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About Bat Bugs
About Bat Bugs
Bat bugs have caused many homeowners many headaches, as they present a whole host of issues. Bed bugs and bat bugs are commonly mistaken for one another and both need to be terminated as soon as possible. If you want to learn more about bat bugs and how you can get rid of them, continue reading this article.
While bat bugs are a serious nuisance, they will not damage your home or your property. Aside from itchy or uncomfortable bites, bat bugs are not likely to put you in danger. While you may think these little insects could give you rabies or any of the hundreds of other diseases that bats carry, it is likely not the case. No conclusive research has been done that has found bat bugs to transmit diseases to humans through their bites. Nonetheless, no one wants bugs biting them, so it is important to take care of them as soon as you can.
Appearance
As previously mentioned, bat bugs and bed bugs look almost entirely the same. The only real difference is that the hairs on a bat bug’s thorax are denser and longer in length.
You can really only see this with a microscope and it is best practice to have a pest control professional come to determine what insect you are dealing with. The overall shape of a bat bug is comparable to an oval.
These bugs are usually around a quarter to a half of an inch in length (think of an apple seed). After feeding, a bat bug’s abdomen grows round in size and becomes a very noticeable red color.
Behavior
One of the highlights of this insect is that they actually survive by living with bats. If bat bugs do not have access to a bat population they cannot reproduce. They feed on the blood of bats and prefer to live directly in their nests. Sometimes they will even hitch a ride with the bats when they fly, which is often what causes a bat bug infestation. The bat bug and the bed bug have almost the exact same behavioral patterns, barring food preference, which is the biggest difference that separates them. Bat bugs prefer to feed on the blood of bats, while bed bugs prefer human blood. With that being said, if bat bugs do not have access to bat blood, they will also feed on human blood. Both of these species can actually survive for a year with no food, making them a serious pest problem.
Habitat
As mentioned earlier, bat bugs will always be living near a bat colony. Whether their nest is in trees, caves, or rock crevices, that is dependent on each particular colony of bats. They usually do not live on bats themselves, as they are nocturnal feeders and will not be very active throughout the day. Bat bugs prefer dark habitats and surroundings, as they will always do their best to stay as near as they can to the bats they feed on. Inside of homes or buildings, they will stay roughly in the same areas that the bats do, such as attics, chimneys, and inside of walls.
Damage They Cause
While bat bugs are a serious nuisance, they will not damage your home or your property. Aside from itchy or uncomfortable bites, bat bugs are not likely to put you in danger. While you may think these little insects could give you rabies or any of the hundreds of other diseases that bats carry, it is likely not the case. No conclusive research has been done that has found bat bugs to transmit diseases to humans through their bites. Nonetheless, no one wants bugs biting them, so it is important to take care of them as soon as you can.
An important point to note is that if you have bat bugs, you also likely have a bat problem in your home or building. Since bat bugs will not reproduce or move without their bat hosts, you will probably want to check for bats as well.
Infestation Signs
Much like bed bugs, people often notice that they have a bat bug problem when they begin to notice bites on their bodies. They may also see the small insect crawling on their bed, couch, chairs, and any number of other objects. It may be hard to notice these critters at first, as they will likely only move at night and should stick around their bat hosts in your building. If you have a bat problem, it is important to be vigilant in your search for bat bugs, as they can live for up to a year without their bat hosts.
How to Get Rid of Them
As with most bugs, the best way to get rid of these bat bugs is to use a pet and human-safe insecticide that will kill them effectively. Once you have done this, it is important to also get rid of their hosts, the bats. There are many ways you can do this on your own that may work well for you. However, if you want the problem gone completely and as soon as possible, consider hiring a pest control expert. These experts will be able to identify the problem, assess it, and then carry out the extermination quickly, safely, and with little stress to you.
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