Details
Cimex lectularius
The common bed bug is a small blood-feeding insect that lives around human dwellings. Wingless and flattened, it hides by day and feeds at night on sleeping hosts.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It is found worldwide wherever people live, hiding in bedding, furniture, wall gaps and luggage. It does not live permanently on the host, approaching mainly to feed.
Adults are about 4-7 mm long. The body is flat, oval and reddish brown, becoming darker and swollen after a blood meal, while nymphs are paler and smaller.
Nocturnal by habit, it locates hosts using carbon dioxide, warmth and odor cues. Several individuals may gather in the same refuge.
Humans are the main hosts, though birds and other mammals can also be bitten. Bed bugs can carry microbes, but they are not considered major disease vectors for people.
Females lay tiny eggs in shelters, and nymphs molt after repeated blood meals. Warm indoor conditions with available hosts can support rapid population growth.
Bites may cause itching, skin reactions and psychological stress. Movement in luggage and used furniture has helped the species spread again in many cities.
