![]() ![]() Bedbugs are about 5 mm long, with six legs and a flat, oval-shaped body. They do not have wings, and are light brown in colour, with a reddish tinge after feeding on blood. They have a small head, with large antennae and large mandibles in their mouth. Bedbugs are parasites that rely on blood to survive. They can feed on the blood of any mammal, although they prefer the blood of humans. Like mosquitoes, they are attracted to the warmth surrounding mammalian bodies and the carbon dioxide present in the victim's expelled breath. ![]() The feeding process takes about 10 minutes. The bedbug becomes filled with blood, changing in colour from light brown to rusty red. ![]() ![]() ![]() Bedbug eggs are tiny, about the size of a pinhead. They're pearl-white in colour. Young bedbugs (nymphs) are smaller, and translucent or whitish-yellow in colour. Unless they're recently fed, they can be nearly invisible. ![]() BedBug Anatomy ![]() Bedbugs use antennae as sensors to guide them towards sleeping victims, where the insect can feed. Each antenna has four segments, approximately half as long as the insect’s body. Clypeus The clypeus is part of the 'face' of an arthropod ... any invertebrate with an exoskeleton, a segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Pronotum The pronotum is a concave-shaped structure that envelopes the head. Leg Bedbug adults can cover 1.2 metres in one minute. Each leg is tipped with a claw that can be used to grip rough surfaces, climb, and hold onto a host as they feed. However they lack suction pads, making it difficult for bedbugs to climb smooth surfaces. Head Bedbugs have short, wide heads, which attach to their thorax, the part where its legs attach to the body. Wing Pad Wing pads indicate where wings would usually develop as the insect matures. However, adult bedbugs have only vestigial wings which do not fully develop, so that the bedbug cannot fly. Abdomen There are 11 segments in a bedbug’s abdomen. As the bedbug feeds, these segments expand, allowing the blood being consumed to be stored. After a bedbug has fed, the abdomen will appear swollen and reddish in colour. The shape of a bedbug’s abdomen indicates whether the insect is male or female. Male bedbugs have a pointed tip at the rear of their abdomen, while females have a rounded tip. Bedbug Bites ![]() |