Bed Bug

Indoor human environments, hiding in mattress seams, bed frames, furniture cracks, baseboards, and wall crevices near sleeping areas.

Obligate hematophage; feeds exclusively on the blood of warm-blooded animals, primarily humans.

Nocturnal feeding habits, attracted to body heat and carbon dioxide. They crawl and hide in tight cracks during the day, reproducing rapidly through traumatic insemination and passing through five nymphal stages requiring blood meals to molt.

Risks include itchy skin bites, allergic reactions, secondary skin infections from scratching, sleep deprivation, and psychological distress. They do not transmit human pathogens effectively. They offer no beneficial ecological services in human habitations.