General Information about Bat in the Houston Area
Bats are in the order Chiroptera, which is greek for “hand-wing”. This is because bat wings have the same bones in them that mammals have in their hands, so they are like hands with really long fingers and webbing. Nine species of bats live in the Houston area that fall under three different roosting styles: tree branch roosting, cavity roosting, and cave roosting. Tree branch roosting bats include eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis), seminole bats (Lasiurus seminolus), hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus). Some bats prefer to roost in the cavities of trees (ex: under loose bark) rather than on the branch. Cavity roosting bats include big brown bats (Eptesicus fucus), evening bats (Nycticeius humeralis), tricolored bats (Perimyotis subflavus), and silver-haried bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans).
While bats can carry rabies, it is actually very uncommon with fewer than 0.5% contracting the virus. Bats are really quite beneficial creatures that can eat thousands of insects in just one night. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department determined that the value of insect control by bats in Texas is $1.4 billion per year! Those that do not eat insects are often pollinators or fruit-eating bats that help with seed dispersal.
Many bat species can live up to 20 years (some can live even longer!), but some have a lifespan of only a few years in the wild. Texas is the summer home for the largest colony of bats in the world; they concentrate to the Houston area from March till October. Breeding season for bats varies greatly depending on the species, but many will breed in the fall prior to hibernation.