Bat Bugs vs. Bed Bugs: Why Pest Control Failed
It is a nightmare scenario: you wake up with itchy bites. You inspect your mattress and find tiny, reddish-brown bugs. You call a pest control company, pay hundreds of dollars for a bed bug treatment, and a week later… the bugs are back.
The problem likely isn’t the treatment; it’s the diagnosis. You may not have bed bugs at all. You might have Bat Bugs.
The Look-Alikes
Cimex lectularius (Bed Bug) and Cimex adjunctus (Bat Bug) look nearly identical to the naked eye. They are the same shape, size, and color.
- The Microscope Test: The only way to tell them apart for sure is to look at the hair on their thorax (neck area) under a microscope. Bat bugs have longer hairs than bed bugs.
Why Identification Matters
Bed bugs hitchhike on luggage and clothes. Bat bugs hitchhike on bats.
- The Source: Bat bugs live on the bodies of bats roosting in your attic or chimney.
- The Migration: If the bats leave (migration) or are excluded, the hungry bat bugs are left behind. They crawl down through light fixtures and wall voids into the bedroom below, looking for a new host: You.
Why Spraying Fails
If you treat your bedroom for bugs but leave the colony of bats in the attic, the source of the infestation remains. As long as there are bats, there will be bat bugs. You can spray every day, but new bugs will constantly drop down from the ceiling.
The Solution: A Two-Step Process
- Evict the Bats: This is the primary step. You must hire a wildlife professional (like HWCS) to perform a legal bat exclusion. We seal the attic and install one-way valves to let the bats fly out.
- Treat the Home: Once the primary hosts (the bats) are gone, a pest control professional can effectively treat the living space to kill the remaining bugs.
If you are fighting a losing battle against “bed bugs” and you have seen bats around your roofline, stop spraying and start inspecting your attic.