# Bat Exclusion in Orlando, FL Source: https://drcritter.com/bat-exclusion/orlando-fl/ Type: Local service page Service: Bat Exclusion Area served: Orlando, FL --- Professional Bat Exclusion services in Orlando, FL. Dr. Critter specializes in protected species requiring specialized exclusion methods and provides expert wildlife control throughout Central Florida. **Bat exclusion in Orlando, Florida — what you need to know:** Florida law (FAC 68A-9.010) prohibits bat exclusion from April 16 through August 14, the maternity season when flightless pups depend on the adult colony. Exclusion work must be scheduled for the late-August to early-April window. The correct method is a one-way exclusion device installed at every entry point of 3/8 inch or larger; this lets adult bats fly out at dusk but prevents re-entry. Devices stay in place 5–7 nights to ensure the entire colony has exited before permanent sealing. After the colony is out, accumulated guano must be remediated by trained technicians because dried guano can carry *Histoplasma capsulatum*, the fungus that causes histoplasmosis. Attempting bat removal during maternity season, or sealing entry points before the colony has fully exited, is both illegal and likely to kill the pups. **Wildlife in Orlando (Orange County):** Orlando runs from the downtown chain of lakes east to the Econlockhatchee River, and the calls change with the neighborhood. In the older canopied districts like College Park, Colonialtown and Delaney Park, mature live oaks put limbs over rooflines and squirrels and roof rats use them as a bridge. Those two account for most of the attic work inside the city. Roof rats are the harder of the pair to finish: the streets planted with citrus and other fruit trees decades ago still feed them, and one unsealed soffit gap is enough to keep a population going. Water sets the other pattern. The lake-district streets around Lake Eola, Lake Ivanhoe and Lake Underhill, plus the retention ponds that came with every subdivision built since, keep raccoons and opossums moving through yards after dark. Snakes follow the same edges: the Little Econ greenway, Shingle Creek on the south side, and the conservation land around Moss Park and Split Oak Forest out toward Lake Nona. Most of what a homeowner asks us to identify beside a pool cage turns out to be harmless. Opossums get blamed for a lot of damage they did not do, since the hole they walked through was almost always opened by a squirrel or a rat first. Bats are a downtown and near-downtown problem, concentrated in the older masonry buildings, and they change what is legally possible rather than just what is difficult. Every native bat species in Florida is protected, and exclusion is illegal from April 16 through August 14 under Florida Administrative Code 68A-9.010. A June bat call in Orlando gets a written plan and an August date rather than a same-week exclusion. One thing worth knowing before you call anyone: county animal services in Florida deal with domestic animals. An animal in your attic is the property owner's responsibility under FWC rules, handled either by the owner or by a nuisance wildlife control operator working under FAC 68A-9.010. **Florida wildlife facts & law:** According to the [Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission](https://myfwc.com/conservation/you-conserve/wildlife/bats/bats-in-buildings/), all 13 of the state's native bat species are protected, bat maternity season runs April 16 through August 14, and Florida Administrative Code 68A-9.010 makes exclusion during that window illegal. April 15 is the last day a building can be cleared without a permit, and the work cannot resume until August 15. The same rule governs how: FWC requires an exclusion device to stay up a minimum of four nights, and the work to be done when overnight temperatures are forecast to reach at least 50°F, so the colony can actually leave. According to [University of Florida IFAS Extension](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/topics/rodents), a roof rat female produces litters of five to eight pups after a gestation of only 21 to 23 days and can raise four or five litters a year, which is how one unsealed roofline gap becomes 20 to 40 rats inside twelve months. UF/IFAS also reports that the nine-banded armadillo, the only armadillo species in Florida, gives birth to four genetically identical young per litter, so one breeding pair is enough to leave an entire yard pocked with digging. On snakes, UF/IFAS puts Florida at roughly 50 native species of which only six are venomous, and records that just four of those six occur in central and southern Florida: the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, the pygmy rattlesnake, the cottonmouth, and the harlequin coral snake. So most of what turns up beside a pool deck here is harmless, and under FAC 68A-4.001 it is protected too. Because raccoons and bats are the state's principal rabies-vector species, FWC requires nuisance wildlife to be handled by the property owner or a licensed trapper and, under rule 68A-9.010, released on the capture property, taken to a licensed facility, or euthanized humanely rather than relocated. Sources: [Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission](https://myfwc.com/conservation/you-conserve/wildlife/bats/bats-in-buildings/); [UF/IFAS Extension (rodents)](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/topics/rodents); [UF/IFAS WEC220 (snakes)](https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw258); [CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/leprosy/causes/). ## Florida Bat Laws in Orlando Bats are a protected species in Florida. Under Florida Administrative Code **68A-9.010**, exclusion or removal of bats is prohibited from **April 16 through August 14** — the maternity season. During this window, flightless pups are still in the roost; an exclusion that locks adults out leaves pups behind to starve, which is illegal and inhumane. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is the enforcing authority. If you discover bats in your Orlando attic between mid-April and mid-August, the legal options are limited to monitoring and planning the work for late August. [Read the FWC bat conservation guidelines](https://myfwc.com/conservation/you-conserve/wildlife/bats/) for the official rules. **Bat Exclusion in Orlando, FL — key facts:** Dr. Critter has been Florida's licensed wildlife specialist since 1996 — nearly three decades of bat exclusion work across Central Florida. Our team holds the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Nuisance Wildlife Trapper credential required to legally trap, exclude, and relocate bats in Florida. We serve Orlando and the surrounding area with same-day response, lifetime warranty on structural exclusion work, and a 4.8-star rating across 364 Google reviews. Bat intrusions in Central Florida structures typically require both removal of the active animal and remediation of contaminated insulation or surfaces — we handle it as part of a single quoted job rather than billing the cleanup as a surprise second invoice. ## Why Choose Dr. Critter for Bat Exclusion in Orlando? - **Emergency Response 7 AM–11 PM** - Seven days a week, including weekends and holidays - **Licensed & Insured** - Professional service you can trust - **Lifetime Warranty** - We guarantee our work - **Humane Methods** - Safe for animals and your family - **Local Expertise** - We know Orlando and its wildlife challenges ### Emergency Bat Problems? Don't wait if you're experiencing: - Roost formations - Histoplasmosis risks - Structural damage **Call 800-932-7287 immediately for emergency service!** ### Our Exclusion Process in Orlando - **Free Inspection** - Complete property assessment - **Humane Removal** - Safe extraction of all animals - **Entry Point Sealing** - Prevent future intrusions - **Cleanup & Restoration** - Remove contamination and odors - **Lifetime Warranty** - Guaranteed protection ### Common Bat Issues in Orlando Our experienced technicians regularly address these problems: - Guano accumulation - Health risks - Building damage ### How Bat Exclusion Works in Orlando - **Colony assessment** — Evening emergence count to estimate colony size and species. Most Central Florida bats are Brazilian Free-Tailed Bats or Evening Bats; both are protected. - **Entry point identification** — Bats can squeeze through gaps as small as 3/8 inch. We inspect roof junctions, soffit gaps, ridge vents, gable louvers, dormer flashing, and chimney caps. - **One-way exclusion device installation** — Funnels or netting installed at every active entry, leaving an 18-inch downward-facing exit. Bats can fly out at dusk; they cannot fly back in. - **5–7 night exclusion window** — Devices remain in place long enough for every bat (including stragglers) to leave. Removing them too early traps animals inside. - **Permanent sealing** — Once the colony has fully exited, devices are removed and every entry point is sealed with copper mesh, polyurethane foam, or matched flashing. ### What Happens After Exclusion (Guano Remediation) Bat guano accumulates over years and carries *Histoplasma capsulatum*, a fungus that causes **histoplasmosis** — a lung infection that can be serious in people with compromised immune systems. Disturbed guano releases fungal spores into the air. After the bats are out, our technicians use HEPA-filtered respirators, Tyvek suits, and EPA-registered antimicrobials to remove guano, treat the substrate, and replace contaminated insulation. We do **not** recommend DIY guano removal for any deposit larger than a small flashlight beam — the airborne risk is real. ### Get Professional Help Today Don't let bats damage your Orlando property. Contact Dr. Critter for immediate, professional assistance. **Call 800-932-7287 now for your free estimate!** **Reviewed by:** Steve DeMoor (“Dr. Critter”), founder, Dr. Critter Wildlife Control. Florida wildlife control professional since 1996, specializing in bat exclusion and humane removal under FWC guidelines. [About Steve DeMoor →](https://drcritter.com/about/) **Reviewed by:** Steve DeMoor ("Dr. Critter"), founder, Dr. Critter Wildlife Control. Florida wildlife control professional since 1996. [About Steve DeMoor →](https://drcritter.com/about/) ## Looking for a bat exterminator in Orlando? There is no such thing here, and that is a legal fact rather than a preference. Every bat species native to Florida is protected, and the [Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission](https://myfwc.com/conservation/you-conserve/wildlife/bats/bats-in-buildings/) prohibits trapping or killing them in any month of the year. An Orlando company advertising bat extermination is either using the wrong word for exclusion or offering something that would break state law. Exclusion is what actually ends the problem. Timing is the first constraint. Under Florida Administrative Code 68A-9.010 exclusion is illegal from April 16 through August 14, the maternity season, because the pups cannot fly and sealing the roost shuts them in. Legal work runs August 15 through April 15. FWC also requires the exclusion device to stay up a minimum of four nights, with overnight temperatures forecast at 50°F or warmer, so the whole colony has a real chance to leave. The work itself is methodical rather than dramatic. Every gap on the structure is sealed except the openings the colony is using; those get one-way devices that let a bat out and give it nowhere to re-enter. Emergence counts confirm the roost is empty before the last openings close permanently, and guano remediation and insulation replacement follow. Most Orlando jobs run two to four weeks end to end. Cost depends on colony size, roof height and access, and how much contaminated insulation has to come out, so we quote it after the inspection rather than off a price list. The inspection itself is free. If you want the species background first, the [Central Florida bat guide](https://drcritter.com/animal/bats/) covers the law and the biology in more detail. --- Dr. Critter Wildlife Control, FWC-registered Florida nuisance wildlife control operator since 1996. Sanford, FL, serving Orlando and Central Florida. Phone: 800-932-7287.