The Maryland wildlife control experts at Viking Pest explain since bats are a protected species and Maryland’s bat populations are considered species of greatest conservation need, controlling bats in Maryland is regulated. The big brown bat is the only species known to overwinter in homes or businesses in Maryland. Most bat species either migrate away in the Winter or hibernate. When are Bats Present in Maryland?īats are mainly active in the spring and summer months than in the cold winter months. Other species you may encounter include the Eastern Red Bat, the Eastern Small-Footed Bat, and the Northern Long-Eared Bat, among others. Brown bats have dark to black faces and wings, with wingspans of up to 13 inches. These common bats have long, silky fur that appears chocolate brown in color and broader noses than little brown bats. Big brown bats are near twice the size of little brown bats, at four to five inches long. These tiny bats have dark brown, glossy fur on their backs and grayish fur underneath. Little brown bats are small – only two and a half to four inches long as adults. Wildlife control experts in Maryland state bats, in general, are identifiable by their long ears and unique wings, which unlike a bird’s are made up of spread appendages (“fingers”) covered by a thin skin-like membrane. The Maryland bat control experts at Viking Pest explain both the little brown bat and the big brown bat are cave bats, which is why they’re seen more often in buildings. Of the 10 bat species native to Maryland, four tend to migrate in winter or hibernate in trees, and six are considered cave bats, meaning they prefer caves or tunnels. In Maryland, all bat species are of the Microchiroptera group, which means they eat insects like mosquitoes, stink bugs, moths, and others. In nature, these bats roost during the day in hollow trees or caves, but when they come in contact with urban areas, they often choose attic spaces, windows, storm drains, and other similar man-made structures. The most common of these seen in houses and businesses are the little brown bat and the big brown bat. There are 1240 species of bat on Earth, 10 of which are found in Maryland. The Maryland bat control experts at Viking Pest explain despite appearances, bats are not rodents, and they are usually not blind. What is a Bat?īats are small, nocturnal mammals with winged forelimbs, and are the only mammal capable of true flight. To protect your Maryland home or business from bats, you need to learn about the behavior of this pest, take steps for prevention, and find effective and humane exclusion options should an infestation occur. While important for ecological balance and legally protected, bats nevertheless can pose a serious threat to human health if allowed to reside in homes or businesses. Read the full news release on the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences website.If you own a home or business in Maryland, protecting it from pests is an important part of ongoing maintenance. Some of these genes are the same ones that Wilkinson and fellow researchers identified as “longevity genes” in a previous study. “Many of the genes that are nearest to them are known to be involved in regulating metabolism, so they presumably keep metabolism down.” “It’s pretty clear that the sites that decrease methylation in the winter are the ones that appear to be having an active effect,” Wilkinson said. They discovered that changes in DNA methylation occurred at certain sites in the bat’s genome, and these sites appeared to be affecting metabolism during hibernation. The researchers measured changes in DNA methylation-a biological process associated with gene regulation-between samples taken from the same animal during active and hibernating periods. They analyzed small tissue samples taken from the wings of 20 big brown bats ( Eptesicus fuscus) ranging in age from less than 1 year old to more than 10 years old during the winter when they hibernated and in the summer when they were active. The study, published today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, also included scientists from McMaster University and the University of Waterloo, both in Ontario, Canada. The researchers determined that hibernating over one winter extends a big brown bat’s epigenetic clock-a biological marker of aging-by three-quarters of a year. “We knew that, but we didn’t know if we would detect changes in epigenetic age due to hibernation.” “Hibernators tend to live much longer than migrators,” said the study’s senior author, UMD Biology Professor Gerald Wilkinson.

A new study led by University of Maryland researchers identifies one of the secrets to this bat’s exceptional longevity: hibernation. The most common bat in the United States, the big brown bat, boasts an unusually long lifespan of up to 19 years.

Do bats hibernate in maryland