The now familiar bed bug, Cimex lectularius, has a close relative, Cimex adjunctus, the bat bug. The bat bug has similar habits to the bed bug but its primary hosts are bats. Most of the time bat bugs harbor in cracks and crevices near areas where bats are roosting. The bat bugs emerge to feed on their host, then return to their harborage. Bat bugs can feed on humans and other animals, but do so when bats are unavailable. Occasionally, bats lodging in a home or building are excluded by sealing the entrances. The starving bat bugs left behind will search for other sources of blood meals. At one time, reports of bat bugs were more common in the US Midwest than bed bugs. This is no longer the case.
