bedbug

Bed bug on skin image by Pat Porter

Article author: Mike Merchant, Robert Puckett
Most recently reviewed by: (1970)

Common Name(s): bed bug, bedbug

Description

Bed bugs are small, reddish-brown, flattened insects that feed solely on the blood of animals. The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, is the species most adapted to living with humans. It has done so since ancient times.

Adult bed bugs are about 1/4 inch long and reddish brown, with oval, flattened bodies. Color and shape of bed bugs can vary depending upon if the bed bug has taken a blood meal (when fully fed, bed bugs tend to be more reddish and elongated whereas when they are unfed they are more brown and oval). They are sometimes mistaken for ticks or cockroaches. Immatures (nymphs) resemble adults, but are smaller and lighter in color. The youngest nymphs are approximately pinhead size and visible to the naked eye. Bed bugs do not have wings and do not fly, but can move quickly over floors, walls, ceilings and other surfaces.

Bed bug on dime, taken by Pat Porter

Origin and Distribution

Bed bugs prefer to hide close to where they feed. However if necessary, they will crawl quite a ways to obtain a blood meal. Initial infestations tend to be around beds (or other ares where people sleep- couches, etc.). While the majority of the population will remain near where people sleep, larger populations can spread into other areas of the room. They also can spread to adjacent rooms or apartments. This can be especially problematic for apartments, dorms, hotels or other multi-housing scenarios. For this reason, control must be comprehensive and pest management professionals must think 3-dimensionally.

When looking for bed bugs, inspect mattress, box springs, bed frame, headboards, nightstands or other furniture adjacent to the bed, under carpeting, behind baseboards, wall hangings, or loose wallpaper. Inspect in any crack or crevice that you can fit a business card into.

Habitat & Hosts

Bed bugs feed mostly at night, by piercing the skin of people as they sleep. When bed bugs are not feeding, they spend their time in large, dense aggregations that consist of all life stages from eggs to adult. They use chemical communication to locate each other in these groups that are typically in flat, dark spaces.

When bed bugs bite, they inject a fluid into the skin that assists them in obtaining blood. For some people, the fluid can cause the skin to become irritated, inflamed and to itch. In some cases, it may take several days for the reaction to occur.

If its feeding is undisturbed, a bed bug becomes completes its blood meal in 3 to 15 minutes. It then crawls back to its hiding place, where it remains for several days digesting its meal. When hunger returns, the bug emerges from hiding and seeks another meal of blood.

Life Cycle

Incomplete: egg- nymph- adult

The three life stages are egg, nymph and adult. Under favorable conditions of temperature (above 70° F) and regular feeding, female bed bugs can lay about 200 eggs during their lifetime at the rate of 3 or 4 per day. Eggs are coated with a sticky substance, allowing them to adhere to objects where they are deposited. Eggs hatch in 6 to 17 days and nymphs seek out a blood meal immediately.

After 5 molts, bed bugs reach maturity. However, bed bugs must obtain a blood meal before each molt and females must also feed before laying eggs. There may be 3 or more generations a year. Environmental factors and food availability causes considerable variation in the developmental rate of all stages of growth. Young and old bed bugs may live for several weeks to several months without feeding, depending upon the temperature.

Management

If you live in the State of Texas, contact your local county agent or entomologist for management information. If you live outside of Texas, contact your local extension for management options.

To control bed bugs in homes, locate their hiding places such as described above and treat with an insecticide approved for this use. Select a product whose label includes specific directions for bed bug control. Spray or dust beds (slats, springs and frame) and other hiding places about the room.

Because it is impossible to penetrate all hiding places, control is usually not immediate. A few living bugs may be seen for a week to 10 days after application. After 10 days, a second application, equal to the first is necessary to kill the just hatching nymphs. Pesticides used for bedbug control have a short residual life and so this second application is always needed. For heavily infested areas, it is recommended that a commercial pest control operator be consulted to control the infestation.

Always read and follow carefully the instructions on the container label.