Sacramento's Best Bat Removal

What is a maternity colony?

Motherhood is a strange, exciting time in the life of any female, and bats are no different. In fact, it can be fascinating to learn about the habits of other creatures, in order to better understand them, and there are few things more interesting about bats than their maternity colonies.

In the lines below, we'll look at what exactly these colonies do, how they work, and indeed, why they are formed in the first place. But before we get to that, let's take a moment to understand bat reproductive habits, since after all, you couldn't have a maternity colony without mating.

Bat mating habits - how things happen

As is the case with many animals, bats' reproductive habits are heavily influenced by external factors, such as the weather. Female bats generally opt to become pregnant and give birth during the summer, because they have much easier access to food that way, than they would, say, during winter.

Oh, and when we say "opt", we do actually mean opt. Female bats have the fascinating ability to store semen inside their reproductive tract and decide when it is used to impregnate. This way, the female bat gets to choose the time that is ideal for her to have babies. And most females will opt for summer because it will be easier for them to feed, and for their babies to develop during that time.

Depending on the climate, some females may opt for multiple births in one year, but most bats in temperate climates usually reproduce about once a year.

So, what's a maternity colony?

As a general rule, bats tend to roost together in larger colonies, in order to ensure safety. Most colonies will hibernate during winter, then spend much of the rest of the year flying with their initial colony. That is until the mating season begins in the summer. As the female bats become pregnant, they will band together to form a new colony, different from their initial one. This is called a maternity colony and is made up exclusively of pregnant female bats. Generally, a maternity colony consists of roughly 40 pregnant females, although it can be much higher, up to 200 females at a time, depending on the size of the initial colony.

A maternity colony will then look for a new, warm, dark, and safe place to bring their young into the world. Usually, a female bat will birth one single bat.

What's the point of a maternity colony?

The main reason why females band together to form this new, separate colony is that it allows them a safe space to birth their young and support one another through their pregnancies. For example, in a maternity colony, the females will huddle together to keep warm. They will also form a sanctuary of sorts, in which new mothers can nurture their young and raise them to independence. As the pups grow older, the mothers will become more and more willing to leave their side in search of food.

What can you do if you discover a maternity colony inside your home?

Since human dwellings (particularly attics, sheds, and basements) provide an ideally warm and safe place during the summer, they're a big favorite of maternity colonies looking for a good home. And while that may sound like a hassle to you, bat maternity colonies are protected by law because of the beneficial role that bats play for the environment. Since their main diet is made up of insects, they are necessary to the wellbeing of our environment, so you don't have much of a choice.

Also, be aware that female bats are highly sensitive during this season, and may abandon their young if disturbed. The good news, however, is that as time wears on and the pups become more independent, the colony will eventually relocate on its own!