Bed Bug Management Guidelines–UC IPM

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Bed bugs adults and nymphs. Scale bar represents 5 millimeters.

Bed bug eggs on paper. Eyespots are visible as red dots on the developing bed bug embryos.

Life stages of a bed bug. The five nymphal stages each require a blood meal before molting to the next stage. The increments on the ruler are millimeters.

Bed bug bites cause swellings that become red and irritated when scratched. Some people, however, exhibit no visible symptoms after being bitten.

Fecal spots of bed bugs. Eggs and cast skin (exuviae) are visible in the upper left-hand corner.

Bed bugs are blood-sucking insects in the family Cimicidae. Both nymphs and adults feed on sleeping or sedentary humans, mostly at night, a time when this pests stealthy habits are difficult to observe.

Bed bugs are found worldwide in association with human habitations. The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, is a widely distributed species most frequently found in the northern temperate climates of North America, Europe, and Central Asia. It occurs more sporadically in southern temperate regions. In tropical regions C. hemipterus, the tropical bed bug, is the dominant species. The most common species found in California is C. lectularius.

The growth and development of C. lectularius is optimal when it feeds on humans; however, this insect also feeds on other species of mammals and on birds found near the home including chickens, mice, rats, and rabbits. Bat bugs and swallow bugs, close relatives of bed bugs, may also be found in and around human dwellings and may sometimes bite humans, although their preferred hosts are bats and birds, respectively.

Until recently, bed bug infestations were thought to be associated primarily with crowded and dilapidated housing. However, bed bugs have undergone a resurgence in pest status and can now be found even in the finest hotel and living accommodations. The reasons for this resurgence arent totally understood but appear to involve increased global travel and commerce, ease of movement of infested items, widespread insecticide resistance, and changes in pesticides available to control this pest.

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Bed Bug Management Guidelines--UC IPM