Bat bug and bed bug are both identical bugs, it could seem complicated to spot their infestation. In this article, we will match them as bat bug vs bed bug to explore their similarities and differences, and also know how to identify them.
Before we proceed, we will briefly look at what are bat bugs and bed bugs just in case you have little or no ideas about them.
What is a Bat Bug?
Bat bugs or Anthracnose are parasitic blood-sucking insects that prey mostly on bats. Members of the Polyctenidae and the Cimicidae families have both been given the name.
Appearance: It is not uncommon for bat bugs to be mistaken for bed bugs due to their striking resemblance. It is only possible to tell the difference between them under the microscope. If given the chance, bat bugs will bite humans as well.
Reproduction: Growth from egg to adult can take anything from 2 weeks to more than 15 weeks in optimum conditions, with an average of 1.5 months.
Food: Adults can go up to a year or longer without food. A blood meal is required for the nymph to molt and the adult female to lay eggs in the common bedbug.
In addition to bats, bat bugs will eat other warm-blooded animals, including humans, if their roost location is disturbed. It’s annoying, but it’s not harmful. No diseases have been linked to bat bugs.
Habitat: There have been reports of bat bugs in Scotland and the Midwest of the United States. They are discovered in homes and buildings that are frequented by bats.
Bats are the most common source of infestations in human homes, as they carry the bugs on their backs. Attics, chimneys, and other areas frequented by bats are common breeding grounds for bat bugs. However, if the bats leave or are eliminated, you can explore the rest of the building.
Read also: Bat Bites: Do Bats Bites Humans?
What is a Bed Bug?
Insects from the Cimex genus that feed on blood are known as a bed bug. Skin rashes, psychological consequences, and allergic reactions can all come from their bites.
Bed bug bites can cause a wide range of skin changes, from minor redness to full-blown blisters.
Species: To a large extent, the common bedbug and Cimex hemipterus are the only two species of bedbugs known. They are between 1 and 7 mm in diameter. It is believed that they spread by crawling from one place to another or by being carried in personal belongings.
Infestation: High-density areas are more likely to be infested than low-density areas. Detecting the bugs and observing the occurrence of related symptoms are essential to determining the cause of the problem. Many bed bugs hide in crevices like mattress seams or wall cracks because they prefer the darkness.
Appearance: These blood-sucking insects may go up to 70 days without food at any stage of growth and can only thrive on human blood. Flat, oblong, and lacking hind wings, adult Cimex are light brown to reddish brown.
The front wings have been reduced to pad-like structures that are all that remain of them. Adults can reach lengths of 4–5 mm and widths of 1.5–3 mm.
Reproduction: Female common bed bugs can produce up to 200–500 eggs in their lifetime, but female tropical bed bugs can produce only approximately 50 eggs.
Growth: As nymphs, bed bugs go through five distinct developmental stages before reaching sexual maturity as adults. Bed bugs must feed on blood before they can progress to the next developmental stage.
Ecdysis is a process through which they lose their outer exoskeleton at each stage. Nymphs hatch out translucent and lighter in color, then as they mature and moult, they turn brown.
Food: Bedbugs are a must in any home. They use their mouths to cut through the skin and inject anticoagulants and medicines into their saliva. Humans’ sensitivity ranges from severe allergic reactions to no reaction at all, depending on the individual.
When a large number of bugs feed on a limited region, reddish blotches may appear after the swelling has subsided. Exposed skin, particularly the face, neck and arms of a sleeping person, is preferred by bedbugs.
Habitat: Carbon dioxide, temperature, and specific chemicals all play a role in attracting bed bugs to their hosts. Without any other host indications, bed bugs have been shown to respond and orient themselves toward the smell of humans. Because it feeds just once every five to seven days, Cimex lectularius appears to spend most of its existence seeking for a host.
Read also: How to Remove Bed Bugs Infestation Permanently
Bat Bug vs Bed Bug: Identification
Below are the various facts you need to identify a bat bug and a bed bug.
How to identify Bat Bug
Aside from being flattened between feedings like other members of the Cimicidae family, bat bugs are also oval-shaped. Adults are around 6 mm long and often brown or red in color after eating.
In order to tell the difference between bat bugs and bed bugs, a microscope or magnifying lens may be required. The longer thorax-body fringe hairs on the bat insect differ significantly from those on the bed bug.
Read also: 5 Facts You Must Know About Bed Bug Bites
How to Identify Bed Bug
Bed bugs are parasite insects that feed on blood, which is why they are attracted to people. Bed bugs have the ability to bite and create rashes. They prefer warm places to hide, such as the cracks and crevices of mattresses, furniture, and bedding.
Bed bugs are little and their size varies depending on where they are in their life cycle. Immature bed bugs, also known as nymphs, are 2-5 millimeters long, whereas fully grown adult bed bugs are a quarter of an inch or more.
Adult bed bugs have no wings and have a flat, oval-shaped body with six legs and two antennae. The hue of nymph (immature) bed bugs is transparent.
A nymph’s brilliant red translucent abdomen will fade to brown and then black as it digests its meal after feeding.
Read also: How to Get Rid of Bats Easily
Bat Bug vs Bed Bug: Similarities
The appearance and behavior of a bat bug and a bed bug is strikingly similar. In truth, there isn’t much of a difference between them if you look at them from a distance (or even up close). They crawl, feed, and breed in exactly the same way.
Bed bugs have a reddish-brown tint, but bat bugs are either beige or dark brown in color, but they are so small that you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
So, if you want to observe specific changes, you’ll need to use a microscope to see that bat bugs have longer hair on their upper thorax covering.
Bat Bug vs Bed Bug: Differences
Bat bug and bed bug share one major distinction, their culinary choices. A bat bug prefer bats over human blood, while a bed bug prefer human blood.
Furthermore, while bat bugs have been seen to feed on human hosts when there isn’t a bat present, they are unable to reproduce without a bat host.
Below are distinct difference between a bat bug and a bed bug.
| Comparing | Bat Bug | Bed Bug |
| · Color
· size · Legs
· Host Preference
· Mode of Feeding
· Diseases
· Habitat |
· Mahogany to a rusty brown tint is the most common shade.
· An apple seed is about the same size as an adult aphid. · 6 legs.
· Skin that has been left bare.
· It takes them anywhere from five to fifteen minutes to eat every three to four days. · When bat bugs bite, they do not transmit any diseases to people. · Bat roosting sites tend to have cracks and crevices where bat bugs can be found in abundance.
|
· Dark brown or reddish-brown.
· It is common for adults to measure about 6 mm in length. · 6 limbs.
· Bats, human and other animal flesh, and insects. · If food is available, they feed every five to ten days or once a week. · Bedbugs do not carry any diseases.
· Their colonies can be found on popular sleeping surfaces such as a bed or a mattress, such as couches. |
Conclusion
Bat bug vs bed bug are considered to be illegal in some nations even though they pose a health risk. Any issue with bat bug and bed bug should be handled by a qualified pest control company to ensure complete elimination is done.
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