Little brown bat
Myotis lucifugus
- Identification
- Small bat with glossy brown fur; roosts colonially in attics and behind shutters and trim.
- Lifecycle & behavior
- Forms maternity colonies in summer to raise pups; flightless pups are present roughly May through mid-August.
- When it's active in Central NY
- A protected, beneficial insect-eater. Roosts in CNY attics in summer; exclusion is restricted during the maternity/pup season and best done in late summer or fall.
- Risk & damage
- Can carry rabies, and accumulated guano poses a histoplasmosis risk; entry gaps are tiny and easily missed.
- Why DIY falls short
- Improper exclusion during pup season traps flightless young and is both inhumane and unlawful.
- How we treat it
- Humane one-way exclusion outside the maternity window, thorough sealing, and guano cleanup and decontamination.
Little brown bat or big brown bat?
Size and roosting behavior separate them. Little brown bats are smaller, with a wingspan around eight to nine inches and glossy brown fur. Big brown bats are noticeably larger, with a wingspan closer to thirteen inches. Big brown bats are the species more commonly found overwintering inside buildings in this region; little brown bats more often use buildings as summer maternity roosts.
Little brown bats in Central New York
The little brown bat was once the most common bat in New York attics and has been devastated by white-nose syndrome, with populations reduced dramatically. It now carries protected status in New York, which changes the legal picture around exclusion work considerably.
New York restricts bat exclusion during the summer maternity season, and the reason is practical as well as legal: flightless pups sealed inside without the adults will die in the structure, which is both inhumane and creates a far worse problem than the original. Exclusion has to be timed to the permitted window.
Any bat found in a room where someone was sleeping, or with a child or an impaired person, should be captured rather than released so it can be tested, and public health should be consulted. That is standard guidance and it matters.
Dealing with little brown bat?
Our bat removal & exclusion handles it — guaranteed, family-owned, and local.
Little brown bat — common questions
When can bats legally be removed from my attic?
Outside the summer maternity season, which New York restricts specifically because flightless pups would be sealed in without the adults. We can inspect at any time and plan the work, but the exclusion itself has to be scheduled for the permitted window. Anyone offering to seal a maternity roost mid-summer is not doing it properly.
A bat got into my bedroom overnight. What should I do?
Do not release it. If a bat is found in a room where someone was sleeping, or with a young child or someone unable to report a bite, it should be safely contained so it can be tested, and you should contact your county health department. Bites from bats can be very hard to detect.