Bed bug vs bat bug - Ask Extension
We have found these bugs crawling on the ceiling of 2 upstairs bathrooms.
I have the live bugs in a ziplock bag.
Can we bring the bugs in for ce...
Knowledgebase
Bed bug vs bat bug #843840
Asked August 02, 2023, 1:38 PM EDT
We have found these bugs crawling on the ceiling of 2 upstairs bathrooms.
I have the live bugs in a ziplock bag.
Can we bring the bugs in for certain identification.
Dakota County Minnesota
Expert Response
Hi,
Sorry you are seeing these. We don't have anyone who can identify these in person, but you can tell them apart with a little extra magnification. By looking closely at their head area, you can tell the difference between the two. I like the picture included in this University of Nebraska resource, it clearly lays out how to tell the two apart. I can't quite make it out which one it is based on a phone picture, but you could see these differences.
https://lancaster.unl.edu/know-your-bugs-you-treat-bed-vs-bat
Marissa Schuh
Horticulture Integrated Pest Management Educator
Sorry you are seeing these. We don't have anyone who can identify these in person, but you can tell them apart with a little extra magnification. By looking closely at their head area, you can tell the difference between the two. I like the picture included in this University of Nebraska resource, it clearly lays out how to tell the two apart. I can't quite make it out which one it is based on a phone picture, but you could see these differences.
https://lancaster.unl.edu/know-your-bugs-you-treat-bed-vs-bat
Marissa Schuh
Horticulture Integrated Pest Management Educator
Is there someplace that has an entomologist that can identify, obviously changes the big picture treatment plan. That was the best pic i could get from my real camera!
CB
Hi Charlie,
It looks like you are in Dakota county, which doesn't have an educator who can look at this in person. These guys are a little too small to ID from a picture, I recommend taking a close look yourself at the bugs in the bag and comparing them to the images in these links.
https://extension.umn.edu/biting-insects/bed-bugs#bed-bug-relatives-3011660
https://lancaster.unl.edu/know-your-bugs-you-treat-bed-vs-bat
https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/bat-bug
Marissa
It looks like you are in Dakota county, which doesn't have an educator who can look at this in person. These guys are a little too small to ID from a picture, I recommend taking a close look yourself at the bugs in the bag and comparing them to the images in these links.
https://extension.umn.edu/biting-insects/bed-bugs#bed-bug-relatives-3011660
https://lancaster.unl.edu/know-your-bugs-you-treat-bed-vs-bat
https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/bat-bug
Marissa
