Question 1

HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE BAT BUGS?

Accepted Answer

Bat bugs are often found in cracks and crevices in attics, wall voids, unused chimneys, or any uninhabited places of a building where bats have established a roosting area. Bat bug are usually seen in the upper levels of a structure usually in bathrooms or bedrooms crawling on the walls or around light fixtures near the ceiling.

Question 2

WHAT DO BAT BUGS LOOK LIKE?

Accepted Answer

Bat bugs are brown, oval-shaped, and about the size of an apple seed Bat bugs are extremely flattened if they have not fed recently. After feeding, bat bugs appears plump and dark-colored from the blood meal. Bat bugs have small, stubby, non-functional wing pads. The bat bug’s piercing-sucking mouthparts appear beak-like. Bat bugs and bed bugs look identical to the naked eye. However under magnification, the fringe hairs on the bat bug’s pronotum (upper covering of the thorax) are longer than the fringe hairs on bed bugs. The best way to be sure if it is a bat bug or bed bug is to call your Adam’s pest management professional to properly identify and confirm the species.

Question 3

ARE BAT BUGS DANGEROUS?

Accepted Answer

Similar to bed bugs, bat bug bites are painless, but itchy. Scratching the welts may cause them to become inflamed and/or infected. Depending on the individual’s sensitivity, discomfort from bat bug bites may last a week or more. Although bat bugs do not transmit any disease-causing pathogens to humans, their bites can cause insomnia, anxiety and panic to sensitive individuals.

Question 4

WHY ARE BAT BUGS IN MY HOUSE?

Accepted Answer

Bat bugs enter homes by clinging to the fur of bats. Bat bugs typically do not wander far from bat roosting sites as long as they have easy access to food. If the bats are eliminated or vacate the structure, bat bugs will start moving inside the structure within 1-4 weeks to seek other sources of food. Once bat bugs have found a host on which to live, bat bugs will become established the same way as bed bugs. They will hide in mattresses and box springs, bed frames, and furniture. Additionally, they will spread the same way as bed bugs.

Question 5

WHAT DO BAT BUGS EAT?

Accepted Answer

Bat bugs feed on the blood of bats. In the absence of bats, bat bugs will feed on any warm-blooded creature including birds, rodents, pets, and humans. Bat bugs are resilient and can survive up to a year without feeding after the bats have been eliminated or have vacated their roosting area. Bat bugs typically feed while the host is sleeping. The bug pierces the skin with its extended mouthparts, and it injects saliva as it probes for blood vessels and feeds on blood. Immature bat bugs can acquire a blood meal in a few minutes, whereas an adult bat bug will feed for ten to fifteen minutes. They then crawl to a hiding place to digest their meal.

Question 6

WHAT IS THE LIFE CYCLE OF BAT BUGS?

Accepted Answer

A blood feeding is required by the female in order to produce eggs. The females lay eggs on rough surfaces and in cracks, usually in the same areas where the bat bugs hide. Eggs hatch in one to two weeks, and nymphs can feed immediately. Nymphs must acquire a blood meal in order to molt and develop. Younger nymphs are practically colorless unless they have fed, in which case the blood meal creates a highly visible dark spot in their digestive tract. The exoskeleton becomes darker as the bug matures. Development from egg to adult averages 1.5 months, but developmental rates vary depending on food availability and environmental factors. Development from egg to adult may take from 2 weeks in warm, favorable conditions to more than 15 weeks in less favorable conditions. Multiple generations may occur within a year, since bat bugs can continue to breed throughout the season in the warmth of a structure.

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