practical
Why some French homes and gardens attract more bats
With the arrival of autumn, bats set to become more common in many gardens
Published
Bats may become more noticeable around your French home or garden as winter approaches and they prepare for the colder months.
The species are more often associated with summer evenings. However, they remain active in autumn, as they feed on the last available insects to store fat for winter.
The season is also an important time for mating and migration. From late August, adult bats begin leaving their summer roosts and looking for places to spend the winter, according to LPO Centre-Val de Loire, a French environmental association.
However, discovering bats in your garden, home or cellar should not automatically trigger panic.
"Some species are called anthropophilic, meaning they live near humans, and that is completely normal," Alexia Etlin, conservation manager at the Groupe Chiroptères de Provence, a French bat association, previously told The Connexion.
Why gardens and cellars?
Gardens with mature trees provide valuable shelter for bats, especially if they have cracks and other cavities.
Many species use these spaces to rest during the day, raise their young or spend the winter.
Trees are important throughout the year as well, as they provide both roosting places and access to food. Their foliage also attracts insects and offers protection for young bats learning to fly.
Meanwhile, cellars and garages that are rarely used can also attract bats when temperatures begin to fall.
Bats need somewhere dark and quiet, with stable temperatures and high humidity, to hibernate, so cellars can provide the perfect environment, according to the Société française pour l’étude et la protection des mammifères (SFEPM), a French association protecting mammals.
However, not every cellar offers the right conditions. Strong draughts, frequent human activity and artificial heating can make a space unsuitable.
If you would like to adjust your cellar to accommodate them for winter, the LPO advises limiting air currents by ensuring there is only one controlled opening, such as a small gap near the top of a door or a small window.
You should also avoid unnecessary visits, bright lights and noisy work.
Disturbing hibernating bats can be dangerous, as their metabolism slows and they survive on fat reserves accumulated before winter. If they wake prematurely, they use up some of this energy to raise their body temperature.
This can cost bats the equivalent of several weeks of energy reserves, potentially putting their survival at risk.
Other parts of a property can provide shelter too. Bats may use roof spaces, attics, gaps around windows, cracks in walls and spaces behind shutters.
They are very discreet animals, so they might have taken shelter in your cellar or attic without you even knowing it.
What to do if you find bats in your home
If you discover bats in your attic, cellar or garden, the first step is to contact a specialist organisation or your local SOS Chauves-souris network.
"They will carry out a diagnosis of the building and the way it is used by bats," Ms Etlin said. "They can then propose measures for cohabitation, which generally work."
Meanwhile, bat boxes should not be installed without proper expertise. “They need to be placed correctly so they are effective and do not become traps for bats, for example because of predators such as cats or because they are exposed to too much sunlight," Ms Etlin said.
The timing of any intervention is also important. Summer, when females raise their young, and winter, when many bats hibernate, are sensitive periods.
"In all cases, we do not touch them," Ms Etlin said. "Like all wild animals, they should not be handled because we can hurt them."
Why bats are protected in France
There are around 36 species of bats in France, and all are protected.
They play an important ecological role by feeding on insects, including mosquitoes and agricultural pests.
A small bat weighing around six grams can eat between 2,000 and 3,000 mosquitoes in a night, Ms Etlin said.
"They are allies of agriculture," she added, explaining that bats help regulate insect populations without the need for chemical pesticides.
"There are far more benefits than disadvantages to living alongside them," she said.
Their protection is also linked to their slow reproduction: females generally give birth to just one young per year.
What does French law say about bats?
All bat species found in France are protected by law. This means it is prohibited to kill, injure, capture or deliberately disturb them.
It is also prohibited to destroy, alter or deteriorate breeding sites and resting places.
Deliberately breaking these rules can carry a penalty of up to €150,000 in fines and three years in prison.
In cases where the offence is committed without intent or gross negligence, authorities may instead impose an administrative fine of up to €450. Deliberate disturbance can also be punished as a fourth-class offence, carrying a fine of up to €750.
