TAMU Bed Bugs Texas A&M University Center for Urban …

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Cimex lecturlarius

The vast majority of people have never seen or heard of bed bugs except in the context of some mystical boogie man. Parents would commonly say, Sleep tight, dont let the bed bugs bite, as children were put to bed. In fact, bed bugs were also relatively rare for researchers to encounter until the past decade or so. This was largely due in part to the wide spread use and availability of insecticides and improved hygiene.

Once the scourge of every homeowner, bed bugs were thought to have disappeared, particularly with the widespread use of DDT during the 1940s and 1950s. However, there have been nascent populations which have continuously existed throughout the world. Locations in the near and middle east, Africa, Central and South America and Europe have all remained. More recent attention to the presence of bed bugs has been observed in the United States and Australia where they have become highly visible in the hotel and lodging industry. They are increasingly being encountered in homes, apartments, hotels, motels, dormitories, shelters and modes of transport. It is widely believed that international travel and immigration have contributed to the resurgence of bed bugs in this country as well as others. Reliance on integrated pest management (IPM) practices which do not use insecticides and the reduction in the number of different active ingredients are among factors believed to have contributed to this current resurgence trend

Bed bugs are small, brownish, flattened insects that feed solely on the blood of animals. The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, is the species most adapted to living with humans. It has done so since ancient times.

Adult bed bugs are about 1/4 inch long and reddish brown, with oval, flattened bodies. They are sometimes mistaken for ticks or cockroaches. The immatures (nymphs) resemble the adults, but are smaller and somewhat lighter in color. Bed bugs do not fly, but can move quickly over floors, walls, ceilings and other surfaces.

Under favorable conditions of temperature (above 70 F) and regular feeding, female bed bugs will lay about 200 eggs during her lifetime at the rate of 3 or 4 per day. Eggs are coated with a sticky substance, causing them to adhere to objects on which they are deposited. The eggs hatch in 6 to 17 days and the nymphs begin to feed on blood immediately. After 5 molts, bed bugs reach maturity. There may be 3 or more generations a year. Environmental factors and the availability of food will cause considerable variation in the developmental rate of all stages of growth. Young and old bed bugs may live for several weeks to several months without feeding, depending upon the temperature.

Bed bugs feed mostly at night, by piercing the skin of people as they sleep. However, if they are very hungry and if the light is dim, they will feed during the day.

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