Page 102 - Florida Pest Control Examinations

BED BUG ADULTS BED BUG NYMPH

Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR

1.Antenna- 4 segmented 6.Thorax
2.Eyes- 2 7.Petiole- none BED BUG
3.Head- with beak 8.Abdomen- flat & oval 6
4.Legs- 6 9.Color- reddish brown 1 8
5.Wings- none 10.Other- in the order of true bugs
Life Cycle
Female bed bugs may lay 10-50 eggs at a time until they produce about 200-500
eggs. The eggs hatch in 6-10 days in warm weather or heated buildings, but delay
for 30-40 days in cool conditions. Nymphs emerge, and try to find a blood meal.
When they do, they will go through five nymphal molt stages and become adults. 4 3
This usually takes between 6 weeks and a year, again depending greatly upon tem-
perature and food supply. Well-fed adults may live up to a year and a half, and at
least 3-4 generations are produced every year. Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR
Actual size 1/6th” to 1/4th”
BED BUG

Bed bugs are very temperature sensitive, and the optimum temperature they are looking for is
about that of human skin--hence the problem for man. A very infested room will have a distinct
“buggy” smell, an obnoxious sweet odor. In addition to the small blood stains from the bites
themselves, the bugs leave small droppings containing blood that are colored either brown, yel-
low, or black. The adults may survive for long periods of time, up to a year, in empty houses,
waiting for their favorite meal--man. If they are desperate, they may take a meal from birds or
rodents.

The bugs themselves are small, usually just 1/6th to 1/4th inch in size. They are reddish-brown
in color, but as they feed they become brighter red. Small claws are used to attach themselves
to the victim. Adults will feed off the host for 10-15 minutes before becoming engorged.

Most people will not feel the bite—afterward the painful itching and large inflamed spot make
the bed bugs presence known. Never try to identify a bed bug infestation by looking at the bite
alone, however.

Over the years, many have tried to link bed bugs with disease. Recent studies have only
shown a slight link as a possible spreader of type B hepatitis but this has not been conclusive.
Bed bugs remain a pest, but stories of their psychological effect on people do hold some
weight. Even in the gold rush days, tales of people going crazy from a bed bug infestation
were not all that uncommon.

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