Bed Bug (Nymph or Cast Skin)

Natural Habitat

Found indoors, typically near sleeping areas such as mattress seams, box springs, bed frames, behind headboards, and in cracks or crevices of furniture.

Diet & Feeding

Hematophagous (blood-feeding); they feed exclusively on the blood of warm-blooded animals, preferring humans.

Behavior Patterns

Nocturnal and cryptic; they hide during the day in tight crevices and emerge at night to feed. They go through five nymphal stages, shedding their skin (molting) at each stage, which leaves behind the translucent cast skins often seen in infestations.

Risks & Benefits

Risks: Their bites can cause itchy red welts, allergic reactions, anxiety, and insomnia. While they are not known to transmit disease, infestations are psychologically distressing and difficult to eradicate. Benefits: None known.

Identified on: 2/22/2026