The Biology of The Common Bed Bug

Bed bugs and humans have co-existed each other since time immemorial even when humans are still living in caves. Thus, it will be natural for someone to find out what is it with the bed bug that made it so persistent through time. The common bed bug is related to the other true bugs under the order Hemiptera and the family Cimicidae. They are referred to as ectoparasites or parasites that thrive outside the body of its host. It is believed that bed bugs originally infested cave bats and when humans started to dwell in caves so does the bed bug started infesting humans as well.

The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, is found everywhere in the temperate areas of the northern and southern hemisphere as long as there are houses and cities. This is so because bedbugs love to live in temperatures and humidity that people also love. Even the tropics are not exempted from the presence of bed bugs. The tropical bed bug, Cimex hemipterus can be found in the tropical regions such as Peru, Brazil and the Central American countries.

Physically, a matured bed bug is about 6-7 millimeters long, oval-shaped, flat and has a reddish-brown coloration. They also have a beak, an antennae and wings that are not functional as these are just remnants of their ancient ancestors. It will be awesome to think that in ancient times, bed bugs can fly!

Bed bugs can be identified also through their odor because they give a musty-sweet odor, which is caused by certain chemicals made by a gland located in their bodies. It is this odor that dogs can be trained to smell and detect a bed bug infestation in homes.

Bed bugs feed on blood. One bug can fill itself with blood in 3-15 minutes! Sometimes because they have taken large amounts of blood, they excrete this, which creates the red spots found in bed bug-infested beds and sheets. The life cycle of the bed bug is between four to five weeks. This cycle is divided in 5 life stages and a bug is required to have at least one meal of blood in order to move from life stage to the next. Matured males and females must feed on blood at least every 14 days in order for it to reproduce younger bugs. A female bug can produce at least 500 eggs in her entire lifetime, which is usually 6-12 months.

Since bed bugs do not have wings, their ability to move around is very limited. A bug can move at a maximum of 20 feet in order to seek its breeding area and host. The reason by these bugs can easily bring itself to where people are that these bugs are effective hitchhikers, attaching themselves to clothes and bags.

These bugs are most active in their feeding during the night time when people are asleep thus making these bugs effective in preying on humans. When they feed they also release a chemical to the bite area that will make their bite painless and undetectable. People will just wake up in the morning with rashes and sometimes an allergic reaction.

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