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Today is not only the deadline to file your 2025 taxes, it's also the last day you can rid your home of bats without a permit...at least for the next four months.
That's because tomorrow (April 16) starts Bat Maternity season in Florida.
"All of our bats here in Florida are insect eaters. So they're actually helping us out by helping us get rid of all those night-flying insects that are bothering us, eating our crops and they're actually our friends."
That's why Dr Shelly Johnson, PhD, a natural resources expert with the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, says it's important that we protect the flying mammals.
If there are bats stuck in your attic or some other dark area of your home, there are safe ways to remove them.
But once maternity season starts, you would need to apply for a permit, which Johnson says are rarely offered.
Otherwise, you'll have to wait until August 15th and Johnson says in most cases that's not so bad.
"Bats for a long time have been feared by people and most of it is irrational. Bats want nothing to do with you."
It's likely that Hollywood's depiction of bats as vampires is the reason for that fear. Johnson says there are only three breeds of bats that drink blood and none of them are in our country.
She says that if they are sticking to your attic, it is more than likely that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will be reluctant to give you a permit for removal during maternity season.
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