
Community identification
Bed bug (inferred from bite marks)
Cimex lectularius
- Order & Family
- Hemiptera: Cimicidae
- Size
- 4 to 5 mm (adult length)
Natural Habitat
Indoor human environments, specifically mattresses, bed frames, furniture seams, and baseboard crevices.
Diet & Feeding
Hematophagous; feeds exclusively on the blood of warm-blooded animals, predominantly humans.
Behavior Patterns
Nocturnal feeding habits, emerging from hiding places in darkness to feed on sleeping hosts. Bite marks often appear in linear or clustered patterns, commonly referred to as 'breakfast, lunch, and dinner' tracks.
Risks & Benefits
Risks include localized allergic skin reactions, intense itching, secondary bacterial skin infections from scratching, sleep disturbance, and psychological stress. They are not known to transmit infectious human diseases.