Community identification
Bed bug (likely nymph or small adult)
Cimex lectularius
- Order & Family
- Hemiptera; Cimicidae
- Size
- About 1–7 mm long; this specimen appears roughly 2–3 mm, though image scale is uncertain.
Natural Habitat
Mattress seams, bed frames, upholstered furniture, cracks, and other sheltered indoor locations near sleeping hosts.
Diet & Feeding
Feeds primarily on blood, usually from humans and other warm-blooded animals; adults and nymphs both bite.
Behavior Patterns
Wingless, reddish-brown, flattened insects that hide by day and emerge mainly at night. They can survive months without feeding and spread by hitchhiking in luggage, clothing, and furniture.
Risks & Benefits
Bites can cause itchy welts, allergic reactions, and sleep disruption, but bed bugs are not established vectors of disease. They provide negligible ecological benefit indoors.