Bats check out, but they don't check in.

That catchphrase is the opposite of the semi-famous one from the Roach Motel commercials in the 1970s, but it is helpful when trying to remember the tactic that makes it legal to remove bats that have taken up residence in your residence.

Since the animals don’t want to leave the creature comforts of your home, how do you show members of the order Chiroptera the door since Florida law prohibits anyone from even touching a bat, whether to pet it or kill it?

Trick ‘em.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission advises installing one-way bat doors after August 15, which is when the April-to-August nesting season is over. Bat Mom and the Bat Pups are probably part of a nearby communal maternity roost. Bat Dad, however, often intends to stay.

An “exclusion device” must be installed everywhere a bat could get into the home or business for at least four nights as long as the temperature is forecast to be at least warm enough for the cold-blooded bats to survive, which is about 50 degrees.

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