Do bats hibernate?

During the winter, you may see bats coming into your living room or flying out in your area. This means that there are possibly already other bats that are hibernating in the walls or in the attic, and in this case bat exclusion is important for the removal.

When you see one bat in the house, it means that there may be other bats around since bats such as big brown bats only hibernate in colonies. In order to survive the cold winter, the bats have to hibernate, and this is because the insects are few so there is no food to support their active metabolism. The bat will need to be around 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit while hibernating. The big brown bats sometimes figure out that the attic is the perfect place where they can survive, and they have learned to hibernate in attics instead of going into caves.

When the hibernaculum temperate is warmer, the bats will expend more energy. When the temperature is too low, then the bat colony will freeze up in these cold winter months. To achieve the right temperature, they have to snuggle up within the insulation in order to get near the warm side of an attic during the winter since it will be too cold for their survival outside. When people have a colony of bats around, they may hear some scratching noises or they may see a bat flying inside from time to time. This is because the bats may move around to adjust position according to the temperature available.

During hibernation, also called torpor, the big brown bats may wake up after two weeks. When they are awake, they may fly or move around in short distances. During this time, they may go out accidentally and they could be found in the wall, attic hatch or elsewhere in homes. When the cold winter ends, then the colony may leave their winter home.

Go back to the How to Get Rid of Bats page or email us if you have any other questions about Do bats hibernate?