Skip to main content
Language Translation
Governor Mike Braun
  Close Menu

Bats of Indiana

fw-bats-in-cave.jpg

Indiana is home to 12 species of bats and each is uniquely fascinating. Bats are the only mammal capable of true flight, and they use echolocation to navigate through their environment and capture prey. All bats found in Indiana are insectivores, meaning they eat insects. This pest control service provided by bats helps to keep habitats and ecosystems healthy – in fact, bats improve the quality of forests, cities, and farms. It is estimated that the agricultural industry in North America saves $3.7 billion per year because of how many insects bats eat.

Bats of Indiana are in trouble, and they need your help. By learning to live with bats you can help with their long-term conservation and recovery. Please explore the features below to learn more about the bats that can be found in the Hoosier State, how to safely live with them, and what you can do to help.

Report Bat Roosts

Have you seen a bat or bats roosting in a bat house, a barn, or perhaps emerging from a tree at dusk? Just a few minutes of your time reporting this observation can help bats in Indiana!

Report Bat Roosts

About Indiana's Bats

Indiana’s habitats are currently home to 12 species of bats, and each species plays a unique role in maintaining balanced, healthy ecosystems.

Cave Bats

fw-Indiana-bats-hibernating.jpg

Hibernate in caves, mines, and sometimes structures during winter. Spring through autumn these bats are active in Indiana – some will roost in tree cavities, others in bat houses or barns, and a few will remain in caves.

Migratory Bats

Migrate south to warmer climates for winter. Migrate north and roost in trees during spring/summer/autumn.

Historic Bats

These are considered extirpated because they have not been confirmed in the state for decades. However, these species do occur in nearby states and they may be seen in the future.

There are many threats to bats, and these often impact more than one species. Bats with similar survival strategies (migration, hibernation, roost type, prey, etc.) often face similar threats. Research continues to identify new threats to bats, ways in which bats respond to threats, and how people can help bats overcome these threats. Some of these threats to bats are:

For those wanting more information on this, check out this review or the 2023 State of the Bats.

For every threat to bats listed above, there are ways to mitigate those threats so bat populations recover and thrive. With a little effort, we can all do something to improve current conditions for bats around the world.

  • Habitat protection and restoration
  • Disease awareness through education, reporting sick or dead bats, and cleaning and disinfecting equipment between visiting habitats bats use
  • Educating and improving advocacy
  • Reduce pollution – use more green energy; reduce, reuse, recycle; limit light pollution, change design of lighting in public spaces or at neighborhoods
  • Make windows safe for bats and birds and implement ways to reduce mortality at wind farms
  • Keep cats indoors and find homes for feral cat colonies
  • Maintain native plants and trees or establish a pollinator garden
  • Install a bat house
  • Become a bat advocate. Participate in Bat Week to learn more about bats and to share that knowledge with family and friends
  • Reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides and herbicides in and around your home. These toxins will disrupt the food supply for bats and potentially cause harm or death to bats
  • Educate others on the importance of bat populations for our ecosystem
  • Plant a garden with native plants. This will help native insect populations that in turn are prey items for bats
  • Remove invasive plants. This will help open up habitats for bats to forage in and benefit native plants and insects

Living with Bats

There are 12 species of bats in Indiana and 47 species of bats in North America – identifying them can be difficult without proper training. However, the time of year can tell you a lot about which bats you are seeing and what they are doing at the time.

  • Spring
    • Migratory bats tend to reach Indiana as early as March, while hibernating bats typically emerge from caves in April. As either of these types of bats begin moving across the landscape they are going to be tired – some just flew 100s or 1000s of miles, and others just went 6 months without food. As a result, these bats may land wherever they can that seems safe, including trees, window screens, or doorframes. Be patient with these bats, after a few days they typically disappear as they move a little closer to their summer home.
    • During this time, female bats that mated in the fall will now become pregnant.
  • Summer
    • The bats you see in Indiana from April 1 – Aug. 31, during the bat active season, are the summer residents. This includes some migratory bat species and all the cave bats.
    • During this season, bats will use multiple natural roosts in any given area – frequently live or dead trees and caves. However, where natural roosts are limited, these bats may resort to using artificial habitat like bridges, barns, attics, or bat houses.
    • Males and juveniles will form small groups called bachelor colonies. Adult females will form maternity colonies where they will give birth and raise their pups in safety. The pups will be very vulnerable to disturbance and extreme temperatures until they are able to fly at 6-8 weeks of age. These young bats, now juveniles, will take off on their own to feast upon insects, but they tire quickly and may not know how to identify a good roost. As a result, late summer is when people typically find more bats roosting in exposed areas on their property. After a day or two of rest, the juvenile bats are ready to continue their preparation for winter.
  • Fall
    • You could be seeing migratory or hibernating bats. This time of year, bats are all coming together to find mates and begin preparing for their respective journeys: hibernation or migration. This swarming period is when bats will increase their bodyweight by 10-25% - this fat will help them survive long migrations or months of hibernation.
  • Winter
    • It is not unusual to see a bat flying on a mild winter day. Sometimes they are switching roosts or just out to stretch some muscles and grab a drink. However, it would be unusual to see a lot of bats out during winter, and this should be reported to DNR.
    • Hibernating bats will be avoiding the cold winter weather in caves, mines, and even some above-ground structures with stable temperatures. These bats will go through periods of hibernation lasting up to 2 weeks, before waking up and possibly finding a more comfortable spot to sleep. They will do this from October through early April.

Rabies Awareness

In Indiana, rabies is mostly found in wild mammals like bats, while other mammals like skunks, raccoons, and foxes may be more likely to carry the virus in other portions of North America.

Though less than 1% of bats test positive for rabies, it is a very real threat and you should avoid direct contact with them. More information on rabies and bats can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. For information on rabies in Indiana, how to report an animal bite, or rabies exposure guidelines, please visit the Indiana Department of Health Rabies Information: Home.

  • Never handle a bat. Although it is not very common, bats are a species that can carry rabies.
  • You can evict bats yourself, but you need to do it the right way to keep yourself and bats safe. Bat Conservation International has great information for homeowners on how to evict bats.
  • Using excluding devices such as one-way doors at entry points is a safe and effective way to get bats out of your home without harming them.
  • Bats will not chew, scratch, or nest. If wires, wood, or metal are being chewed through, you likely have a rodent living in the space.
  • There are many wildlife control operators in the state who can assist you.

  • This is the season in which female bats raise their pups; therefore, removal is not advised until the fall when the pups are old enough to live on their own.
  • Maternity season is usually between mid-June and early-August, and the pups will depend on their mothers for anywhere between 25-37 days.
  • Exact timing of the maternity season will vary on local weather conditions and the condition of female bats. Exactly when pups might be born will be influenced by location in Indiana – southern areas earlier, and northern areas a few weeks later.
  • There are many wildlife control operators in the state who can assist you and can prep the area for exclusion in the fall.

  • No, bats are hibernating during this time because their food source, flying insects, is not available. Furthermore, a bat that is forced outside during the winter will likely die of exposure or starvation.
  • If you find bats in your home during the winter, contact a wildlife rehabilitator or a wildlife control operator to help you safely find a solution to remove and relocate the bats.
  • If you find bats within the living spaces of your home during winter, they need to be removed immediately.

  • It is normal to find bats around homes from spring through fall.
  • Before, during, or after extreme weather events, you may be more likely to find a bat temporarily roosting under your eves or on your house.
  • Give the bat time and space. If it doesn’t leave after a few days, please contact a wildlife rehabilitator or a wildlife control operator.
  • Never handle a bat. Please leave that to the professionals.
  • If you come across a group of five or more freshly dead bats with intact carcasses, we ask that you safely place them in a bag (preferably with each bat in a separate bag), freeze them, and report. If you find a sick or dead bat, please report it here. You may need to also contact a wildlife rehabilitator.

  • The bat may need to be submitted for rabies testing.
  • This is also true that if the bat was in a room with a child or a person unable to communicate whether contact may have occurred.
  • To capture a bat safely, find a sturdy box that you can punch small air holes in and put on leather work gloves. Once the bat lands, approach the bat slowly and place the box over the bat. Then slide a rigid paper or lid between the bat and the box to trap it and secure the box with tape.
  • Contact your local health department to describe what occurred. They may advise you to submit the bat for rabies testing.

  • Keep people and pets out of the room with the bat.
  • Isolate the bat by closing doors or openings to other rooms.
  • The bat may leave if you open an external door or window, turn off all lights, and calmly wait.
  • If the bat does not leave, you can safely capture the bat and release it (see bullet below) or contact a wildlife control operator.
  • To capture a bat safely, find a sturdy box that you can punch small air holes in, then put on leather gloves. Once the bat lands, approach the bat slowly and place the box over the bat. Then slide a rigid paper or lid between the bat and the box to trap it.
  • To safely release a bat, take the box outside, set the box on its side against a tree where people and pets cannot access it, and remove the temporary lid. The bat may climb out and up the tree. If the bat does not leave, it may be dehydrated, injured, or sick – please contact a wildlife rehabilitator.

  • You should not remove trees or branches larger than 3 inches in diameter while bats may be present from April 1 through Sept. 30.
  • Additional precautions should be taken for special circumstances such as if you live near a bat hibernation site.
  • To avoid harming bats, if possible, it is best not to harvest trees at all. If you do harvest, leave trees that border a stream or river, and keep any dead trees that do not pose a safety hazard. These trees can be important bat habitat.

  • Different bat species will use different areas in a tree as habitat, and any tree could potentially be used by bats during spring, summer, and fall.
  • Trees with loose bark and open cavities, such as hickories and dead snags, can be especially important habitat for the endangered Indiana bat.
  • Refer to Conserving Federally Endangered Indiana Bats on Private Woodlands for additional information on the most important species of trees for bat habitat and additional guidance on managing your trees or woodlands to help protect bats.

  • Yes, but plan to do this when bats are less likely to be using it.
  • This should be done in late fall or during winter when the bats have left the bat house to return to hibernation sites for the winter.
  • A bat house removed for construction purposes should be replaced in the same spot or as close as possible to the original location once construction is complete.
  • An unoccupied bat house may be moved at any time of the year, especially if a new location might offer better roosting habitat for bats.
  • A bat house should never be moved between June 1 and Aug. 15 when baby bats will likely be present.

Yes. Build or buy one and install it on your property! Just be patient. Bats will use this if needed as their natural roosts begin to decay and fall down. If you do get bats in your bat house, please help DNR track when and how many bats use the roost with Report Bat Roosts.

  • Make sure the bat house is large enough to keep bats safe. Small bat houses, like those available at some department stores, are too small and can easily kill bats because they overheat. With bat houses, larger = safer for bats.
  • For more information on bat houses, visit Bat Conservation International.