Bed Bug

Natural Habitat

Found inside residential homes, apartments, hotels, and communal environments; they typically hide in mattress seams, bed frames, and furniture cracks near sleeping areas.

Diet & Feeding

Obligate hematophages (blood-feeders) that primarily consume human blood, but will feed on other warm-blooded animals if humans are unavailable.

Behavior Patterns

Nocturnal and elusive; they are attracted to heat and carbon dioxide. They undergo hemimetabolous metamorphosis (egg, nymph, adult) and require a blood meal to progress through each growth stage.

Risks & Benefits

Risks include itchy allergic reactions to bites, sleep deprivation, and psychological distress. While they do not transmit pathogens to humans, infestations are difficult and expensive to eradicate. They offer no known benefits to the ecosystem.

Identified on: 4/25/2026