Bat Removal Brownsville, TX

Bats in Brownsville's palms

Texas Parks and Wildlife says the southern yellow bat is listed as threatened in Texas. In the state, it's best known from palm groves along the Rio Grande near Brownsville. It roosts year-round under the hanging "skirt" of dead fronds on palm trees and shares Washington fan palms with northern yellow bats. TPWD lists removal of dead palm fronds as one of the things that reduces its roosts.

For homeowners, this means bats in a palm aren't the same problem as bats in an attic. If palm skirts need trimming, avoid doing it during the pup season, and talk to TPWD if you know bats are using the tree. Exclusion devices are for buildings, not trees.

Who to call

• Cameron County Public Health, Animal Control: (956) 247-3599, for animal bites and rabies concerns.
• Cameron County Environmental Health office: 1390 W. Expressway 83, San Benito, (956) 361-8244. The Public Health main line is (956) 247-3685.
• Disease reporting: Raquel Castillo, MPH, at (956) 247-3625, is the DSHS-listed rabies reporting contact for Cameron County.
• DSHS Zoonosis Control, Health Service Region 11: 601 W. Sesame Dr., Harlingen, 956-444-3212. The regional veterinarian is Ronald Tyler, DVM.

For animal issues inside Brownsville city limits, check with the City of Brownsville for its current procedures.

County testing

DSHS's 2024 summary shows 18 Cameron County bats tested, 1 of them positive.

Brownsville housing

Brownsville's median year built is 1997, and about 21% of its 68,583 housing units were built in 2010 or later. On tile-roofed homes, bats get in at gaps under the tiles at the eaves. On stucco homes, they use cracks where walls meet the roof. On any home, they use soffit and gable vents.

Year-round activity

At the Brownsville airport station, average lows stay at 50°F or warmer in every month. January averages about 53°F. Bats can be active all year, so there's no winter shutdown, and excluding in winter doesn't mean the bats are gone. TPWD discourages exclusion from May 1 to August 15, leaving a long fall and winter window from mid-August through April.

Brownsville housing and climate snapshot

• Housing units: 68,583 (median year built 1997)
• Built before 1980: 29%; built 2010 or later: 21%
• Single-family detached: 70%; buildings with 10+ units: 12%
• Renter-occupied homes: 36%
• Average January low: 53°F; average August high: 96°F
• Months with an average low of 50°F or warmer: all 12 months

Housing figures: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year estimates (tables B25024, B25034, B25035, B25003) via Census Reporter. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Brownsville station.

Common questions

Nearby city guides

• Harlingen
• San Benito
• Los Fresnos
• Port Isabel
• McAllen

Sources

1. TPWD: southern yellow bat
2. Cameron County Public Health: Animal Control
3. Cameron County Public Health: rabies
4. Texas DSHS: Cameron County disease reporting contacts
5. Texas DSHS: Zoonosis Control regional office contacts
6. Texas DSHS: 2024 rabies summary by county (PDF)
7. Mammals of Texas (TTU NSRL): Brazilian free-tailed bat
8. TPWD Outdoor Annual: nongame and other species (bats)
9. Texas DSHS: bat exposure scenarios and capture tips
10. Census Reporter: Brownsville ACS 2024 profile
11. NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 monthly normals (Brownsville)