Community identification
Bed Bug
Cimex lectularius
- Order & Family
- Hemiptera, Cimicidae
- Size
- 4 to 5 millimeters
Natural Habitat
Indoor environments, particularly in cracks and crevices of beds, mattresses, furniture, and baseboards.
Diet & Feeding
Hematophagous; feeds exclusively on the blood of humans and other warm-blooded animals.
Behavior Patterns
Nocturnal and elusive, hiding during the day and emerging at night to feed. They go through incomplete metamorphosis with five nymphal stages.
Risks & Benefits
Risks include painful, itchy bites, secondary skin infections from scratching, and psychological distress. They provide no known ecological benefits to human indoor environments.