Bat Bugs After Bat Removal in Texas: Bat Bug vs. Bed Bug

Some Texas homeowners get bats out of the attic, then start finding small reddish-brown bugs that look exactly like bed bugs. They are often bat bugs. Here is what university extension entomologists say about why they appear, how to tell them apart, and how they are controlled.

The short version

Bat bugs are parasites of bats. They live in the roost and feed on bat blood. They look so much like bed bugs that the two cannot be told apart without high magnification.
They often show up after the bats are gone. When bats leave or are excluded, bat bugs left in the roost start moving into the house, usually within one to four weeks, looking for a new host.
They can bite people, but they need bats to keep breeding. Without bats, the population dies out over time.
The fix is different from bed bugs. Get the bats out first, then treat the roost area and the paths that lead into living space.

What bat bugs are

Bat bugs are close relatives of the bed bug. According to Michigan State University’s Plant & Pest Diagnostics, they are ectoparasites of bats and occasionally birds, they resemble bed bugs in both appearance and habit, and the two cannot be separated without high-power magnification. When bat bugs are found in a home, MSU says it is very likely that bats are roosting in the attic or walls, or that bird nests are attached to the house.

In the wild, bat bugs live in cracks and crevices wherever bats roost. In a building, NC State’s urban entomology program says that usually means attics, wall voids, unused chimneys, and similar places.

Why they appear after bats leave

This is the part that surprises people. NC State explains that when bats leave, die, or are removed or excluded, bat bugs begin moving inside the structure within one to four weeks to feed on other hosts, including people. Extension Foundation experts say the same thing: problems can temporarily increase right after bat removal as the remaining bugs search for new hosts.

Purdue’s Plant and Pest Diagnostic Lab notes the good news: bat bugs are primary parasites of bats, not humans, and without bats the population cannot persist and reproduce. They may bite people the way bed bugs do, but they cannot sustain themselves on people over the long run.

Bat bug or bed bug?

You can’t reliably tell them apart by eye. MSU says it takes high-power magnification, and NC State recommends getting a positive identification quickly if you see what looks like bed bugs coming from a chimney, an attic opening, or another unusual place. Where they turn up is the best clue you have at home:

Bugs near ceiling light fixtures, attic hatches, vents, chimneys, or upper walls under a known or suspected roost point to bat bugs.
Bugs concentrated in mattress seams, box springs, and bed frames, with no bats in the building, point to bed bugs.
A recent bat problem, especially a recent exclusion, makes bat bugs much more likely.

Purdue stresses that the difference matters because the control approach is completely different. A county extension office or a pest management professional can identify a specimen. Save a few in a sealed bag or a small jar of rubbing alcohol.

How bat bugs are controlled

Every extension source above starts in the same place: the bats have to be out of the building and kept out. NC State says the bats must be excluded or removed first, followed by thorough crack-and-crevice and spot treatments of residual insecticide in the roost area, with special attention to light fixtures, vents, plumbing chases, and chimneys that lead indoors. Purdue adds cleaning up guano and roost residue, then treating cracks and crevices near the roost to stop bugs before they reach people. The Extension Foundation answer also recommends sealing off the roost area from living space.

In Texas, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s bat management fact sheet says bats can attract mites, ticks, and fleas, and that depending on the roost location you may need to apply a desiccant or insecticide dust after eviction to kill ectoparasites that entered the structure. The same fact sheet is clear that it is not legal to use pesticides against the bats themselves; exclusion is the only safe and effective way to permanently evict them. Follow every pesticide label, and consider a licensed pest management professional for treatment inside living areas.

Expect it to take a little while. NC State says it is not unusual to keep seeing bat bugs in living areas for several weeks after treatment before they are gone for good.

Timing the bat work in Texas

Bat bugs are one more reason to deal with a roost properly. TPWD discourages bat exclusion from May 1 to August 15 while flightless pups are in the roost, so the main exclusion windows in most of Texas are mid-August through fall and again in early spring. Plan the bug treatment for the weeks right after exclusion, when the bugs start moving. For the full process, see how to get rid of bats in your attic, and for droppings, read our guano and histoplasmosis guide before cleaning anything.

This guide is general information. Identify any insect before treating it, and follow pesticide labels.

Frequently asked questions

What are bat bugs?

Bat bugs are close relatives of bed bugs that live in bat roosts and feed on bat blood. Michigan State University says the two look so alike that they cannot be told apart without high-power magnification.

Why do I see bugs after the bats were removed?

When bats leave or are excluded, the bat bugs left in the roost lose their host. NC State says they begin moving into the building within one to four weeks to look for another host, which can include people.

Do bat bugs bite people?

They can. Without bats, bat bugs may bite people the way bed bugs do, but Purdue notes they cannot keep a population going without bats, so they die out over time.

How do you get rid of bat bugs?

Exclude the bats first, then have the roost area and the paths into living space treated with crack-and-crevice insecticides or dusts labeled for that use, and seal openings between the attic and the rooms below. Sightings can continue for several weeks after treatment.

Can I spray the bats to get rid of the bugs?

No. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension says it is not legal to use pesticides against bats. Exclusion is the safe and effective way to evict them, and TPWD discourages exclusion from May 1 to August 15.

Sources

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