Bat Bugs in Michigan- The Hidden Pest After Bat Removal

To the naked eye, bat bugs and bed bugs look nearly identical—they are both small, flat, oval-shaped, and reddish-brown. The primary difference lies in their microscopic anatomy (bat bugs have longer hairs on their upper thorax) and, more importantly, their preferred host. While bed bugs feed exclusively on human blood, bat bugs have evolved to feed primarily on the blood of bats. If you are finding what looks like bed bugs, but they are concentrated near attics, chimneys, or ceiling light fixtures rather than just mattresses, it is highly likely you are dealing with bat bugs.

Yes, bat bugs will bite humans if their primary food source (bats) is no longer available. Their bites are very similar to bed bug bites and can cause red, itchy welts on the skin. However, there is good news: bat bugs cannot survive and reproduce solely on human blood. Furthermore, like bed bugs, they are not known to transmit any infectious diseases to humans. The bites are a nuisance and can cause allergic reactions, but they are not a major health threat.

The only way to permanently solve a bat bug issue is to address the root cause: the bats. Treating the living space for bugs will fail if a bat colony is still residing in the attic. The process requires a two-step approach backed by professional experience:

• Step 1: Perform a humane, live-exclusion to safely evict the bats from the structure and completely seal all entry points so they cannot return.

• Step 2: Once the home is entirely bat-proofed, the roosting area (the attic or wall voids) must be thoroughly cleaned of guano and treated specifically for the remaining bat bugs.

The timeline depends on the season, the weather, and the size of the colony. The physical installation of the one-way exclusion devices and the initial sealing of the house usually takes a day or two. However, the devices must be left in place for a specific period—typically several days to a couple of weeks—to ensure every single bat has flown out. Once the home is clear, the technician returns to remove the devices and seal the final holes.

Relying on standard, store-bought bug sprays or "bug bombs" is highly discouraged. Not only are these broad-spectrum chemical poisons often ineffective at penetrating deep into the attic crevices where bat bugs hide, but they can also pose unnecessary toxic risks to your household. A professional approach prioritizes ethical wildlife exclusion first, followed by targeted, non-toxic, or ecologically responsible remediation methods—such as specialized desiccant dusts applied directly to the roosting areas—to eliminate the bugs safely and completely.