Bed bug

Mattresses, bed frames, upholstered furniture, cracks, and other sheltered indoor areas near sleeping hosts.

Feeds exclusively on blood, mainly from humans but also other warm-blooded animals. It pierces skin with specialized mouthparts and feeds at night.

Nocturnal, wingless, and cryptic; it hides during daylight and can survive months without feeding. Females lay eggs in protected crevices, and infestations spread through luggage, clothing, and furniture.

Bites cause itchy, inflamed welts and may trigger allergic reactions, but bed bugs are not known to transmit human disease. They provide little ecological benefit indoors.