Bed Bug
Scientific Name: Cimex lectularius
Order & Family: Order Hemiptera, Family Cimicidae
Size: 1 to 7 millimeters in length, depending on life stage and whether they have recently fed.
Natural Habitat
Found globally in human dwellings, typically nesting in mattress seams, bed frames, headboards, and cracks or crevices of furniture.
Diet & Feeding
Obligate hematophages, primarily feeding on human blood, though they may feed on other warm-blooded animals if humans are unavailable.
Behavior Patterns
Nocturnal parasites that hide during the day and emerge at night to feed. They undergo incomplete metamorphosis (egg, nymph, and adult) and require a blood meal to advance between each of the five nymphal stages.
Risks & Benefits
They do not known to transmit diseases, but their bites can cause allergic reactions, skin rashes, and significant psychological distress or sleeplessness. They provide no known ecological benefits to human environments.
Identified on: 6/6/2026