Bat bug

Bat bug

Bat bugs feed on blood from bats, but when they wander away from the bat roost area, they will feed on other warm-blooded animals, including people. This feeding is an annoyance but is not dangerous. Bat bugs have not been found to transmit any diseases.

Controlling bat bugs requires the elimination of any bats that are present in the home or building. This is accomplished by exclusion techniques also known as "building them out" (i.e., sealing entrance cracks and holes). There are no pesticides to control bats in attics. The best time to seal bats out of the house is late summer to fall. In addition to eliminating the bats you may need to control the bugs themselves. This can be done by applying residual insecticides labeled for indoor use against bat bugs to cracks, crevices, or other bat bug hiding places.