<pre>[ E_WARNING ] landing.php #369: <b>Undefined variable $lndUpdated</b></pre><pre>[ E_WARNING ] landing.php #369: <b>Undefined variable $lndUpdatedH</b></pre># Bat Exclusion in Polk County, FL

Source: https://drcritter.com/bat-exclusion/polk-county-fl/
Type: Local service page
Service: Bat Exclusion
Area served: Polk County, FL

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Professional Bat Exclusion services in Polk County, FL. Dr. Critter specializes in protected species requiring specialized exclusion methods and provides expert wildlife control throughout Central Florida.

**Bat exclusion in Polk County, 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 Polk County:** Polk County sits between Tampa and Orlando, with the Green Swamp along its northern edge and the dry scrub of the Lake Wales Ridge running down its spine. That sandy ridge soil is easy digging for armadillos, and it usually reaches us as collapsed burrows under a driveway or pool deck. The Winter Haven chain of lakes and the reclaimed phosphate land around Tenoroc and Circle B Bar keep raccoons, opossums, and snakes moving through the neighborhoods that back onto them. In the older parts of Lakeland and Winter Haven, roof rats are the attic call we take most often.

**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 rule 68A-9.010 sets what may lawfully happen to one once it is caught: released on the capture property, released off site only on 40 or more contiguous acres in the same county with the landowner's written permission, taken to a licensed facility, or euthanized humanely. Relocating it to a park or a patch of woods is on none of those lists.

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 Polk County

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 Polk County 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 Polk County, FL — key facts:** Dr. Critter has worked Central Florida wildlife since 1996 — nearly three decades of bat exclusion work across Central Florida. Our team is registered with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) as a nuisance wildlife control operator, and the trapping, exclusion and relocation of bats is governed by FAC 68A-4.001 and 68A-9.010. We serve Polk County and the surrounding area with same-day response, lifetime warranty on structural exclusion work, and a 4.9-star rating across 378 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 Polk County?

- **Emergency Response 7 AM–11 PM** - Seven days a week, including weekends and holidays

- **Insured, and registered with FWC** - as a nuisance wildlife control operator

- **Lifetime Warranty** - We guarantee our work

- **Humane Methods** - Safe for animals and your family

- **Local Expertise** - We know Polk County 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 Polk County

- **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 Polk County

Our experienced technicians regularly address these problems:

- Guano accumulation
- Health risks
- Building damage

### How Bat Exclusion Works in Polk County

- **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 Polk County 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/)

Last updated

**Reviewed by:** Steve DeMoor ("Dr. Critter"), founder, Dr. Critter Wildlife Control. Florida wildlife control professional since 1996. [About Steve DeMoor →](https://drcritter.com/about/)

Last updated September 15, 2026

Polk County is one of the areas covered by our [wildlife removal service](https://drcritter.com/services/humane-critter-removal/), which sets out how a job is inspected, quoted and warranted wherever we work.

## The date that decides every Polk County bat job
Under Florida Administrative Code 68A-9.010, bat exclusion is illegal from April 16 through August 14. Those are the maternity months: the roost holds pups that cannot fly yet, and sealing the building shuts them in while the adults leave. April 15 is the last day a structure can legally be cleared and August 15 is the first day work can resume. Every bat species native to Florida is protected, so this is not a company policy, it is the rule the work happens inside. Anyone quoting you a June bat removal in Lakeland or Winter Haven is describing either the wrong word or a violation.

## What to do if you find bats in Polk County in May
The exclusion waits. Nothing else has to. We inspect, confirm the species and locate the roost, map every gap on the structure, and seal all the openings the colony is not using, which is almost all of them. That stops the roost growing and stops a second colony establishing while you wait. Guano remediation gets planned in the same visit. The one-way devices then go up on August 15 on a building that is already prepared, and the job finishes in a fraction of the time it would take from a standing start. Booking in May for an August start is the normal sequence here, not a delay.

## Where bats roost in this county
Polk's bat work is concentrated in the older masonry and barrel-tile stock in Lakeland, Winter Haven and Bartow, and around the water. The Winter Haven chain of lakes, the reclaimed phosphate waters south and west, and the Green Swamp on the northern edge all produce heavy insect activity on warm nights, and Brazilian free-tailed bats work those areas hard. A bat needs about three eighths of an inch to get in and it does not chew or claw an entry, so there is no damage to look for. What gives a colony away is dark greasy staining at a gap where fur has passed the same spot night after night, guano piling below it, and a chittering that builds in the half hour before emergence at dusk.

## How a Polk County exclusion runs
The colony is never trapped or handled. Every gap is sealed except the ones the bats are using, and those get one-way devices that let a bat out and give it nowhere to re-enter. FWC requires those devices to stay up a minimum of four nights, with overnight temperatures forecast at 50°F or warmer, so the colony genuinely has the chance to leave. Emergence counts confirm the roost is empty before the last openings close for good. Two to four weeks is typical end to end, and guano and insulation work follows once the roost is confirmed clear. The [Central Florida bat guide](https://drcritter.com/animal/bats/) covers the species and the law in more detail; if you are not sure the animal overhead is a bat at all, start with [general animal control in Polk County](https://drcritter.com/animal-control/polk-county-fl/).

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Dr. Critter Wildlife Control, FWC-registered Florida nuisance wildlife control operator since 1996. Sanford, FL, serving Orlando and Central Florida. Phone: 800-932-7287.