Bat Removal Temple, TX

Temple is our home market, and it is also where the state's Central Texas rabies office sits. This page lists who to call in Temple when a bat gets inside, what Bell County's recent bat testing shows, and when exclusion is allowed.

Service areaTemple, Bell County, Texas

Phone consultationCall (512) 910-3825 for a quote.

WarrantyWritten bat-free warranty on every exclusion job.

Quick responseWe’ll get out to you as quickly as we can.

Who to call in Temple

Temple Animal Services: 620 Mama Dog Circle, 254-298-5732. The city handles animal bites and loose wildlife and tells residents not to interact with wild animals. Call if a bat is inside the living space or may have touched a person or pet.
DSHS Public Health Region 7, Zoonosis Control: the state's regional rabies office is in Temple, at 2408 South 37th Street (254-771-6784). David Smonko, DVM, is the listed contact. It consults on rabies exposures for the region's local rabies control authorities.
Bell County Public Health District: the DSHS disease-reporting contact for Bell County, (254) 913-7183, with Costa Claver listed.
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple: 254-724-2111, listed on the city's emergency-numbers page, for a bite or scratch that needs medical care.

What Bell County's bat testing shows

DSHS's 2024 county rabies summary shows 7 bats from Bell County with a test result, all negative. That's a small sample, and it doesn't mean Temple bats are rabies-free. Bats are only sent to the lab when a person or pet may have been exposed. Williamson County, just south, had 35 positive bats that year. Keep any bat that touched someone, and let Animal Services collect it.

Temple housing and where bats get in

Temple has two very different housing stocks. About 34% of its 39,824 housing units were built before 1980. About 33% were built in 2010 or later. In older houses, bats usually use gaps behind fascia boards, worn soffit vents and attic gable vents. In newer houses, we find them at construction gaps where the roofline changes height, around unscreened ridge-vent ends, and behind stone veneer that stops short of the trim.

Species and timing

Brazilian (Mexican) free-tailed bats are the main building bat in Central Texas. They arrive in late winter, give birth in June, and leave in late fall, according to TTU's Mammals of Texas. Cave myotis and evening bats also occur in the region. TPWD discourages exclusion from May 1 to August 15. There is no NOAA normals station in Temple. At the Killeen station, about 18 miles west, average lows stay at 50°F or warmer from April through October. That makes mid-August through October the main exclusion window.

Temple housing and climate snapshot (Killeen climate station, about 18 miles away)

Housing units: 39,824 (median year built 1996)
Built before 1980: 34%; built 2010 or later: 33%
Single-family detached: 66%; buildings with 10+ units: 14%
Renter-occupied homes: 42%
Average January low: 36°F; average August high: 97°F
Months with an average low of 50°F or warmer: Apr–Oct

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

Common questions

Who do I call about a bat in my Temple house?

Temple Animal Services at 254-298-5732 (620 Mama Dog Circle). Call if the bat may have touched a person or pet, and keep the bat for testing.

Is there a state rabies office in Temple?

Yes. The DSHS Public Health Region 7 Zoonosis Control office is at 2408 South 37th Street, Temple (254-771-6784).

Have bats in Bell County tested positive for rabies recently?

DSHS's 2024 summary lists 7 Bell County bats tested, all negative. Neighboring Williamson County had 35 positive bats that year, so any bat exposure should still be reported.

When can bats be removed from a Temple home?

Mid-August through October is the main window. TPWD discourages exclusion from May 1 to August 15, when pups can't fly.

Where do bats get into Temple homes?

Older homes usually have gaps at fascia boards, soffits and gable vents. Newer homes have gaps at roofline transitions, ridge-vent ends and stone-veneer edges.

Nearby city guides

Sources

Bat Removal near Temple

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