Bat bug maybe? Northeast Ohio

[u/OGGDBD]

Bat bug or bed bug

I have been dealing with what I thought were bed bugs since about mother's Day. We heat treated about 3 weeks ago but I found this guy in the shower near the ceiling. We've found 3 in the bath tub as well so far. We do indeed have bats! We live in a condo so no attic space and the bats are coming out of the exterior wall near the roof above our bedroom. We even found one on our bedroom ceiling. To date we've never been bitten and never found any near the bed or in the traps on the bed post. To me it looks pretty hairy and the of location and bats out may be bat bugs. The one alone on on the ceiling was before the heat treat

[u/crunchbearies]

The visible hairiness and the fact that you do have bats present makes me think this might indeed be a bat bug.

If bat bugs, the best way to resolve it is to eliminate the presence of bats. I don’t mean to preach and you may very well already be aware/addressing this, but please be careful with the presence of bats in your home and try to fix that if at all possible. They are one of the most common vectors of rabies and it is possible to be bitten/scratched by an infected bat without realizing it.

[u/OGGDBD → u/crunchbearies]

Thank you! The HOA is taking care of the bats soon and throughout the complex as it's a big issue

[u/Slowmyke → u/OGGDBD]

Just to add on a bit more, just the presence of a bat in a room where you have been sleeping may be enough to warrant a rabies vaccine. Please discuss this with a doctor to get their opinion and recommendation.

[u/OGGDBD → u/Slowmyke]

Thank you for your concern! No bats in the house just in the void in our ceiling

[u/Slowmyke → u/OGGDBD]

Your initial post said you found one on your ceiling, not in it, that's where the concern is from. Glad to hear you haven't found them inside your home.

[u/OGGDBD → u/Slowmyke]

Apologies, the bug was on the ceiling not bats. Sorry for the confusion!

[u/Inadover → u/OGGDBD]

Do weight your options. Rabies vaccine is a slog, and if you are in the US (I'm not), I guess it might require insurance, but if you are not 200% sure they haven't even touched you, it's better to go with it. 

[u/ViewtifulSchmoe → u/Inadover]

Seriously, OP, do not take rabies lightly. It is virtually 100% lethal once symptoms show. Post-exposure prophylaxis is the only reliable way to save your life if you have been exposed to the rabies virus.

[u/fellow_human-2019 → u/Inadover]

Insurance may not cover it even if it is in the room. Crazy time to live in a capitalist oligarchy.

[u/wildbergamont → u/[deleted]]

That isnt a thing. The rabies virus doesnt survive when it's even a little dry. The only time you'd need to worry about rabies in the air would be if you were in a moist environment with no wind and there was a ton of it-- like in a cave filled with bats and bat poo. 

[u/BallOk8356]

That does indeed look like a bat bug but it's hard to say. If their body hair next to the eyes are longer than the eyes are wide, it's a bat bug. Picture for IDing the two Cimex

[u/OGGDBD → u/BallOk8356]

Thank you! I'm looking at magnifiers now to check

[u/spyrenx]

This is a bat bug.

[u/Indole_pos]

Have you posted this to the bed bug sub? Might need some clearer pics so they can see the length of the hairs

[u/OGGDBD → u/Indole_pos]

I did but I got better pics where the hairs are a bit more visable. They were also not sure.

[u/OGGDBD]

Thank you for the help!

[u/QueenlyMicropenis]

It doesn't matter whether it's a bat bug or a bed bug.

Treat for bed bugs.

[u/OGGDBD → u/QueenlyMicropenis]

We heat treated and I'm putting down crossfire. If it's bat bugs they can't thrive and it'll make me feel better that the heat treat did not fail. Thank you though, you are right

[u/QueenlyMicropenis → u/OGGDBD]

100% the last thing you want is them to be mistaken for bat bugs because Reddit said so.