Bed Bug Type; the Common Bed Bug

The most familiar type of bed bug is also the one most adapted to the human environment. It is the common bed bug (Cimex letularius).

Although infestation is often associated with clutter and inadequate housekeeping practices, this is not always the case. Bed bugs can be carried into households on pets, luggage, furniture, bedding, clothing - even humans.

• Bed bug identification - adult bed bugs grow from 1/8 to 3/16th of an inch long; about the size of an apple seed. Bodies are oval-shaped, flattened, and reddish brown; turning a darker red and nearly 3-times its usual size after feeding. They have non-functional wing pads and are slow-moving; microscopic hairs give them a banded appearance.
  
  
• Bed bug life cycle - laying up to five eggs daily, a female bed bug can parent 500 nymph young during a lifetime. A bed bug egg is milky white; so small it is invisible to the naked eye. Hatching within 7 to 14 days, young immediately begin to feed - one feast for each of their five molting stages until they reach maturity. A process that takes approximately 5 weeks in warm conditions.
  
  
• Bed bug behavior pattern - preferring to hide during daylight hours, they are drawn by warmth and the presence of carbon dioxide; typically, just before dawn. Bed bugs usually feed on victims during the night while they sleep; bite marks are caused by two hollow tubes that pierce the skin. One tube injects saliva containing an anesthetic that numbs pain, and an anticoagulant that helps keep blood flowing. Blood is drawn up into the second tube; feeding takes about five minutes. One common bed bug bite symptom is itching; caused by the saliva. The person's skin may develop a rash or become swollen. Scratching a bed bug bite often leads to infection. Although typically seeking blood every 5 to 10 days, bed bugs have been known to live up to 18 months without feeding.
  
  
• Additional information - widespread for centuries and still common up until around World War II, there was a dramatic bed bug population decline after the introduction of such toxic pesticide chemicals as DDT. Again on the rise, small quantities of bugs can be difficult to detect without proper knowledge of what to look for. A pungent odor, however, is commonly noticed when bed bug infestation is excessive. The cause of bed bug bad odor is an oil-like substance emitted through their bodies. Although not regarded as carriers of transmittable diseases, bed bugs can harbor pathogens; including plague and hepatitis B.