BED BUG (Cimex lectularius)

SIZE, SHAPE AND COLOUR :  Wingless, oval, flattened unless recently fed, about 6mm long. Red-brown changing to dark mahogany colour if recently fed.

BIOLOGY :  Egg – nymph – adult. Up to 200 or more white, capped eggs laid at a rate of 4-5 a day glued to crevices and harbourages. The nymphs have 5 moults taking from a few weeks to several months depending on conditions and food supply.

PREFERRED FOODS :  Mammalian blood (principally human), emerging at night to search for prey. Feeding usually takes about 10 minutes. They can ingest up to 7 times their body weight in blood at any one meal but can go for prolonged periods of up to a year without feeding.

HABITAT :  Hide by day in crevices in beds, furniture, wallpaper, skirting boards and emerge when hungry. May be carried on luggage.