quickly. The males, just like with other nuisance wildlife species, tend to take a tad longer, maturing at nine months to a year. It is around the one-year point that both males and females are ready to leave the safety of roost + mother, but most will stick with the colony. Bat pregnancies are only usually around a month or two long, but many of the species will actually mate well before the point at which they give birth. Some, including the Little Brown Bat, will mate in the fall, keeping the sperm safe until they are ready to fertilize the eggs at the end of the winter, towards the beginning of spring. This gives them the chance to get everything ready — find a good roost, ensure that spring has arrived along with an abundance of food, and eat enough to fatten up after migration or hibernation.

Go back to the Bat Removal home page or email us for more info about An Introduction to the Little Brown Bat