Bed Bug Discrimination

Bed Bug Discrimination

All members of the bed bug family feed on the blood of birds or mammals. The bed bug, Cimex lectularius, attacks man, as does the Eastern bat bed bug, Cimex adjunctus. Other species exist that attack bats, pigeons, and rodents. Bed bugs are active only at night, usually just before dawn. During the day, they hide in cracks and crevices in walls, floors, beds, and furniture. When only a few bed bugs are present, they live close to human sleeping areas; when numerous, they can be found in many rooms of the house. A characteristic 'œbed bug odor' is frequently present in a home infested with bed bugs.

When bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) have adequate available blood sources they also have a shorter lifespan. Bed bugs who feed regularly have a lifespan of ten months, while those without adequate feeding can live a little more than a year. If a blood host is available, bedbugs can live to see three generations of offspring ready willing and hungry to prey on their human hosts.

Bed bugs (females) deposit three to eight eggs at a time. A total of 300-500 eggs can be produced by a single bug. Their eggs are 1/25'³ long and curved. They are often deposited in clusters and attached to cracks, crevices or rough surfaces near adult harborages with a sticky epoxy-like substance.

Eggs typically hatch in a week to 12 days. The freshly hatched nymph is beige-colored before feeding, and then turns a reddish color after getting a blood meal. There are 5 nymphal stages for bed bugs to reach maturity, which usually takes about 32-48 days. Adult bed bugs can survive for up to seven months without blood and have been known to live in empty buildings for up to one year.

Bed bugs are oval, chestnut-brown insects and are flattened from top to bottom. Adult bed bugs (Fig. 1) measure about ¼ inch in length. The mouthparts are shaped into an elongated proboscis, which, when not in use, is held directed backward underneath the body. When a bug is ready to feed, the proboscis is extended forward and the stylets within are thrust into the skin of a host. Mated female bed bugs deposit their eggs in their resting places. One female will produce about 345 eggs during her lifespan.

Bed bugs grow by molting several times. Nymphs look very much like the adults, except they are smaller and not sexually mature. There are five nymphal molts, and each nymph must have a blood meal to be able to molt to the next stage. Adults feed once a week on average but feed many times during their four-month or longer lifespan.

Bed bugs often come into a home via secondhand articles and furniture. They may also migrate between homes via wires, plumbing, or rain gutters. In addition, since warehouses, trucks, and railroad cars may be infested, common bed bugs can infest homes by stowing away on new furniture stored or shipped from these places.

The Eastern bat bed bug comes into homes in the spring with colonies of bats. They can be found in the living quarters of homes in many of the same places as common bed bugs, but the source of the infestation is located within walls or attic areas.

Bed bug infestations have been so relevant that even famous actors and actress are not immune to the problem. In 2006 Saturday Night Live star Maya Rudolph and her husband movie director Paul Anderson were chewed upon by bed bugs in their $13,500-a-monthSoHoluxury condo.
Also in 2006, Bed bugs made a cameo appearance on the popular series TheKingofQueens episode "Buggie Nights" and the Dateline NBC special "Bedbugs Bite". Currently there are shows on the Discovery and TLC channels which show the daily life of an exterminator and many of the episodes are filled with bed bugdrama .

Bed bug infestations have been so relevant that even famous actors and actress are not immune to the problem. In 2006SaturdayNightLivestar Maya Rudolph and her husband movie director Paul Anderson were chewed upon by bed bugs in their $13,500-a-month SoHo luxury condo.