Bat management

Overview

Bats are an important part of Alberta’s ecosystem and provide economic and social benefits to Albertans.

All bats in Alberta eat insects, including forest and farm pests and mosquitos. Bats support pollination and seed dispersal of many native and agricultural plants. Bat droppings (guano) are a natural fertilizer.

Species in Alberta

There are at least 9 different species of bats found in Alberta. Six bat species reside in Alberta year-round and hibernate during the cold winter months:

• Big Brown Bat
• Little Brown Myotis (Little Brown Bat – photo)
• Long-eared Myotis
• Long-legged Myotis
• Northern Myotis
• Western Small-footed Myotis

Three bat species are migratory, returning to Alberta each spring to rear their young, and leaving each fall to overwinter in the southern United States or Mexico:

• Eastern Red Bat
• Hoary Bat
• Silver-haired Bat (this species occasionally overwinters in Alberta)

All of Alberta’s bats are protected under the Wildlife Act.

Challenges

White-nose Syndrome (WNS) is a disease that affects bats and is caused by a fungus that grows in caves where bats hibernate. Since it was first detected in New York 2006, the fungus has spread and WNS has devastated bat populations across North America, killing millions of bats. Some eastern bat populations have declined by more than 90%, and as of 2026 the fungus is present in all Canadian provinces and most of the United States.

When the fungus infects a bat’s skin, it irritates the animal and causes it to wake too frequently during hibernation. These early arousals use up fat reserves at a time when insects are unavailable causing bats to starve to death.

To prepare for the arrival of WNS, Alberta listed the little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) and northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) as endangered species in 2021, and a recovery plan was drafted. The fungus was first detected in Alberta in 2022 in southeastern Alberta, with the first cases of WNS confirmed in May 2024 in the same area.

Since then, the fungus has spread throughout much of eastern Alberta, as far north as Fort McKay. In February 2026, WNS was confirmed in Cadomin Cave, one of Alberta’s largest bat hibernacula, which hosts an estimated 1,600 to 1,800 hibernating bats each winter. The disease has also been confirmed in 3 other caves in the Rocky Mountains.

Now that WNS is present in Alberta, it is expected to continue spreading among hibernating bat populations. The disease does not affect people or other wildlife. Unfortunately, once WNS becomes established, bat populations typically decline.

Although the fungus cannot be eliminated, steps can be taken to support Alberta’s bats by protecting the places they use for roosting, hibernating, and feeding. It is illegal to enter bat hibernation caves from September 1 to April 30, and to prevent people accidently spreading the fungus, access to important hibernation sites such as Cadomin and Wapiabi caves was closed to public access year-round in 2010. Maternity roosts, where female bats give birth and raise their young, cannot be disturbed from June to August.

There is currently no large-scale treatment or cure for WNS. Mitigation efforts focus on reducing the impacts of the disease by helping more bats survive hibernation and reproduce. In 2025, Alberta, working with Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, began testing a probiotic treatment at 2 sites in southern Alberta. This treatment involves spraying beneficial bacteria into bat roosts. 

Research from British Columbia and Washington suggests these bacteria can reduce the growth of the fungus when bats are hibernating. Results indicate that treated bats incorporate the probiotic into their wing microbiome and may spread it to other bats. Probiotic applications will be expanded in 2026, along with research and monitoring.

• Learn more about White-nose Syndrome.

Monitoring bat populations

Alberta's government conducts regular disease surveillance, overall monitoring, and works with partners across the province to conserve habitats and take other steps to protect bat health.

Most of the monitoring is done with acoustic detectors that record the calls of bats when they are flying at night. We are also trying to locate and monitor 2 important kinds of bat roosts:

• caves where bats hibernate
• maternity roosts (where females have their young every year, often in buildings)

Contact us if you know of a hibernation site or maternity colony.

Learn more about the North American Bat Monitoring Program.

Recovery planning

Recovery planning is underway to support bat populations that are susceptible to WNS, including little brown myotis and northern myotis bats.

Recovery strategies include:

• monitoring and minimizing the spread of the fungus and WNS
• surveying and monitoring bats to track changes in population trends and distribution
• protecting bat habitat, including known sites where bats hibernate over the winter (hibernacula), maternal roosts, and areas used for foraging, drinking, connectivity and roost sites for males and non-reproductive females
• identifying, reducing and mitigating bat mortalities caused by human activity and promoting bat conservation
• evaluating and implementing mitigation to reduce the impacts of WNS

Watch the video on Alberta’s first probiotic trial to protect bats from WNS.

Learn about the Little Brown Myotis and Northern Myotis Bat Recovery Plan engagement

Alberta Community Bat Program

We partner with the Alberta Community Bat Program (Wildlife Conservation Society Canada) to:

• provide information about Alberta bat species and their habitats
• provide ways to support bat conservation
• help people manage bats in buildings
• collect data to monitor Alberta's bat populations
• collect data to monitor the spread of the fungus and WNS
• work with citizen scientists to report on and monitor bat roosts

Learn more about the Alberta Community Bat Program.

Related

• White-nose Syndrome
• Human-wildlife conflict – Bats
• Rabies prevention and control
• Bats and rabies in Alberta
• Bats and public health