BC Bat Study Requests Homeowners to Report Bats Using Exterior Window Shades and Power Awnings

Kamloops, British Columbia. Bats are getting injured or even squished by roll up blinds and power awnings that provide shade to homes in the summer. The BC Community Bat Program is actively seeking assistance to assess how common this is and address it accordingly.

Bat on rollup blinds.  Please report sightings of bats using your exterior roll up blinds, shades, or awnings.

Bats are important wildlife that provide natural insect pest control.  “Most people install exterior roll up blinds and power awnings on the south or west side of their house to help create shade and cool their house. The last thing they want to do is harm bats as a result of their action,” says Liliana Ortega, BC Community Bat Program Thompson Region coordinator. “However, over the last few years, we’ve been getting reports in southern BC of bats being attracted to the shutter housing or box into which the blinds or awnings roll into.  Bats are accidentally and unintentionally getting squished or injured when the blinds are rolled up and then they fall out dead when the blinds get rolled down”.

Bat injured by awning. If you have seen bats getting injured by exterior awnings and roll up blinds, please participate in the study.

The BC Community Bat Program aims to collect additional reports to assess the prevalence of this issue.  According to Ortega, if it is determined that such incidents are frequent, the program intends to engage with manufacturers. The goal is to explore potential design changes, ensuring that awnings and blinds no longer pose a threat to these important animals, turning them into unintentional hazards.

Nine of the 15 species that live in British Columbia are listed as at risk of disappearing. “We only have insect eating bats in BC.  They control nocturnal insect populations and help cycle nutrients from wetlands to forests,” says Liliana.

Bats differ from mice in their behavior; they do not construct nests, nor do they chew or scratch to access buildings, as rodents often do. According to Ortega, some bats are drawn to small, secure spaces in human-made structures, making awning or shade boxes appealing to them. To address this, a potential solution involves modifying the awning box design by incorporating features like broom bristles or a cap to seal the entry gap, effectively preventing bats from entering.

Bats are in trouble as they face many threats including white-nose syndrome (WNS), a disease that has killed millions of bats since 2016. WNS does not affect people or pets.

Roll down shades.  BC Bat Study requests reports of bats using exterior window shades like these.

If you have seen bats roosting in your summer roll up blinds, shades, or awnings in the past years, please contact the BC Community Bat Program at https://bcbats.ca/got-bats/dontsquishbats/, email info@bcbats.ca or call 1-855-922-2287. To report dead bats this winter, please visit www.bcbats.ca. The BC Community Bat Program is funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Habitat Stewardship Program, and administered by the BC Conservation Foundation.

For more information, please contact:

Liliana Ortega, Thompson Regional coordinator, BC Community Bat Program. thompsonbcbats@gmail.com, C. 250-809-8152

Paula Rodriguez de la Vega, Provincial coordinator, BC Community Bat Program.  info@bcbats.ca, C. 250-809-8152.