Bed bug, also spelled bedbug, is a small, wingless insect that feeds only on blood. It typically lives near the sleeping quarters of its victims. The bed bug prefers to feed on people. It also attacks birds and other warm-blooded animals. The bed bug uses its sharp beak to pierce the skin of its victim and then suck up the blood. Its bite causes some people to develop swollen, itchy welts.
The bed bug is reddish-brown and about 1/4 inch (6 millimeters) long when full-grown. Its small size and its oval, flat shape enable it to hide in tiny cracks and crevices. Bed bugs usually hide during the day and hunt for food at night. They have many hiding places, including in mattresses and bedsprings, in furniture crevices, between floorboards, in or under carpet and rugs, in cracks in plaster, and behind hanging pictures. Bed bugs often enter the home on clothing or furniture.
The adult female lays its eggs in cracks and crevices. It may lay more than 100 eggs in its lifetime. The egg hatches in about one or two weeks. The nymphs (young) do not become full-grown adults until they have molted (shed the outer skin) five times. This may take about two months, depending on the temperature. Under ideal conditions, bed bugs may live about six months.
Bed bugs often become serious pests to people because of their irritating bites. Some scientists believe bed bugs may even spread certain diseases. The insects can be controlled by thoroughly treating their hiding places with an effective insecticide (insect-killer). However, bed bugs have developed resistance to some insecticides. Thorough vacuuming, laundering, and cleaning often are performed along with insecticide treatments. Some people fumigate their homes (use smoke fumes or special insecticide fumes) to kill or drive out bed bugs. People also may use special heat treatment of their homes to kill bed bugs.
