What is the summer maternity season?

In the fall of mid-June through July, congregated bats in a maternity roost give birth to pups. This period is normally the break of the winter season. Bats find this period ideal since it is warm to nurture pups. Also, there is a brimming supply of food and water at this time, and the harsh and cold winter is out of sight.

Activities of this period
The summer maternity season is characterized by lactating mothers and suckling pups. After the pregnancy period that lasts around 6 to 9 weeks, pups are usually born in a warm and safe place. The colony in the roost consists of only female members, they are essentially in charge of the young ones. They hunt during the night to feed their babies. The babies rely on their mothers’ milk for about a month until they learn to fly.

What do the bats eat at this time?
The pups exclusively suckle their mother for their dietary needs. The mothers compensate for their lost fat deposit in the winter through constant feeding. Additionally, they feed more to supply their pups with nutritious milk. Foraging the whole night means having access to an expanded palate of feeds. Different bats’ species have different eating habits in regards to the number of times they eat per day. For instance, the fruit bats will purloin your fruits and destroy others. The lactating mothers eat more often throughout the night.

Where is this period spent?
The vast summer maternity season is spent normally, in a safe and warm place. Bats find attics ideal to nurture their young ones. The pregnant bats always seek for such a place before they deliver. Their tenacity towards the roost can however be relinquished when they are disturbed. The female bats can vacate a roost, leaving behind their pups, if they are relentlessly disturbed. Don’t tamper with the roost until the pups can fly and fend for themselves.

What happens after the maternity season?
When the young pups begin to venture out to forage from the roosts, the mothers vacate the dens and join the other bat colonies. At the onset of the winter season, bats go into hibernation, certainly in caves to survive the harsh weather. The deep sleep makes them use less energy. They survive on the stored fat in their bodies. Prior to the winter, the bats mate and the females store the sperms until they wake from hibernation.