diff --git a/lib/App/ClusterSSH/Host.pm b/lib/App/ClusterSSH/Host.pm
index 7c938af..0ef3238 100644
--- a/lib/App/ClusterSSH/Host.pm
+++ b/lib/App/ClusterSSH/Host.pm
@@ -10,9 +10,8 @@ use Carp;
 
 use base qw/ App::ClusterSSH::Base /;
 
-my %hostname_of;
-my %username_of;
-my %port_of;
+our %ssh_hostname_for;
+our %ssh_configs_read;
 
 sub new {
     my ( $class, %args ) = @_;
@@ -26,7 +25,27 @@ sub new {
         }
     }
 
-    my $self = $class->SUPER::new(%args);
+    my $self = $class->SUPER::new( ssh_config => "$ENV{HOME}/.ssh/config", %args );
+
+    # load in ssh hostname for later use
+    if(!%ssh_hostname_for || ! $ssh_configs_read{ $self->{ ssh_config } } )
+    {
+        $ssh_configs_read{ $self->{ ssh_config } } = 1;
+        if( open( my $ssh_config_fh, '<', $self->{ ssh_config }) ) {
+            while( my $_ = <$ssh_config_fh> ) {
+                chomp $_;
+                next unless (m/^\s*host\s+(.*)/i);
+                # account for multiple declarations of hosts
+                $ssh_hostname_for{$_} = 1 foreach ( split( /\s+/, $1 ) );
+            }
+            close($ssh_config_fh);
+
+            $self->debug(5, 'Have the following ssh hostnames');
+            $self->debug(5, '  "', $_, '"') foreach (sort keys %ssh_hostname_for);
+        } else {
+            $self->debug(3, 'Unable to read ', $self->{ ssh_config }, ': ', $!, $/);
+        };
+    }
 
     return $self;
 }
@@ -61,9 +80,7 @@ sub set_port {
 sub parse_host_string {
     my ( $self, $host_string ) = @_;
 
-    $self->debug( 5,
-        $self->loc('host_string="[_1]"', $host_string),
-    );
+    $self->debug( 5, $self->loc( 'host_string=" [_1] "', $host_string ), );
 
     # check for bracketed IPv6 addresses
     if ($host_string =~ m{
@@ -75,9 +92,7 @@ sub parse_host_string {
         }xms
         )
     {
-        $self->debug( 5,
-            $self->loc('bracketed IPv6: u=[_1] h=[_2] p=[_3]', $1, $2, $3),
-        );
+        $self->debug( 5, $self->loc( 'bracketed IPv6: u=[_1] h=[_2] p=[_3]', $1, $2, $3 ), );
         return __PACKAGE__->new(
             username => $1,
             hostname => $2,
@@ -96,9 +111,7 @@ sub parse_host_string {
         }xms
         )
     {
-        $self->debug( 5,
-            $self->loc('std IPv4: u=[_1] h=[_2] p=[_3]', $1, $2, $3),
-        );
+        $self->debug( 5, $self->loc( 'std IPv4: u=[_1] h=[_2] p=[_3]', $1, $2, $3 ), );
         return __PACKAGE__->new(
             username => $1,
             hostname => $2,
@@ -111,6 +124,7 @@ sub parse_host_string {
     # first, see if there is a username to grab
     my $username;
     if ( $host_string =~ s/\A(?:(.*)@)// ) {
+
         # catch where @ is in host_string but no text before it
         $username = $1 || undef;
     }
@@ -121,9 +135,7 @@ sub parse_host_string {
     # if there are 7 colons assume its a full IPv6 address
     # also catch localhost address here
     if ( $colon_count == 7 || $host_string eq '::1' ) {
-        $self->debug( 5,
-            $self->loc('IPv6: u=[_1] h=[_2] p=[_3]', $username, $host_string, ''),
-        );
+        $self->debug( 5, $self->loc( 'IPv6: u=[_1] h=[_2] p=[_3]', $username, $host_string, '' ), );
         return __PACKAGE__->new(
             username => $username,
             hostname => $host_string,
@@ -136,12 +148,10 @@ sub parse_host_string {
         && $colon_count < 8
         && $host_string =~ m/:(\d+)$/xsm )
     {
-        warn 'Ambiguous host string: "', $host_string, '"',   $/;
-        warn 'Assuming you meant "[',    $host_string, ']"?', $/;
+        warn 'Ambiguous host string: "', $host_string, '"',    $/;
+        warn 'Assuming you meant "[',   $host_string, ']"?', $/;
 
-        $self->debug( 5,
-            $self->loc('Ambiguous IPv6 u=[_1] h=[_2] p=[_3]', $username, $host_string, '')
-        );
+        $self->debug( 5, $self->loc( 'Ambiguous IPv6 u=[_1] h=[_2] p=[_3]', $username, $host_string, '' ) );
 
         return __PACKAGE__->new(
             username => $username,
@@ -152,15 +162,13 @@ sub parse_host_string {
     }
     else {
         my $port;
-        if( $host_string =~ s/:(\d+)$// ) {
+        if ( $host_string =~ s/:(\d+)$// ) {
             $port = $1;
         }
 
         my $hostname = $host_string;
 
-        $self->debug( 5,
-            $self->loc('Default parse u=[_1] h=[_2] p=[_3]', $username, $hostname, $port)
-        );
+        $self->debug( 5, $self->loc( 'Default parse u=[_1] h=[_2] p=[_3]', $username, $hostname, $port ) );
 
         return __PACKAGE__->new(
             username => $username,
@@ -174,6 +182,18 @@ sub parse_host_string {
     croak( 'Unable to parse hostname from "', $host_string, '"' );
 }
 
+sub check_ssh_hostname {
+    my ( $self, ) = @_;
+
+    $self->debug(4, 'Checking ssh hosts for hostname ', $self->get_hostname);
+
+    if($ssh_hostname_for{ $self->get_hostname } ) {
+        return 1;
+    } else {
+        return 0;
+    }
+}
+
 use overload (
     q{""} => sub {
         my ($self) = @_;
diff --git a/t/10host.t b/t/10host.t
index 0541407..e567079 100644
--- a/t/10host.t
+++ b/t/10host.t
@@ -130,8 +130,8 @@ $host = App::ClusterSSH::Host->parse_host_string('host%name');
 isa_ok( $host, "App::ClusterSSH::Host" );
 is( $host,               'host%name', 'stringify works' );
 is( $host->get_hostname, 'host%name', 'checking set works' );
-is( $host->get_port,     undef,      'checking set works' );
-is( $host->get_username, undef,      'username is undef' );
+is( $host->get_port,     undef,       'checking set works' );
+is( $host->get_username, undef,       'username is undef' );
 
 $host = undef;
 is( $host, undef, 'starting afresh' );
@@ -147,8 +147,8 @@ $host = App::ClusterSSH::Host->parse_host_string('host%name:2323');
 isa_ok( $host, "App::ClusterSSH::Host" );
 is( $host,               'host%name', 'stringify works' );
 is( $host->get_hostname, 'host%name', 'checking set works' );
-is( $host->get_port,     2323,       'checking set works' );
-is( $host->get_username, undef,      'username is undef' );
+is( $host->get_port,     2323,        'checking set works' );
+is( $host->get_username, undef,       'username is undef' );
 
 $host = undef;
 is( $host, undef, 'starting afresh' );
@@ -164,8 +164,8 @@ $host = App::ClusterSSH::Host->parse_host_string('username@host%name:2323');
 isa_ok( $host, "App::ClusterSSH::Host" );
 is( $host,               'host%name', 'stringify works' );
 is( $host->get_hostname, 'host%name', 'checking set works' );
-is( $host->get_port,     2323,       'checking set works' );
-is( $host->get_username, 'username', 'username is set' );
+is( $host->get_port,     2323,        'checking set works' );
+is( $host->get_username, 'username',  'username is set' );
 
 $host = undef;
 is( $host, undef, 'starting afresh' );
@@ -181,8 +181,8 @@ $host = App::ClusterSSH::Host->parse_host_string('username@host%name');
 isa_ok( $host, "App::ClusterSSH::Host" );
 is( $host,               'host%name', 'stringify works' );
 is( $host->get_hostname, 'host%name', 'checking set works' );
-is( $host->get_port,     undef,      'checking set works' );
-is( $host->get_username, 'username', 'username is set' );
+is( $host->get_port,     undef,       'checking set works' );
+is( $host->get_username, 'username',  'username is set' );
 
 diag('Parsing IPv4 IP address') if ( $ENV{TEST_VERBOSE} );
 
@@ -317,4 +317,56 @@ is( $host->get_hostname, '2001:0db8:85a3::8a2e:0370:7334', 'checking set works'
 is( $host->get_port,     undef,                            'port is undef' );
 is( $host->get_username, undef,                            'username is undef' );
 
+$host = undef;
+is( $host, undef, 'starting afresh' );
+
+trap {
+    $host = App::ClusterSSH::Host->new( hostname => 'ssh_test', ssh_config => $Bin . '/10host_ssh_config', );
+};
+is( $trap->leaveby, 'return', 'returned ok' );
+is( $trap->die,     undef,    'returned ok' );
+isa_ok( $host, "App::ClusterSSH::Host" );
+is( $host,                     'ssh_test', 'stringify works' );
+is( $host->check_ssh_hostname, 0,         'check_ssh_hostname ok for ssh_test', );
+
+for my $hostname ( 'server1', 'server2', 'server3', 'server4', 'server-5', 'server5.domain.name', 'server-6.domain.name' ) {
+
+    $host = undef;
+    is( $host, undef, 'starting afresh for ssh hostname checks' );
+
+    trap {
+        $host = App::ClusterSSH::Host->new( hostname => $hostname, ssh_config => $Bin . '/10host_ssh_config', );
+    };
+    is( $trap->leaveby, 'return', 'returned ok' );
+    is( $trap->die,     undef,    'returned ok' );
+    isa_ok( $host, "App::ClusterSSH::Host" );
+    is( $host,                     $hostname, 'stringify works' );
+    is( $host->check_ssh_hostname, 1,         'check_ssh_hostname ok for '. $hostname );
+
+}
+
+#$host = undef;
+#is( $host, undef, ' starting afresh for ssh hostname checks ' );
+#
+#trap {
+#    $host = App::ClusterSSH::Host->new( hostname => ' ssh_text ', ssh_config => $Bin . ' / 10 host_ssh_config ' );
+#};
+#is( $trap->leaveby, ' return ', ' returned ok ' );
+#is( $trap->die,     undef,    ' returned ok ' );
+#isa_ok( $host, "App::ClusterSSH::Host" );
+#is( $host, ' ssh_text ', ' stringify works ' );
+#is( $host->check_ssh_hostname, 0, ' check_ssh_hostname ok ');
+#
+#$host = undef;
+#is( $host, undef, ' starting afresh for ssh hostname checks ' );
+#
+#trap {
+#    $host = App::ClusterSSH::Host->new( hostname => ' ssh_text ', ssh_config => $Bin . ' / 10 host_ssh_config ' );
+#};
+#is( $trap->leaveby, ' return ', ' returned ok ' );
+#is( $trap->die,     undef,    ' returned ok ' );
+#isa_ok( $host, "App::ClusterSSH::Host" );
+#is( $host, ' ssh_text ', ' stringify works ' );
+#is( $host->check_ssh_hostname, 0, ' check_ssh_hostname ok ');
+
 done_testing();
diff --git a/t/10host_ssh_config b/t/10host_ssh_config
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c00bbc8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/t/10host_ssh_config
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+host server1
+host server2 server3 server4
+host server-5 
+host server5.domain.name
+host server-6.domain.name
+#host server7