Georgia Bat Maternity Season, Explained for Macon Homeowners
Updated October 2026. Based on Georgia DNR guidance and NOAA climate normals for Macon.
The Short Version
In Georgia, bat exclusions should be avoided from April 1 to July 31. That is Georgia DNR's rule for the maternity season, the months when young bats are in the roost but cannot yet fly, and it shapes every bat removal schedule in Macon.
DNR allows an exclusion in that window only for a human health risk, and then a licensed Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator has to do it. Everyone else plans the eviction for after July 31.
What Happens Inside a Maternity Colony
Female bats look for warm roost sites to raise their young, and many species form maternity colonies that can number in the hundreds or even thousands when space allows, according to Georgia DNR's guidance for wildlife control operators. The same guidance notes that buildings can offer bats warm, safe shelter for raising pups.
Pups are generally born in early to mid summer after a gestation of roughly two months, and most species produce only one or two young a year. Colonies usually break up in late summer, when the bats begin moving toward their winter roosts.
With one or two young a year and lifespans of up to 30 years, bats reproduce slowly. That is part of why DNR guidance cites research showing that closing roosts during the maternity season lowers reproductive success.
Why Sealing a Roost in Summer Backfires
An exclusion in June does not just leave pups behind. Georgia DNR says flightless young can be trapped inside the structure and die, and its operator guidance adds that the result can be more adult bats and orphaned pups entering the living space, which raises the risk of contact and rabies exposure.
Dead bats in a sealed roost bring problems of their own, since DNR guidance notes that insects and foul odors can follow.
So if an exclusion truly has to happen in the window, DNR guidance says the structure must be checked for flightless young and those young removed before it is sealed.
What to Do If Bats Show Up Between April and July
Protect the living space first. DNR guidance says that during the maternity season the best option is to bat-proof the rooms people use, closing the gaps between the attic, walls or garage and the living area.
Those gaps can be smaller than they look. DNR guidance lists openings as small as 5/8 inch round, or a quarter inch wide and three quarters of an inch long, that lead into the living space, and bat proofing and sealing covers that work.
If a bat gets into a room, do not pick it up. Georgia's public health rabies manual says a bat should not be released if anyone may have had contact with it, and that waking up to find a bat in the room counts as a possible exposure, so call your doctor or the local health department.
Which Georgia Bats Raise Young in Buildings
Georgia DNR's identification guide lists the big brown bat as very common statewide in buildings and artificial roosts and the Brazilian free-tailed bat as very common in the southern half of the state, increasing statewide, with the evening bat found in buildings too. DNR's 2020 Bat Roost Monitoring report says big brown bats are the bat most often reported roosting in bat houses in Georgia, and that Brazilian free-tailed bats are detected regularly across the state.
Georgia DNR also asks the public to help monitor summer roosts statewide through its Bat Roost Monitoring project. If you have a colony you are waiting to evict, counting bats as they leave on a summer evening is a way to put the waiting months to use.
Planning the Eviction: Macon's Real Window
Once the maternity season closes, the exclusion still needs the right weather. DNR's exclusion handout calls for one-way exits to stay up at least five nights, including three nights in a row above 50 degrees, with wind below 10 mph and no sustained or heavy rain.
| Month | Macon normal nightly low (NOAA) | What it means for exclusion |
|---|---|---|
| July | 71.5 F | Inside the April 1 to July 31 window |
| August | 70.7 F | Window open from August 1; average low above 50 F |
| September | 64.8 F | Average low above 50 F |
| October | 53.2 F | Average low still above 50 F |
| November | 42.5 F | Average low below 50 F |
On NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals, Macon's average nightly low stays above 50 degrees through October, so August through October is the practical season. Normals are averages, though, and a cold or rainy stretch extends the wait.
Winter Is Not a Free Pass Either
Some Georgia bats stay put in cold weather. DNR guidance says big brown bats, which its identification guide rates as very common in buildings statewide, are active for most of the year in Georgia and may use structures year-round, and some species hibernate in buildings.
Without a public health threat, DNR guidance advises against evictions and exclusions in the coldest part of winter when there is evidence of winter bat activity in the building. Bats in that state rarely leave the roost, so one-way exits do little, and trapped bats may die or end up in the living space.
For most Macon homes, that leaves late summer and fall as the season to act, with bat proofing of the living space in the months between.
A Simple Calendar for Macon Homeowners
- January to March: watch for signs and book an inspection; NOAA normals put Macon's March nightly low at 44.9 degrees, below the flying threshold.
- April 1 to July 31: no exclusions, and bat-proof the living space if bats are inside.
- August to October: the main window for one-way exits and sealing.
- November and December: average lows drop below 50 degrees, and DNR guidance urges care where bats may be hibernating.